Dianne writes: <<We had to do a virus scan on a laptop (Compaq Presario). It found and deleted 39 files but apparently, a file that is needed to start any and all programmes is missing now. When we try to open any programme, we get the message that the following file is missing and is needed to open files of type "application" . The file is: toix".exe. I did a search on that file but only found reference to toix.exe. I tried to use that one but it didn't work. Hope someone has an idea of a solution>> In line with the other replies to this post. You may need to copy or rename regedit.exe to regedit.com to get into the registry in the first place (you can do this in DOS). I had a similar problem a few weeks ago, and removing the reference to the file in the registry corrected the problem. However, if you know which virus caused the problem, I suggest you go to the Symantec site (or another reputable Anti Virus vendor), and follow the removal instructions for your operating system. Regards Mike McNeil Computer Troubleshooters - Queenstown Phone: 025 385 027 email: [log in to unmask] Curious about the people moderating your messages? Visit our staff web site: http://freepctech.com/staff.shtml