As of Monday evening, the status is this:
I created a new administrator file, and using that, the computer does in fact "save" things (passwords and documents).
It's no longer like a library computer where, when one shuts it down, everything is erased and one goes back to the original "nothing here" settings.
The old administrator file, which holds all my stuff, is still there, because when I right-click on properties on the C-drive, it shows about the same amount of "space used" and "free space."
I got this personal message:
Open My Computer and browse to C:\Documents and Settings. You should see your old profile with all your documents and bookmarks.
I must be dense; there's an absent piece of information here, at least as far as I know.
I open "My Computer." Okay, fine.
But there's nothing there to indicate how one "browses to".