First- I am shutting down properly (by clicking on off) I do not press the button down unless all else fails- I've done that a grand total of 2 times in 6 months.
Dell told me to PHYSICALLY remove the hard drive and gave me instuctions on how to do it. I don't think I will try it.
Since there are no Cds or DVDs in the tray, that cannot be the problem.
For some reason, I have a gut feeling that ALL of these issues have to do with my tinkering with the firewall.
I am taking the computer upstairs with me tonight. Maybe it is the radical change in temperature that is screwing up the system.
I am a writer. I have a pletera of things I store in "my documents". How do I back them up- they are not replaceable- at least not to me.