Thanks for the suggestion, but: my one physical HD is divided into three partitions (one primary) and each has passed an NDD thorough surface test with zero errors. My system has passed a Norton WinDoctor scan, my own jv16 PowerTools checkup, no known registry errors. While I realize drives can fail at any time, my very strong hunch is that this is a software glitch, that these apps are looking for something they either can't find or aren't allowed to access. (But that is the upper limits of my geekdom.) In general the system behaves perfectly. The only thought I have is that maybe -- MAYBE -- there is a cause to be found in a problem running WU recently: KB837009 was installed when first released (date?), but repeatedly flagged as still needed (not installed) by WU on subsequent visits, even though it is present in the registry correctly. Each time it appeared after the WU scan, I allowed it to install. Four or five times the result was a "failed installation" error, so I manually uninstalled it (IIRC) and then reran WU. At that point, KB837009 installed correctly. It is possible that these apps began crashing after the final, recent successful [re]install of KB837009. Again IIRC, that updates IFSMGR.VXD from 4.10.2223 to 4.10.2225, my current version. To test this, I replaced v 2225 with a copy of v 2223, but the apps still crashed, so I reverted back to the later file. That's the only clue I have, other than the fact that in my experience it is unusual for two apps to cause BSODs with the exact, identical error coding -- if someone could decode it, the solution might be found. Eternal gratitude for, oh, twenty minutes, easily, for anyone who can decipher the code. JLJ