Hello Mike, For the past two months or so, my computer has become very slow in starting up & also in loading any selected programme, eg Outlook Express & in displaying & opening the first selected email in Inbox. I've had suggestions from friends as to how to remedy this, as follows: a.. Clear all icons from desktop & use "all programs" to access desired programme, in lieu of icons b.. Apply System Restore to remove unwanted temporary files/folders I decided to check with you first, before doing either of the above. What do you think? I'd be most grateful for your advice. Kind regards, Betty Sharp