I renamed the htaccess.txt to .htaccess as instructed. I might try disabling some of the exploit filters in there to see if that speeds things up. Not sure but worth a try. As far as JoomSEF 3.0, I read that it is not compatible with Joomla 1.0.x series. only 1.5 That is why I am using 2.2.6

Yes, I am trying 3.0 on Joomla 1.51. I got the old blank page thing. lol!

Emstalk I assume you made the changes to the htaccess also, where you engage the second level of settings? Sorry I am sure you followed all the instructions they show for the file. Just hoping to help you find a solution.