I am trying to develop a program that does specific actions at certain intervals of time. I have been using a Timer control set at a 1 second interval and using a variable to store the number of seconds, then I compare it to the length of time that I want the actions to take place. (that sounds confusing) Is there a way to base my actions off the time of the computer rather than using a Timer control?

Also, what is the best way to restrict the user from clicking buttons while actions are happening? (Like when a program is loading or performing a large function) I have tried changing the mouse cursor to the hourglass and disabling the form, but it did not yeild the results I wanted.

I would appreciated any information that might be helpful. Thanks!

Ryan