If you are using windows 2000 or XP the problem could lie with the indexing service. This little 'time save' as Microsoft would have us believe is to speed up searches when you use the 'Find files' utility. Of course, for most home users we know where we keep our stuff. However, every now and then (and I have never been able to figure out exactly how this service is scheduled) my machine would slow to the speed of a snail. After turning the service off it never happened again. For windows XP go into control panel, then administrative tools, and double click on services. In the list you will find an entry that says Indexing Service. Double click on this and set the Startup Type to disabled. Even if it does not fix the immediate problem, disabling the service will not have a negative impact on your system.

There is nothing in consumer law that prevents a UK visitor to the USA purchasing software and bringing it back. Similarly there is nothing to prevent a UK consumer purchasing software via a friend who lives in the USA. The only caveat to these methods is that the recipient in the UK may be charged import duty (17.5%) when the software enters the country (this has happened to me before). However, even with a 17.5% surcharge, and that assumes that UK Customs and Excise decide to inspect your suitcase/parcel, the price of Poser 5 still works out considerably cheaper. What would be illegal is if a citizen of the USA set up a business reselling software bought in America onto members of the European Union without a valid export licence. This is a similar situation to the purchase of region 1 DVD films by UK tourists for viewing on multiregion DVD players back at home.

Thanks so much for the speedy resolution Jenifer. Got the email today with the corrected zip, and I'm now a very happy bunny. :)

I have also got this problem. The shield pack in question is the one by ziggy3D, and not by xurge. There should be seven shields in the pack but only shield 9 is included (and with no textures either). Please could someone sort this out so that we can download the full package.

I've had a similar thing happen to me too. A character that I was working on suddenly had her head disappear (and no, the head was marked as being visible). All that was left was a pair of eyeballs!? Whilst completely unexpected, and somewhat frustrating, it did give me some ideas for some other interesting picture creations. Fortunately I had progressive saves of the character and could go back to these, but it does seem to be the case, even with the 4.03 patch, that frequent saving is the best idea.