HEARYE HEARYE, THE BATTLE HAS BEEN WON!
After consulting this reference:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894505/en-us
even though I was not experiencing the exact problem they address (mine was similar in that I was crashing to the desktop), I tried their solution. I removed "viewpoint.exe" and "viewpoint.mgr" from the programs shown in Add/Remove, before doing another uninstall/re-install, or worse, of fs9.
IT WORKS!
I have flown for about twenty hours since with no crashes even on previous flights that crashed regularly. VIEWPOINT was the culprit and I don't even know why that program was in my computer. Before removing it I was unable to get even from LaGuardia to Philadelphia. Now I can do NY to Chicago (or anywhere!) and back without having the program crash.
The problem was NOT overheating - as several of you and I had suspected.
Put this in the back of your mind as you may need it for future reference. VIEWPOINT and FS9 do not get along with each other! I still don't know why I had Viewpoint among my programs.
Thanks to all who tried to help. You guys are terrific!
Pete
First Officer
Chief Captain