Sharon, You mentioned using the AOL computer check and that brings this to mind. Whenever I utilize the AOL computer check it shows that I have this issue : Your hard disk is over 85% full. I click on "fix it for me" and the green check mark shows as "fixed". Immediately I click on computer check again and the same message appears that my hard disk is over 85% full. Any ideas? I have a new HP Pavilion with Windows XP, and AOL 9.0 Optimized. Hard drive shows as 162 GB free space. Thanks for all the great informative answers. They teach me something everyday. Sandy