again thanks for your time.

1. this machine is nearly 3 weeks old. pre-installed with vista.
2. No, i use my own wallpaper. specially sized for wide-screen monitor. (would the high screen resolution be a problem? its 1440x900.
3. its been going on since i got it but has been getting worse as i ad more stuff.
4. no probs installing hardware. all installs have been clean up to now
5. no it can happen at any time.

and since i disabled aero no lock ups since. has been about an hour and half.
But id love to solve the problem as i loved the look of aero.

thanks again