The label says it has 512 MB of memory. I'm not sure which memory this is referring to, but if it is the RAM on the motherboard, it could use an upgrade. Windows XP likes to have 2 Gigabyte (2 GB) or more. You are using a wireless router on a DSL sevice. Make sure that your wireless router is secured so that someone else within range can't horn in and ride piggyback on your connection for free. The more computers using the connection, the slower it gets for any one computer. The next potential bottle neck is the DSL service. If this is over a phone line, it may not be a large jump in speed over a standard dial-up service. A good connection does have marked improvement in speed, but a troublesome connection looses much speed advantge. Consider taking the computer to a shop or friend and try on their lines. Another problem, if over a phone line, is a noisy line. Thw phone company can test your phone line for quality. Make sure that you tell the technicam that this line will be used for internet service. If over a phone line, another bottleneck can be the phone company. It may not have installed equipemnt capable of high speed data transfer. If you have a friend who has a high speed cable connection with a wireless router, you may want to try your computer on his connection. Have the computer checked out at a computer shop to discover if it is the computer or the DSL service to your house.

I have an ACER Aspire 3050 laptop and had the same problem with the touch pad and keyboard. I know this may seem simplified...but before you run through all the issues/processes offered to help your keyboard/mouse react again, try charging the battery for a night or two. The laptop did not work at full function right away (after the first night of charging) but did show some signs of improvement, like some aspects of the keyboard reacting. I had not used my laptop in a while due to a programming issue. By the time I had it fixed, the battery went dead. If the keyboard works without the battery in, after you finish working on the laptop, try keeping the laptop powered on with the battery in it when you are away or asleep. This will very likely charge the battery again and restore function to your keyboard. I am using the laptop keyboard to write this with what I originally thought was a corrupt battery, now functioning just fine. Remember, I noticed the night before that some keystrokes were showing, where there was no reaction before. The battery took more than one night to be up at full power...but it is fine now. I saved myself more than $40.00 by not purchasing a replacement. Hope this helps. :)

Dome granites and stones sold as granites need sealing and some don't. Assuming that the stone has been sealed if it needs it, it won't stain because it won't absorb liquid. True granite and most of the others sold as granite won't etch, but some have some calcium content and can etch (see the recent post about some white quartzite etching). Our granite has been bullet proof. Lots of cooks in our kitchen and some aren't always careful. We have black berry bushes and lemon and lime trees, so our counters get exposed to plenty and we try to be tidy but aren't perfect. No sign of staining or wear. We haven't resealed since the counters went in 6 years ago. (An unsealed sample didn't stain when we tested it but our fabricator insisted on sealing anyway.) Ours is a medium toned quartzite, but it has some pure white areas and those have been fine. You don't have to go to dark stone to avoid staining.

Thanks, you're probably right about not giving them drink bottles...I was just trying to think of a way to encourage them... I have deliberately not been on site much lately b/c the foreman has been so rude. He can be very nice but when he's in a temper - as he can be unpredictably - I don't have the patience to deal with him. Dh goes out and talks to him after work, and our other subs are out there often, looking out for us. If we see *any* more signs of drinking (pop, not beer, lol!), on the job, you can bet I'll be out there every day, all the time, watching them!!! We have found finishings for our house that are fun and unique - lights from at least 5 different sources for instance. Light fixtures made from old time drop lights for our shop area, huge snowshoe wall sconces for the great room for instance (yes, they all meet electrical code). We live 4 miles from our house (we're renting while building), so sometimes I've gone out there 4 times a day. Or I've driven 100 miles in a day, chasing down permits, supplies, etc. This is what I've done as GC, probably more effectively and efficiently than any "pro" could have done. I don't think we could've GC'd if we'd both been working outside the home. It's been a full time job for me, part time for dh. Plus we've done some of the finishing work ourselves (we're finishing the fir floors next weekend; dh is putting in the shop floor right now). Yes, we've had a few questions along the way, but probably no more than if we'd hired a GC. Different questions, maybe. We have always been very involved in home projects, in everything. Some of the crews/vendors have been surprised to come out and find that the woman caulking the logs/house is one of the home owners! Hee hee! GCing your own home is wonderful for many people, and I think the "professionals" need to chill out and be supportive. I doubt that they're going to lose that much business because of us. Or maybe they could offer their services as a consultant/hybrid GC of sorts, and encourage the homeowner to be more involved.