I knew it was coming but I just didn't know it was going to be so awful: I've been Gatesed again. That's Bill Gates: I think that the only reason that Microsoft survives is because it has managed to secure a massive monopoly position. I don't use Linux or any other operating system apart from Windows but I know that I would like to. After more than 20 years of causing major frustrations, MS is seriously getting on my nerves. Here are two reasons why I say this: I have a digital camera and no surprise that I store the images on my laptop rather than the camera itself. When I connect the camera these days, it used to be perfect, Explorer opens and I can navigate easily to the relevant sub folder where the latest images are ... then when I click on an image to preview it, whoosh, Explorer flips over to the Control Panel. It's predictable so I'm not surprised any more. Then I go back to the pictures sub folder and everything's fine. This is a new diversion after 8 months without such a problem. I have a two computer network at home, this laptop and the family desktop. I am not an expert at networking and when I set it up it caused me heartache even though both computers are running Windows XP. Then it finally settled down and we share a printer and can transfer files easily, we share the internet connection ... all good stuff. However, I knew that when I came home from my recent trip that there would be trouble. I was shocked, therefore, on Sunday to find that having connected the network again I could print, share files and share the internet connection without a hitch. Until Monday, that is, when Gates' outfit decided that my network printer should no longer be found or findable: I changed nothing from Sunday to Monday. Then the desktop disappeared from the network, then the desktop came back but the laptop disappeared, then we were all happy again. Oh, now the printer's gone again. So, I connected the printer to my laptop as I really needed to print something ... it's a USB connection so that must be easy peasy. Wrong! The laptop wouldn't find the printer even though it was connected directly to it. I had to reboot twice for it to find the thing. I wasted three and a half hours on this network problem yesterday and have often thought that if we could all get back at MS for the time they waste they would be bankrupt within 6 months. End of this rant. DW