By the way, if you download Diskeeper (http://www.executive.com), you won't have to run in safe mode or shut down everything -- it doesn't have a problem with open apps.

Having too many temp files can also mess with Windows' ability to operate properly. Here's my little "regular maintenance checklist". It might help, along with what you're already doing. By the way,...

Certain spyware/adware can also cause this, as well as a couple of trojans.

Update your anti-virus software & run a full scan. Handle anything it finds.

Then download AdAware...

Some things you can do to speed things up:

-- Delete all temp files (c:\windows\temp\*.tmp)

-- Delete temporary internet files (c:\windows\temporary internet files\*.*)

-- If you use I.E.,...

Try Undelete (http://www.executive.com) -- it has an emergency undelete feature to recover files already deleted. It runs from the CD-ROM so you don't overwrite the deleted files by installing a file...

Get yourself a copy of AdAware (http://www.lavasoft.de) (or another spyware removal program), check for updates and run it.

Hedda Lora