Like... I didn't have any freezing. I was able to do other things [though I did move the writing of the Instant to my lappy whilst the main compy did the Disk Doctor thing] and all SEEMS okay.
Acid test #1: Making the cover to 2019's Year of Instants.
Acid test #2: Creating and adjusting the Word97 version of 2019's Year of Instants.
All these compy shenanigans have been why I've procrastinated all of that noise. So. I'll do the important stuff - the Instant and the Fire Watch - first, and then do everything I can to keep my computer alive through the aforementioned acid tests. Which means quitting the web browsers and their multiple tabs and multiple windows because I'm that kind of serial abuser of processor power.
And before you ask; yes, I've always done it that way, so no big loss for my system there. It's business as passes-for-normal on that one.
The real trick's going to be when I quit all that noise and turn my browsers back on for the -at last!- publishing.
Will it live? Will it die? Only time will tell.
Place your bets as I spin the wheel, folks.