I am very much a novice, and to be honest liked the simplicity of XP. Last I bought a computer loaded with Vista and pretty much hated it from day one. Therefore with the launch of 7 I went straight out and bought an upgrade disc and installed on my PC. Low and behold, it's like frying pan to fire.

Firstly, on start up the explorer window appears and I can't find a way of hiding this. Ok it's easy to press X to close, but that is not the point. Why is this happening and if anyone can help it would be appreciated.

Second is the ridiculous 'Live mail'. I just can't find any way to like this and can't find the send and receive button. Why on earth is Windows Mail gone, and can I install it?

Any help would be most welcome, but bear in mind I am a novice and need simplicity.