pam, thanks so much for the encouragement. It's not that I can't do it, I had to learn how to keep my pc going, just am balking at the huge change. I could run Windows programs on a newer Mac (but WHY?). Why? My Photoshop CS2 is pc only but Adobe will let me switch, then I have to remove it from my pc. Now if I have a laptop, they'll let you have one copy on each, very strict. You don't dare cheat because the software communicates with Adobe for updates. Plus I upgraded to CS4 and that is only for PC, can work that out with Adobe. I got Lightroom, and luckily both pc and imac are on the cd for that but I can't have both. It won't work on my pc anyway because I don't have enough RAM plus there's a new upgrade out already! I have too many apps that are Win only, my genealogy program, Rootsmagic and an older version of Family Origins, enormous work invested in that (no Mac version yet). Winzip which I need a lot (maybe there's something on the imac for that). My fractals program (don't use it much any more). Couple other ones I guess I could live without. I've already spent about $90 on Fusion, maybe they will refund that, should check it out. Then I have to decide before a year is up if I want to spring $200 for a 2-year contract for apple care or wing it and use the web, my manual and intuition. Then should I invest in the Time Machine for backup? I don't think so, will burn dvd's and use external hard drives and do it myself. Then when my pc finally crashes, maybe I'll get a notebook or just get it fixed and keep both running, so much to decide. Another thing I'm dreading is file transfers, especially my huge photo files. The geek guy from BB got both my computers on the web via a router but just could not get them networked so they'll talk to each other. That means I'll have to run everything onto my external hard drives and hook it into a USB port on the imac and transfer it that way, might be very slow. Will have to learn how to make a file structure for my photos like I like to store them. So many little details to consider. I have decided to just scrap the fusion even if they won't refund me my money because it's just another hassle and I have a contract with Norton AV for my pc but would probably have to pay double to have it on the imac. There's better AV software out there, but Norton once I got used to it works very well for me. I know once people get going, they love their Macs. I do love that big screen, resolution is great, and photos on it look fantastic, color is astounding. The only thing I don't like is that web pages look like typewriter paper (portrait mode in photography), not wider and shorter like I'm used to. Maybe I can change that somehow.

Wendy no 32 bit computer can use 4 gigs of memory. Vista likes 3 gigs assuming the motherboard is capable. My Windows7 computer has 4 gigs as a matched pair but I can only use 3.2 something gigs of that. 64 bit computer can use more but there is the issue of a lack of programs written for 64 bit machines. When you hear the whirring noise do you see the activity light on the front of the tower either running steady or very frequently flashing? This might be a lack of space on your hard drive. You can check the free space by clicking Start and My computer. If the used and free space does not show then right click on your C:\ drive and click Properties in the popup. 25% free space is nice, under 20 and you find the computer slowing and the activity light flashing a lot.

Thanks for your kind thoughts. DD initially wanted the wedding to be at our lake house, but construction delays didn't allow for outside landscaping to be done before the winter. She decided on a venue that is only 5 minutes from our home that offers a contingency plan for holding the ceremony indoors if we do have rain. If we'd been only one year out from building, we could have pulled everything off nicely, but doing it this year would have been super stressful. Trying to accommodate parking, etc. for all the guests here at our home would have been a nightmare, so that was never a consideration. When I can steal a few minutes for myself I love to log on here and read what's happening. If I can offer a bit of advice to someone based on my own experiences, it makes me feel even better. This has been a great diversion. I understand how people who aren't just stressed over kitchen remodels but much more taxing issues, like a child's illness or a flood, log in to decompress. I don't know if I'll be able to check in from here out, but I will definitely let you know how it all turned out - and maybe post a photo.

You know I'm going to have to pay you a retainer, robo - you are now my personal GW/Houzz IT person !! So here's my next question..... if you go to the Houzz home page, how do you find the forums, whether it's the GW topics or the Houzz topics? I get here because the links I have in my favorites get me here but I know sometimes the unthinkable happens and computers crash, info is lost. If I go to the Houzz home page as I did when the announcement was first made but the switch hadn't happened yet, I can't find anything that even hints at forums here. What if.... ? How do we get back here?