I just ran into some strange things, it turns out that some of my problems are related to my browser and perhaps ISA server. I am using IE 8.0 beta (yes, I know) on a business network and on another computer IE 7.x (please, don't tell me) on a home network.
Appearantly the behavior on IE 7 and IE 8 is completely different - my 7.x installation seems to do most things OK. I can't check all my reported issues, but I will have to recheck and get back to you.
I offer my appologies for not having double checked first (but perhaps some people will have some benefit from these postings.
