Thanks for the sympathy, it does help.. I searched under Vista UAC and got lots but nothing that would suggest why this particular problem is occurring. We do seem to have strayed off topic a little here lol, though I appreciate that there are very diverse views about Vista across the board. Personally I have found it really slick and have been pleased with the speed and general interface - I agree that the security features can be a pain but they do say... no pain no gain. Any ideas on the point in question guys, why won't the registration stick ?