Actually, you're probably better off that they didn't install the new drive. I think that when they do, they just pull the old drive and replace it with a blank one. This way, at least you've got the opportunity to transfer stuff. If I were you, I'd get an external drive enclosure so that you can transfer things from the old drive to the new one. If you have to return the old one to Dell, get something that will completely erase the old drive. Just deleting the files or reformatting leaves it in a state where data can be restored. I've bought refurbished drives before that had sensitive data on them. If you don't have to return it, either buy spinrite to recover the drive as much as possible or drill some holes through it and throw it out.

OK, since I have a new modular with prebuilt stairs, I'll assume there's no blocking and we have to add it. Is this feasible? I'm not sure what you mean by "carriage" - only structural members I think we have are the stringers. In the basement there is a 3ft doubled up joist running perpendicular to the floor joists, parallel to front of house, 3'1" from rim joist. This *might* be in front of the bottom riser of the stairs above, which are 3'2" from wall. But since this is 2x doubled, I'm assuming you wouldn't want to drill down b/t them to bolt in a newel post. Plus I really want the post on the tread so 1) we don't mess up the finished floor 2) we have full 36" from nosing to wall to walk by and 3) I can't put a newel on the right side of the stairs anyway since the T-mold from HW to tile is right there. So what do I need to do to put a post (securely, not half-@$$ed) on the bottom tread? Thanks

UtOh. I just fixed a computer with that. What a pain that was. If you feel comfy.... Search its name the, Windows 7 Security 2012 , online & you should see the basic cleam up at bleeping computer... They have a reg file & some instructions. But its a little more advanced than that from what you have said probably. I had to run the reg file from a usb drive.. to be able to make a new administrative user account where I could run the other programs recommended which will clean the main parts but not all .. There are lots of temporary files .. do some serious temporary file cleaning SuperAntiSpyware found some virus's & a follow up with Malwarebytes found more in each of three browsers. An online scan found nothing after that. Maybe ... Dont update any Acrobat.com or it comes back.. hehe That was her offending thing that start that first started it all. And she updated or reinstalled again after it was uninstalled & clean for a few days.

Yes, the unfunded liabilities are going to be the death of Detroit. All they have to do is stop paying the GM or Chrysler or "Fords" pensions, and all of Michigan dies. Those pensioners have vacation homes "up north," where tourism is the whole economy. Actually, they just have to stop payiing for retirement health care and we get the same results. My previous DH's dad lost his pension when Jones and Laughlin (later, US Steel) reneged on their pension obligations to the northern Minnesota taconite miners. He got a fraction of what he was supposed to get because the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation had to take over paying the miners their pensions. He worked his whole life welding the mining equipment, built his home debt-free as he had the money, raised four children, and died gasping from the lung damage he got from his job. How well do you think the Pension Guaranty folk are going to do spreading the money around when it isn't a few miners and steelworkers, but several industries at once? What is dragging at the economy? Perhaps the unfunded war? The gears are grinding slower and slower and I just hope we have not already lost too much momentum. Has anyone else read The Sheep Look Up? Didn't John Brunner predict well how a confluence of errors and neglect could do us in? I'm just on a real downer tonight. DF-in-L went back to the hospital and is just not coping at all well with unexpected health problems.