Hi Acadia, this sucks:( Sorry to hear about it!

I've had a dell for several years, and it's OK, but I wouldn't buy another. They are just middle of the road machines. HOwever, my local shop PC is kind of a mess. I hope your shop does a better job than the one I used:(

That said, PCs are pretty easy to fix. But....it takes time and lots of boring reading.

If you want to learn, go by the local bookstore's magazine section and get a few issues the magazines there. Be sure to get one that talks about new hardware, and another that talks about PC software. I have pretty much gotten totally out of touch with things myself, so I can't recommend any magazines, or even websites any more. But....once you start getting familiar with some of the techy stuff, you pick up enough understanding to find the stuff you need on your own.

The web has all the info you need, but you have to know enough to start looking.

Once you get the basics down, a few key websites will help you with all of your windows problems (again, I'm sort of out of it, and don't have any good recommendations there).

Actually, when you go to your local shop, ask the sales person there to recommend a book or magazine. You'll be surprised how easy it is....as long as you keep up.

Then...there are people like me. I just want a mac so I can forget the hassles of keeping up, lol.