it depends on your version of windows if xp the above should take you there if vista or 7 you need different directions. How to restore Windows XP to a previous state Using Windows 7 or Vista System Restore choose a date from the calendar when things were working properly, if it does not fix the problem you can revert it back. If you have done any windows updates in the time after the restore date you go to then you will need to get those again most likely so be sure you check if you need updates after you do the system restore. Other wise everything will be as it is.

I don't know what kind of space you're working with but storage is at a premium in my kitchen. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I work when I cook when planning my kitchen. Aside from not having room for a specific baking area there's a lot of cross over with spices & things that aren't used solely for baking so I like everything living in one cabinet. Agree about the doors over the spices. It's better for the spices & things can get messy and/or crammed. It may not always look picture perfect. Plus keeping those jars clean is going to drive you nuts, not to mention the potential for dust etc to settle in the baking cups. My upper cabs are 11" deep and I have risers in the spice cabs that look like little steps. Basically I can see 4 rows of spices on one shelf, the only concession is that I write the names of the spices on the sides of the caps since I can't always see the labels. If you don't have room for a pull out trash in your baking area you can always do what I do I use a "garbage bowl" while you work. Trash gets tossed into the bowl then carried over to the garbage when all is done. I've found this to be really handy! Things like eggshells & butter wrappers just get tossed into the open bowl as opposed to having to open a door or pull out. Here's a picture of my kitchen before it was finished (notice the dixie cup pendants) but it gives you a good idea of what I'm working with. The upper cab to the right of the stove is where the spices, oils & flavorings live. On the counter directly underneath I keep a few canisters & my stand mixer (I keep it underneath a fabric cover to keep dust out). The base cabinet beneath them is all drawers & they hold cooking utensils, measuring spoons, rolling pins, parchment, etc. The actual prep work is done on the peninsula (underneath the dixie cups). This way I have room to spread out. This is my work area for everything. I still have counter space to either side of the stove (which I didn't have before) and plenty of room to spread out. See those open shelves up top? I wanted them in order to display some Fiesta and also as a callback to my mother's kitchen which had open shelves like that on either side of the window. I love having them but they are DUST MAGNETS! All of the dust that can't get into the cabinets to settle on the spice jars must settle there. Good luck with this. You're going to live it when it's done. Cloud_Swift- I recognized your gorgous granite before I realized that it was your post! too funny. Nina

A disclaimer: all "you's" are general. Do you truly spend your time on it? Then the tools you use for that hobby deserve their space. If you are a hopeful gardener, rather than an actual gardener, then you may need to make an effort to be honest with yourself about what you're truly going to do. I'm a sewer. A few years ago, I had to really look at the fabric stash and say, "right now, you are *not* a sewer. And that's OK. You might start sewing in the future. But you aren't right now, and you could use that space for something much more valuable." It felt good, getting rid of that fabric stash. I have never regretted it. I have also gotten a new fabric stash--but I've also started sewing again. (Especially now that I can't bake w/ regular flour anymore and am not wiling to experiment w/ the other kinds.) I do, however, now need to look at my fabric stash and say, "which of these fabrics are 'hopeful' fabrics, and which are ones I will use?" It's hard, because I all of that stash is currently "hopeful," but three times in the last less-than-a-year, I've dipped into it and capitalized on something that was there. So it's hard to say, "I'll never use this" when for all I know, I will. But, I'm also at the point where I'm ready to say, "this fabric = this garment--let's go!" I did keep the equipment--sewing machine, tools. Because I was pretty sure I'd sew Halloween costumes, plus mending. And I didn't want to have to replace them. I decided I had space that they could take up, and that other things could be sacrificed for them. Hobbies aren't all bad, even if they are stuff intensive. It's just that they need to be *real*--like, really you plant tomatoes, which is probably why you regret getting rid of those cages. For your specific situation, if you feel that your gardening stuff is crowding you, and become a problem. then it's time to look with open eyes at how you spend your time. If you make time for gardening, then you should make space for it as well. Do you have stuff you -don't- use? What do you have, in terms of stuff, that you *don't* make time for? It goes. And then everything else shuffles around. Also--I live in an apt., so I feel your pain in terms of not necessarily having a garage or backyard shed for the traditional stuff that goes there. My advice to you is: Reject stereotypes. Store the gardening tools in the buffet, if that's what works for you. There's also the importance of compact tools, and multi-purpose tools. And when space is tight, sometimes you have to spend money in order to have space--which may mean buying tomato cages every year. (Or spending more to get collapsible ones that store in less space.) But basically, when you truly spend your time on a hobby, *it* is the thing you keep, and other stuff is what you toss.

Claire, I am a work in progress with a real ability to lapse if I don't exercise constant vigilance. My house had descended into a more chaotic condition than it had been for several years between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I almost spent $70 on replacement earphones which turned up when I attacked the pile of magazines which had somehow accumulated on a chair :) As I go through my stuff, I do find it helpful to try to keep in mind the psychological reasons that I find it hard to get rid of things -- obviously different types of objects evoke different emotions in terms of why it is so hard to let go. But as I get rid of stuff, the fear lessens as I realize that instead of diminishing my life, getting rid of the stuff enhances it for so many reasons. This morning I did my spices -- boy did it feel good to pour down the old spices, replace with the fresher duplicates and make my whole spice/cooking area much more accessible.