The original virus referred to is most likely to be......
JS.exception.exploit.exe.... , it is usually concealed in pop-ups, it is not a virus but will reset your homepage to a porn server, add porn links to your favorites and even install a porn dialer to somewhere in Asia. Don't panic, it is deleted manually from Find on your Start menu, search for JS and delete the folder. Then delete those new bookmarks before going back on the net and resetting your browser homepage.
I have Norton firewall and it stops dangerous scripts with immediate warnings and action screens. I cant be sure but rumor is that Zone Alarm contains spyware along the same lines as other internet freeware. I have encountered one particular posters website link in this forum that has a very annoying pop-up screen whinging about his server and bandwidth, it cannot be closed unless you close your browser, without flaming, nuff said.
Tommy.

I run Win98 with about 150meg Ram and have had similiar problems sometimes with freezing in render. First rule:- is SAVE often and especially before trying to render, then if you have a problem nothing is lost by re booting. Second:- if it hangs or freezes it will continue eventually, an option you may need to wait up to an hour for if you forgot to save. Third:- dont try rendering if you have been surfing the web or have other programs running, memory will definitely be low. Check List:- The more figures and lights, the bigger the risk. Minimise this risk by:- Disc cleanup of temp files Defrag your hard drive Re-boot Disable Anti-Virus and any other running applications in the tray such as ... Task scheduler, Staycon, Real Player,Firewall etc. Now open your drawing and render without problems. Pretty drastic recipe but it works for me when (Poser or CorelDRAW) bites the dust. Reason I personally haven't upgraded to XP was a bad experience with ME, my PC and hardware, software were all under 3 years old but some software would not work but worse still, drivers couldn't be located for some of my hardware. I spent a whole day trying to find updates and patches with little success before deciding I could still live with 98. Tommy.

Just for the hell of it I ran the test on my 4 year old HP Pavilion 4404 just to see how it measured up. After reading everyone else's results, and using a sports stopwatch, I was very happy with 115 seconds. I have only 146meg of Ram, AMD K6 processor and 20gig hard drive with about 15gig free plus still running Win98 first edition. With these low specs you learn to save frequently in Poser4 or lose it buster. Tommy.

If there were just a few more tools and simple shapes available in the standard Poser objects library it would be a much better Lego set for building simple props, without the need for most folks to learn other model programs. The image I posted was made from 18 boxes and built to encase a 3D washbasin model. No special skill required just a bit of patience. Tommy.

Thank you to everyone for their replies, I checked them all tonite and will take a second look tomorrow. I use Corel V9 and Dream is not included. A couple of the programs you suggested look a bit to tekkie for me and a couple of others are way above my price range. I have inherited or downloaded etc a couple of possibles including Bryce and Amapi 4.1 that are over my head technically, also tried 3D Canvas download but doesn't seem to save in any format I can import into Poser? Same problem with old TriSpectives, easy to use and imports 3dS but only saves as a jpg or native format in 3d. Do have Truespace 3SE but haven't tried it yet. Another thought I had was to draw in Corel, then import to Photomodeller lite for modelling. I'm sure something will fall into place for me eventually and I was appreciative of your advice. Just for fun have included an almost finished shot of the vanity unit I'm putting together in Poser. Tommy.

Ahhhh!Grasshopper, I can answer this... Start your Poser V?,and if the opening screen says Metacreations Poser4 you need to download the upgrade patch from Curious Labs. Alternatively if it displays the Curious Labs banner it is already updated or a latest version and no further action required. Beware of free Pro Pack demo, when uninstalling it you lose PZ3 exe. file and clicking Poser icons will not open them, it now has to be done under file menu in Poser4. Tommy.

Can't help with the no-play problem, but shut down your PC and look closely at the CD drive door or in fact just underneath it to one side is a very small pin hole. Straighten out a large paper clip and push it into the hole, the CD door will release and you can retrieve the disc. Make sure you have TURNED OFF the computer before using this trick. Learned this little known dodge from a repair tech relative. Computer shop sharks probably make a quick buck in the back room from terrified victims of this dilemma. Getting back to your system the re-boot should sort it out, not quite sure but some magazine CD's only open in Internet Explorer browser and no other. Another trap I fell for was an English PC mag with Amapi 3D on the cover disc, ooooooh, it was DVD format and I couldn't run it. Tommy.

Hi guys, great idea......,but how about a few for us low budget peasants still stuck in Posette and Dork? Schlabbers post the other day was a gold mine, but a few more face poses wont go astray. I have a big wish list for the up market characters, except in real terms a collection of them adds up to several times my original Poser outlay, sniff ! Tommy.

My sympathies Ron, know where you are coming from!,Poser manual suggests ethnicity for its character library but uses christian names that mean nothing excepting perhaps "Max" or "Pablo", and in Female characters a dark skinned woman is named "Mercedes" which is a traditional German name. Obviously they fear racist flaming from us! My greatest challenge is when trying to create senior and elderly citizen features with only standard P4 figures, sure as hell wish someone would create some morphs and textures for those of us not rich enough to lash out for Vicky and Michael. Old art and photography books from charity stores and garage sales are a good scource of ideas and even cheaper is your local public library. Tommy.

I'm very new to this, but have you tried the SYMMETRY command under Figures menu ? I'm half sure you could work something there. Tommy.

Thanks Little Dragon, you must have a good database or a memory like an elephant LOL. The VK version was the one I had in mind, taking a look at Scott's too. Thought the Debra Ross family was awsome ... but the price threw the handbrake on pretty quick. Tommy.

Hi George, site looks great.... but add the word ENTER on the first page. I had just got up and for a moment thought there was only one page zzzzzz ! Tommy.

Thanks Little Dragon, I have been storing them with their readme's and jpegs in labelled folders in Runtime, then accessing as needed. No chance of wrong models LOL, no "bugs bunny" left over to spend on higher figures here. Thankfully the "free stuff" here is within my budget. Taking your advice now to create and save some characters. Tommy.

Thanks Little Dragon, I have been storing them with their readme's and jpegs in labelled folders in Runtime, then accessing as needed. No chance of wrong models LOL, no "bugs bunny" left over to spend on higher figures here.
Thankfully the "free stuff" here is within my budget.
Taking your advice now to create and save some characters.
Tommy.

Just checked 749megs in runtime folder, 43 megs of zips in a desktop folder and 84 megs of zips on a superdrive disc and I've only had Poser for 3 weeks. The trick seems to be keeping the less used goodies in storage and removing them from runtime when your project is finished.
Tommy.