wow... again... 1st - let me say that this ibook is brand new and i got it as a back-up/play machine. i finally understood 9 and could do most anything and then we went to x... but, the way i learned 9 was to just mess around with the os (and read books, articles, etc.). i can't tell you how many times i did clean installs on my old wallstreet. but, really, that is the way i learned about the os (granted, mostly, 9 is very simple and there seemed to be many options available for recovering the system, etc.... at any rate, -nix is a very different animal). 2nd - i was messing around with permissions and the like (not recommended for the average person). Last - (but not least) this mailing list has, already, been one of my best "internet" experiences. this, thanks to your helpfulness (and others) here on the list. (oh yeah, i have norton utilities loaded on my dell x200 (ugh!) work machine - runs a heck of defrag, i tell 'ya) am i supposed to get warrior or tool? ...i am running the comp usa gauntlet today (yikes)!