Hi Gary,
there is a hot fix that dramatically increases VSS performance and is available by contacting Microsoft Support.
See
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q228/9/27.aspNote - when you call support, tell them right off the bat your calling for a "hot fix" which is typically free, and save the time lag of instigating the usual support log record.
Roxanne M. Seibert
Independent Consultant, VFP MCP
Code Monkey Like Fritos