You may have a driver mismatch to the monitor. Try this: Boot up in the safe mode. That mode loads only the essential software to operate the computer and loads a low resolution, generic monitor driver. Does your monitor oepeate in this mode? If so, you may be on the path to a cure. Change the monitor driver to one that suits your monitor, then reboot. After you get it working again, check to see how the sleep modes are set. Before you change the driver, record the one that is current. You may wish to return to return to it. ************************** A tip for future reference: Before changing monitors, set the driver to the low resolution VGA mode, 640 x 480 pixels. Change monitors and then change to a driver one that matches the replacement monitor. ************************** I see another possible problem and that is your old monitor may not be plug-and-play. The later versions of Windows do plug-n-play while booting. It attempts to interrogate your monitor and if it gets a return of garbage, it may act on it if it isn't smart enough to know this is not a plug-n-play device. I ruined a monitor once when I first installed Windows 95. I had a video card that had the capablity to output a wide range of driving voltages to the monitor's sweep circuits. However, it was not a plug-n-play device. Windows set the card to the wrong voltages and overdrove the sweep circuits. The monitor lasted about 5 minutes. Lets us know how it turns out. If the monitor does not operate in the "safe mode", there is something more wrong - could be the monitor, or could be the video hardware /circuits.

Do you also recommend that gun owners not lock up their guns, and simply rely on teaching their children about gun safety? Well, my folks did, and it worked. Hunting guns, though, not pistols. They were put away, and the ammo was high, but we could have gotten to them as easily as kids who know where the key to the gun safe is and how to use it, and how to climb on a chair. MUCH better to take them to the range, teach them gun safety and change a shotgun from what Elmer Fudd fires at Daffy's face, which leaves him still blinking and setting himself to rights, and all better in the next scene, to a scary, heavy monster that kicks back. Never load a weapon unless you intend to shoot it. Never raise the muzzle unless you're ready to shoot it. Never point the muzzle at anything you aren't going to shoot. Never take a shot that you can't make (i.e., hit your intended target). Never fire into the air or past the target (explanation of consequences). Always point the muzzle to the ground, but never at anyone's foot, including your own. There is no glamour to guns if they're not secret and forbidden. In reality, they're heavy, smelly, dirty, kick, pinch and are a lot of work to clean and oil. Much more fun firing nerf disks! Regarding the oven and finding out how the lock works, you might do better calling a showroom where they have the oven installed on the floor. If there isn't one near you, try a distributor like Purcell-Murray. They have nice people working the phones at BSH (Gaggenau parent), but they may not know the answer off hand. Re the fire safety, you're right about turning it off. If the breaker is well labelled that would be a good thing to do. The problem is whether you'll be able to open the oven after, and if your kitchen will burn down meantime. Not so long ago, lasagnas overflowed in my hostess's oven. It was her only oven, so she decided to leave it go and keep cooking. The spillage did, eventually, catch flames. It was easy to put out with baking soda, and the oven kept on working. The party (a big one) was saved. Baking soda will also help clean up the char. A lever lock wouldn't have been a problem. I assume it's operable using a knife for a lever or something if it gets too hot. I'd worry that an electronic lock wouldn't release in that kind of situation, forcing the trip to the breaker box while the dinner died and the oven was ruined...

Yes, I have unplugged everyting & re-plugged it all back to where it should be. I haven't tried the system restore yet. This is where I'm at now.... we found another old huge monitor & got it hooked up & it works just fine! Wonderful picture! But hate the size of that monster! So the problem must be in the flat screen monitor, right? Are they repairable??? The white screen with the blue triangle showed up again...it said that the desktop screen couldn't work, so I choose another desktop screen & everything seems to be fine. I really appreciate all the help here! Thanks so much!!!

OK, Zep. You've got the banana care nailed! A couple of ornamental (you don't want to eat the fruit, because it's full of seeds) varieties can survive in cold areas, like here in NY, with that kind of care. Edible varieies, around here, have to come inside for the winter. Now to the subject at hand: I got nowhere with the Creative link. I just got an error, HTTP 404 Not Found. When I clicked on, "Publisher: Creative", I got to a place where there were so many of these things that I didn't know which one was the right one. At the Gateway link, they asked for the serial number. (0016653113) When I gave them that, and clicked on a few other things that they told me to do, I got this instruction: "Insert System Restoration Kit Drivers CD in the System Restoration Kit Window." I found the System Restoration CD, and I guess there's really only one place I can insert it. On the disc itself, it says to reinstall some old Windows operating systems, start the PC with the disc inserted, and to install system software and drivers, insert the disc while the PC is on. So, I guess I start up the PC, and put the disc in. If I remember correctly, from the few times I have used any restorations, long ago, you restore to a certain date. A date, when I still had sound, was before I took the 'puter in for service. If I restore to a date like that, while restoring my sound, am I not also restoring the problems that prompted me to take the machine in for service, in the first place?