Well that solution lasted less than a week and I am back to the same problem.  I have tried clearing out the Media Cache files repeatedly but this is not fixing the problem this time.  Any other suggestions short of reinstalling the software?  This is a work PC and I do not have the serial # to do this myself.  Would rather not having to involve IT if there is another solution.

I have not deactivated/ reactivated the software because I do not have the serial #.  This is a work PC.  I am trying not to involve IT if it is something I can fix myself. What specifically are you asking regarding the disk setup?

There is only the C drive on the computer, but I do use an external drive in addition to this.  All of my project files are stored on the external drive.

I have recently had problems with my external drive not being recognized by the computer, so that makes sense. I find myself swapping out cables and usb ports to resolve that issue. I'll try your suggestion and see if the performance improves.  What basic upgrades would you reccommend for the long run?  Any simple things to improve my system?

I come from a post-house environment for many years where I had an entire engineering department to set up, configure and maintain all edit systems.  Now I work for a company where I am the only "creative" and the IT dept consists of one person who has no experience specific to video editorial. Sadly, I am no IT brain myself, so I'm not sure what to ask for to get this running more smoothly. Any suggestions/ recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks Fuzzy for all of your advice!  I will check into your links.