I got this from Outlook Express help: "To check the spelling in messages Outlook Express uses the spelling checker provided with the following Microsoft Office programs: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. If you do not have one of these programs installed, the Spelling command is not available. In the New Message window, click Spelling on the toolbar, or on the Tools menu, click Spelling. Note To customize the way your spelling checker works, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then select the Spelling tab."

Ellie if you only have anti virus you are at risk. I would suggest you get Malwarebytes and SUPERantispyware, both of which are free. These require you to manually update and run scans but they only need doing every one to 3 weeks depending on how conscientious/nervous you are. I never leave my external hard drive connected to the computer. This is both for safety and economy. Connected it is open to attack and also runs all the time. If you have a factory built computer your power supply might be taxed to a degree unless your external drive is self powered. Most today are not self powered I believe. You wrote: If I can't bring my computer up ( that is called a crash or a blue screen) I install my recovery discs first. The CD drive works even if the computer has crashed. There is no real answer to this untill the catastrophic event occurs. You might get clues for days before the event to warn you. There would also be valuable clues in the event of a blue screen of death from the error message displayed. (BSOD) I assume you mean Best Buy replaced a defective hard drive with a new one? What was written on the labels of the disks from BB? That would be a clue as to what they are for. As I noted before recovery disks allow you to take your computer back to the new state it was in when purchased, a backup created on your external drive will return the computer to the state at the time of that backup. Any work saved in between would be lost. You can store your data on the computer itself and back it up to the external drive for protection. Always a good plan to have data you do not wish to lose saved in 2 locations Outlook is generally a part of Microsoft Office although I understand it can be bought as a stand alone program - quite expensive too. One would presume Cobian Backup came with your Go_Flex drive. It is good that you ask these questions but be sure to allow yourself to enjoy the benefit these things can bring you. A computer is only as good as the person sat in front of the keyboard. Urlee and Cat_ky I have no issues with anyone owning more than one computer, I have 6 and all working yet I live alone. But to purchase another computer "just in case" seems rather more than odd to me and a complete waste of money for an item that keeps becoming out of date with alarming regularity. Don expressed it very wisely I think.

Most spell checkers test for mis-spellings, but not misused words. For example, I been seeing the words "brake" and "break" used interchangeable, and the spell checker wont discover this since both words are spelled correctly. Other common interchanges: there and their its and it's good and well those and these we're and weir dove and drove mail and meal However, a grammar and puctuation checker may flag some misused words.

Some MS Office Home and Student versions allow you to install them on more than one computer. Others do not. If you have a version that has already been installed on the allowed number of computers you cannot install it on another. Word 2010 isn't that different from 2007. You should get used to it pretty soon. I use both on different computers along with word 97 on another with no problem. Any particular feature of word 2010 you don't like?