> He contacted Microsoft and they said the way out of it was to re-install the latest version of windows he did- but the problem remained. Define "re-install". There are many types of "re-install" most of which do not actually re-install the OS. What type of logon is being used? However, all the "re-install" types will "fix" any buggered file versions. This means that the issue is *not* related to a Windows Component or "Update", but rather to broken permissions or settings or a corrupt registry or some third-party software that is interfering with the operation of the OS. Have you tried creating a "new user" to ensure that the problem is not a busted user profile?