Thanks very much for your replies. I will be trying out Irfanview and thumbsplus this weekend. I'll also try Paint Shop Pro for as long as it lets me.
No offence sanjosebaz but I'm going to stick to freebies for now.
I let you know how I get on.
Thanks for the tip *********, I did spend a bit extra on buying a separate warranty cover policy so I'm hoping I'll be better looked after.