Ed,

You are undoubtedly correct as it applies to you.

On the other hand, you have invested *FAR* more time and energy into learning the myriad of intricacies of the countless related (and not so related) components of Win9x, WinNT, IE, networking. . . need I go on <g>.

For those of us with much more limited knowledge and far fewer connections at MS, the KISS principle is much more helpful.

If all of MS' users had to have your knowledge they would have somewhere around a dozen customers.

Cheers,

Jim N

>>Thank you, Garrett.
>>
>>We can only hope that Mr. Green shares your wisdom.
>
>All I can say is don't buy products like InstallShield (which has a history of having the 'patch du jour') that selectively update your software. You'll become a big MS believer after a few experiences like that.
>
>You also need to be careful with MS operating systems; I usually apply an SP, and then selectively add HotFix updates when they apply to me. A little care, and being absolutely detailed when talking to support people about what I have installed, keeps me up to date and able to deal with interrim fixes.
>
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Jim N
>>
>>>>What this is saying is that I have to perpetually have my VFP system in a state
>>>>of flux which is likely inconsistent with any other VFP system on the
>>>>planet. This is good for neither me nor for you - problems which I may report
>>>>may well be as a result of *my* particular VFP 'configuration' (of software) or
>>>>possibly even because I mis-applied some web-only available piece of
>>>>maintenance.
>>>
>>>I agree: I think there should be a one-stop shop for getting the current version of the software. Otherwise, it's a maintenance nightmare....