Hi, If those suggestions fail to help then, Regarding this error only: Windows keeps telling me Microsoft Word is open In some cases with Windows 7 and Vista. When you try to delete a word document.,you can get a pop up that says, unable to delete because word is open, when in fact it's not. Possible issue / cause: Windows Preview Pane locks files for extended period Vista has a Hotfix for this problem, windows 7 has a work around. That being: Open Explorer, click Organize --> Layout and deselect "Preview Pane" on the view options. Then delete the file or document. Restarting may help the situation too.

Shutting down for 15 minutes is not necessary. Shut down completely and instant start - not a restart will do the trick there. Word used to be terrible for returning the memory to the memory pool when the program was closed, one would assume MS fixed that long ago. We are talking MS Word? How much memory does the computer have? When you check how much free space was on the hard drive it exceeded 20% hopefully?

Lynn, Are you using 'Windows XP', 'Vista', or some other operating system? You mentioned 'Superantispyware' removing "several spywares". Have you also run a full scan with your 'anti-virus' program? If not, update and run a full scan. Something else I overlooked when I read your initial post, I see you're using AOL 9.1. I'm still using AOL 9.0 SE, so there may be some changes to the way things are done in 9.1 as far as repairing the software. I'm not even sure they have the same features in 9.1 so let's forget about 'rebuilding the AOL adapter' for now. Someone else using that version of AOL will have to jump in here. If you have the 'AOL' icon down in the system tray (by the clock) you can right click that and see what options there are. System Restore is painless and if you don't get the results you want you just 'undo' the restore. If you had any kind of virus or spyware infection and you restore to a time when your machine was infected, yes, it will restore those infections, but you can always run your anti-virus and anti-spyware applications again to remove them. I can't say for certain whether or not 'system restore' will affect your bookmarks but it is always a good idea to back up anything on your computer that you cannot afford to lose or want the hastle of having to replace. There can never be enough said about the importance of backing up important data! I use Acronis True Image which makes an image of the complete hard drive, sector by sector, that will restore everything including operating system, programs, documents, pictures, data, etc. to the 'T'. This is on a second drive in my PC in case my primary drive should fail. I also have an external hard drive where I back up 'My Documents'. "I also ran ccleaner right after the updates (I thought at first that that was the problem) - should I rerun that as well?" No, running CCleaner again is not going to fix the problem, nor do I see where CCleaner would have created your problem, unless by chance, if you also used the 'Registry' feature in CCleaner, it may have removed something. Anytime you use any kind of registry cleaner it should have the option of making a backup in case things go wrong, which is exactly why most cleaners, some don't, have the backup option. Either that or create a 'system restore' point before you use it. Using a 'registry cleaner' is a hot topic. Some swear by them, others swear at them! I personally have use Macecraft 'Reg Supreme' for years with no ill effects. "There may have been an easier way to do this, but I just copied and pasted all the bookmarks I made_____". There is: Internet Explorer has an 'import/export' feature for transferring or backing up your cookies and favorites. Click on 'File' in the Menu bar at the top of the IE browser, select 'Import/Export', and follow the Wizard. You can save them to a file on your computer for retrieval later if you should need to do so using the same wizard. I made a folder called 'Backups' in the 'My Documents' folder where I store a copy of my 'cookies' and 'favorites'. In Firefox, I'm still using version 2.0.0.16, if you go to 'Bookmarks' in the Menu bar and select 'Organize bookmarks' and click on 'File', you'll find an 'Import' and 'Export' wizard. Drink some 'brave' juice and try the system restore first to see if that works. Witz

Microsoft's main market for Office is employers, public and private sector. The historical investment most places have made in things like forms, macro-driven apps, interfaces with other systems, etc., as well as what happens as new hires come in, make it much cheaper to continue with widely used MS software. Software license costs are small change compared to infrastructure and support expenses. For employers of any size, the fees paid for Office are a small fraction of the retail price an individual would face. For individuals, a free choice should serve most purposes. For a workplace other than very small, or an employee of a fair sized place who wants work compatibility in using a personal machine, MS is most frequently the choice.