max, i never really use the eye dropper tool for picking shaders. i have get by with the properties box. in the first button (general) there is a little pop down menu that allows you to pick shaders. so as long as you know the name of the shader you want, just click once on the object to select it, and grab the appropriate shader from the menu. might not be as fast, but it doesn't crash out... and that is where you save time. -scott