Hi there, this is not really a question but more of a remark. I just found out that apparently, database programs like ACT!2000 and Exact for Windows (dutch product) perform really badly when using map system en you've (accidentally) set the system flag (group execute - which happens quite often if you're not thinking and type chmod 770 *) .. apparently the packages DO work, but VERY VERY slowly ... this may be a cause of slowdowns for lots of people complaining about performance .. presumeably there's some sort of different handling of SYSTEM files within windows.... This was on a w2k workstation by the way ... A quick chmod 760 * suddenly speeded up the process of loading the database a factor of 10 or so ..... greets, Steve Hardy