Make a list of what you don't want, go into Control Panel, and uninstall. This will generally get rid of most or all of it, although there may be a remnant, like a Desktop shortcut, that you can delete manually after the uninstall. Afterwards, if there is anything left on the computer you don't want which is not listed in the Control Panel, come back here for further instructions. In my experience, the only complication is that a few of the trial versions of anti-virus software sometimes have their own uninstall program which can do a better job of removal than Control Panel. So if you are going to remove anti-virus, click on Start / Programs / [Name of Program], and see if a specific Uninstall line appears. Don't be too concerned about the bloatware. While it's annoying that they put this stuff on a new computer, they don't want to make it too hard to remove, or cause other problems when uninstalled, as they don't want to completely alienate the customer.

Click yes let it up date and it should proceed to uninstall it.

First of all, a sincere thank you to each of you. The situation has been resolved. Norton contacted me this afternoon. The problem has to do with the Norton Firewall, and appears to have been fixed. If the problem recurs, I am to uninstall the Norton program and re-install it. Upon learning of my experience with i Yogi, the Norton representative explained that i Yogi has a redialer that sends your Norton call to them. i Yogi is a TOTAL SCAM. For those experiencing similar problenms in future, the Norton representative assures me that this toll-free number will get you to the real Norton Support people. 1(800)745-6061 When we go through the internet to get to Norton, even if we are entering through the Norton site, i Yogi can intercept the call. Again, my sincerest thanks for your time and attention to my problem. :O)

Colin - your explanations of restore, system restore, back up, etc were very helpful. They were a very useful edition to what Ravencajun wrote - it didn't seem repetitive to me. I think I can really use any reiteration at this point. Now I actually understand that the system can be backed up to a hidden spot on the hard drive as well as my backing it up on dvd - to be used in the event that the hard drive back up doesn't work. By George, I think I've got it...........Well - at least that part. I'm not sure that I saw any option to create a back up start-up disk. Was that automatically included when I backed up the entire hard drive - or is there a separate step I should take? I also realize that I hadn't understood what you meant by blue button. I was looking at an actual blue button the thinkpad keyboard. Will that button do - or should I be looking for something else. I didn't not notice any blue buttons on the screen (except the Avast buttons in the task bar). Raven - I have a question about revo uninstaller. What would it uninstall? I noticed that I have Office on my computer but I don't know if it came with Office - or if this is a trial program. Is there a way I can figure that out? If it's a trial, I'd like to remove it. If it's permanent, I'll keep it. I know I did not get Microsoft Word with this and thought I had chosen no office software. I was planning on getting open office for the few times I might need to work on a word document (working on a document that is in Word on my desktop). Zep - good point about the printer software. I know when I chose the Canon mx850 and was researching printers, these were considered much better in terms of minimal bloatware (than say the HP's). I know when I installed the software on my desktop (and my daughter's) that several files were installed, but I think I want them all. The computer is networked so I can scan documents to any of our computers - print from any computer, fax from any computer, etc. I'm not sure how I would determine if any of those canon files are bloatware. More on my progress: -I did do all the lenovo updates. -ran javara and updated java and removed old programs. -installed and ran malwarebytes, spywareblaster. Any particular settings I should choose for spywareblaster,malwarebytes or Avast? I have so far just chosen the defaults - but don't know if I should "protect?" cookies - or anything else. And I just realized that I forgot to install superantispyware. For Avast, I did not set up scans on the screensaver - because at this point I will be turning the computer off if it is not being used for a while. If I just happen to walk away for 20 minutes or so, I don't want a scan automatically running that I have to wait to finish - or interrupt and cancel it - and run it manually later. Does it seem okay to just run it manually? If so, how often? Maybe I should use the screensaver option? I think "protecting (I know that's the wrong word - unselecting ?) cookies was for ccleaner - not anti-spyware programs. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. So now I'm off to get superantispyware - run secunia and get any necessary updates - and set up the printer software. This is extremely gratifying to be able to do this (with everyone's help). It really helps me to understand what's going on with my computer. Thanks. Lynn. PS - if I get open office, is there anyplace in particular I should download it from? Are there parts to download and parts to avoid - or do I just download the whole program?