Don't you just love it when the hard drive carks it. I do not know whats worst getting a new one or going through the setting up. So I am delegated to the Notepad.

Trouble is it is a Vista Op System with all the administrator privileges fiasco. I like my XP it does not suddenly decide I am someone else.

I feel like I have lost an old friend Boo Hoo

Been there done that. Just a few months ago.

I feel your pain

Why did you have to go to Vista? Eeks, get rid of that operating system asap, it's horrible, go with Windows 7 if you need to upgrade, at least it doesn't use up 75% of your ram just for the OS lol. Am curious though why you had to change OS for a hard drive replacement? And I been there done that I believe 6 times in the 7 years I used my last computer... should have replaced the stupid computer years before that, but stubborn hubby didn't think it was the computer lol... go figure. He's got it now MUAHAHAHAHA since I got the new puter last year, we'll see how bad it is for him, he's one of those that downloads from anywhere and everywhere and can't figure out why he gets viruses LOL

Haha! I've certainly been through that! Well, he has also got it now...

Regarding Vista, I have a Vista laptop still (Hardware from HP), 6+ years old, and I still use it. I have never ever had any problems with it other than it's getting slow after a while, and I then do a reformat. I have experienced that Win7 is better and faster, but as I say, I wouldn't condemn Vista completely.

I didn't like Vista (coming to it from XP), but my creaky, old Vista laptop is so much faster than my newer Win7 64bit. I don't get it. Sometimes I think I'm on dial-up with this beast. I can't even watch a video on this thing

Paintbrush has a virus.

Have you tried opening a new user account, i know i suggested it before but it works wonders, especially combined with a defrag.

As per Scott's advice: reformat!
- always works...

Soon!