_____

What you need to learn is not specific to computers.  It is 'there's no such
thing as a free lunch'.  By trying for the 'deal that is too good to be
true' you are opening yourself to pay all sorts of other costs:  malware
infection, identity theft, zombification (your system used as a remote
controlled spam spewer, rented out by the Russian 'mafia'), eternal spam,
legal action, or at best, wondering when the other shoe will drop.

There is legitimate freeware that has been vetted for security; try that
route if you don't want to pay.  And paying for a type of product is no
guarantee - rogue software is out there that takes your money and keeps on
taking.

Thus my advice, which you consider 'unfriendly'.  Don't be so thin-skinned
if you expect to learn; 'Jim Macklin' only stated the truth - your 'computer
man' DID steal the software he installed on your system.  If you paid for
that installation, then he stole from you also.  Don't operate in the same
fashion he did.

A newsgroup like this has a sort of 'peer review'; if bad advice is given,
then quite a few knowledgeable people will post a corrective response.

You've gotten seven responses in this thread, six contained correction
information, one was incorrect, and it was pointed out as incorrect almost
immediately.  Consider that helpful, learn from it, and continue to post
(and please switching to a news reader instead of your current, broken, web
interface supplied by your ISP.  If you need help in that, your ISP should
be able to help you set up Outlook Express as your newsreader.  Later on you
might wish to switch to a more powerful newsreader.

Phil Weldon