Tried AVG's suggestion. Shut everything down, sent 200+ screenies into online storage. Game ran a bit better. Met a small freighter, attacked with deck gun. But everythime I tried to use optics (periscope, binoculars, UZO) the game would freeze. To switch from frozen UZO to bridge had to go via the chart screen. But when freighter was destroyed, all I could get was the chart screen. Aaaarrgghh!
Do you think getting a better video card would help? (under a hundred bucks?)