there's a big difference between "having to" and "wanting to" nuke a
drive... I choose to nuke and restore as a method of making certain my
system is as clean as it can be, even though I update and use anti- scans as
well. Not only do I purge my computer of any malware, but I also get rid of
programs I was testing. If I find something I like, it gets incorporated
into the next GHOST image that I make, something I do every few months
generally.

it's quick, it's easy, and it works! Hard to beat that! Also, the process
essentially defrags the C: drive each time, just an extra benefit...

wonder what lurks in YOUR computer? If you built it a year or so ago and
have been adding and deleting "stuff" since then, there are probably a LOT
of little bits and pieces floating around... old registry entries and other
things that Windows just never quite gets rid of...

As for the problem I was having... just checked email and it's working
normally again, so whatever it was, it's been fixed.