Thanks for the prompt and thorough reply.
This must be the problem as I have tried to open the Java Console using
"Start>Settings>Control Panel>Java Plug-in1.3.1_04 "
and I get the same error message.
How do I uninstall java component?
How do I re-install it?
What does "to go to j2re-1_4_2_01" mean? (or should I deal with it when I get to it?)
Please excuse my ignorance