thx much for the advice.ill no doubt be back to bug you good people though.to darkhorse,no prob with the files.ill try and share as much as possible.which leads to my next,unanswered situation......how long can an EXTERNAL HD stay powered?as i stated before,i want to share the love but only wisely.and as for finding music videos by SEAL(my taste in entertainment is NOT open for discussion)is like winning the lotto 10 times in 1 day while not having the correct numbers...ie,impossible.ill type ''seal'',the video i want and ill get everything but.