What you need to do is use the LPAD function in SQL Server to pad the number to a set size. So, suppose you want to have it padded out to 10 characters, you'd use UPDATE TableName SET AccountNumber = LPAD(AccountNumber, 10, '0') I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

I believe you can do this using WMI. Read this[^] article or this[^] post. Hope it helps. It's not necessary to be so stupid, either, but people manage it. - Christian Graus, 2009 AD

On top of everything else that's been said, using managed code, C#, VB.NET, or any other language that targets the .NET Framework, an item can be moved in memory by the Garbage Collector at any time. So, even though you got the pointer to item, you really cannot use the pointer because the item might not be there anymore. The pointer you have will NOT get updated to reflect the new location in memory. However, there is a way aroudn that. It's called "pinning". The GC can be told to pin an object in memory so it can't be moved. Read up on it here[^]. Be careful. When you pin an object, you are also responsible for removing the pin when you're done with it. A guide to posting questions on CodeProject[^] Dave Kreskowiak Microsoft MVP Visual Developer - Visual Basic      2006, 2007, 2008 But no longer in 2009...