Hi; Simple question which I can't find an answer to. Probably because it is so basic. Whenever a processor fetches a dWord from memory, is the word *always* copied to the processor or is it in fact moved -- leaving, as it were, a blank (Ox0000) at that particular address? Post-amble As I read, I see lots of copying operations; fork, add, compare, etc.; but when I look at the schematics for memory or the instruction set for IA-32, I don't see a way to distinguish between move operation or a copy operation. If its always one or the other it is understandable. If coping or moving are options, then it gets confusing. I hope the above is clear. I wrote the question without reviewing my notes or checking my manuals. If the question doesn't make sense, please let me know and I'll do the work to fix it. Regards Bill