Thx for the plug for JReceiver.

JRec can be configured to scan periodically -- as often as once an hour. Shares that drop off the net will have their tunes axed at the next scan. When they reappear the tunes should be picked up again.

The software also supports various types of playlists, configurable through a web interface. The 'dynamic' playlists might meet your needs.

Though JRec is still in alpha it's nevertheless pretty stable and reportedly runs on Win2k.

Reed (http://jreceiver.sourceforge.net)