lol! sounds like some arguments people have tried to draw me into... they're toooo expensive, they're only good for graphics, blah blah blah.

hey, you have a mac right? can you read the emails i send you?
how do you go without microsoft office?
can you open jpegs?
hey, can you fix my pc?

and that'* the truth of it. the people who give me the most crap for using my mac are the people who are always calling me to fix their pc. *sigh*

Thanks for all the advice! Once I actually get some time off of work I will check out all the options you guys have given. Last night I actually downloaded Ad-Aware SE Personal, and History Killer, and that helped a lot. I get a window that pops up once in a while saying that my homepage has changed on me, but it has a "yes" or "no" on whether I accept the change. I click "no" and it has seemed to work. My homepage has not changed on me in at least 24 hours, and the strange folders in "favorites" have not reappeared so far..which makes me feel better. I will still be getting a firewall eventually. I'll do/ download as much as possible to keep my computer safe.

I do however still get the window that says "Error, program will exit now...then "Initialization error!" Still not sure what that is. But it does not seem to be causing any problems.

And to add on the PC vs. Mac debate..

Macs are very nice computers. So are PC'*. I like both. I'm sure there are people that think that Macs are for those who aren't too technical (one of my friends has said that anyways). That doesn't mean that everyone who uses Macs don't know their way around computers though.

But while being easier to use, Macs are much harder (and more expensive, of course) to fix though. I took apart my iMac because the video board blew, and it was a PITA to take apart (at least the first time). The technicians tried to (it seemed) scare me into thinking I'd kill myself if I fixed it myself. Probably a way to get more $$ out of me and let them fix it ..though screwing about around the CRT was still potentially dangerous , but nothing I couldn't fix. Macs still are more expensive in every way. Whether they are intentionally designed to be more expensive to fix, or they just happen to be, either way, it sucks they cost so much. A G5 would look nice on my desk.

I do graphic design/illustration and yes Macs are more industry standard for graphic design, but PC'* are used in designing as well. The same design programs I have on my Mac are on my PC. A lot of my friends from class in college used PC'* too. It'* just personal preference. My iMac worked fine for the time I used it (I still use it for certain programs), but I love my PC though. Built it with the help of my friend. It'* fast, has amazing graphics, all the memory I'll ever need, and has a sweet looking case and a nice flat screen monitor. I like the fact I can build a PC myself, upgrade/change hardware, and save money.

It works for me that I'm familiar with and like both Macs and PC'* because whether my next design job is at a PC or Mac environment, I would have no problems. So I'll be sticking with both of my computers

Pete, Are you using XP home? Check out this link.
http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportf...+error&x=6&y=8