My $.02

Two flavors of formatting 1. format (via the FORMAT command) 2. low level format (via third party utility, e.g, Norton Disk Doctor)

#1 takes care of all viruses EXCEPT boot-sector viruses.

#2 is required to eliminate the possibility of boot-sector viruses. #2 is also nice because it actually tests the surface of the disk platters and marks bad sectors as unusable.

IF you are comfortable with formatting and reinstalling, #1 it is the quickest and dirtiest way to deal with your problems. Not elegant. Brutal but effective. If it works, you're finished.

If #1 doesn't improve the situation, you should begin to suspect problems with the drive itself. Time for a new drive or #2.

Russ (Everybody's an expert)