I emailed Microsoft and this sorted it, i know other people have had the same problems

Hi Si,

Thanks for your reply. I have downloaded the MPS report file, and you can
delete it off there.

This problem may occur if any of the following conditions are true:

- Appwiz.cpl and Mshtml.dll are no longer registered.
- The file permissions for Appwiz.cpl and Mshtml.dll are not correct.
- You are using an incorrect version of the Appwiz.cpl file and the Mshtml.dll
file.

To resolve this problem, please locate the Mshtml.dll file, and then verify that
it is the correct version, date, and size. Additionally, verify that its
permissions have not been changed. To do so:

1. Locate the Mshtml.dll file in the Winnt\System32 folder.

2. Verify that the version, date, and size of the Mshtml.dll file match the
values that are described in the following table:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Small Business Server 2000 Version | File Version | Date | Size |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SBS2000 STD | 5.0.3103.1000 | 26-Jul-00 | 2.23 MB |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SBS2000 Windows 2000 SP2 | 5.0.3502.4856 | 06-Mar-02 | 2.24 MB |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SBS2000 SP1 | 5.0.3502.5390 | 31-Jul-02 | 2.23 MB |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

3. Verify that permissions of the Mshtml.dll file match the permissions that are
described in the following table:

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Group | Permissions |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Administrators | Full Control |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Authenticated Users | Read and Execute, Read |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Server Operators | Modify, Read and Execute, Read, and Write |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Everyone | Read and Execute, Read |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| System | Full Control |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

4. Verify that this file is the only copy of the Mshtml.dll file on the computer
(not including the DLLCache copy).

5. If the Mshtml.dll file has the correct version, date, size, and permissions,
type the following commands at a command prompt (press ENTER after each command:

- "regsvr32 c:\winnt\system32\appwiz.cpl" (without the quotation marks)

- "regsvr32 c:\winnt\system32\mshtml.dll" (without the quotation marks)

- "regsvr32 c:\program files\common files\system\ole db\oledb32.dll"
(without the quotation marks)

6. If the behavior continues to occur, repair or reinstall the latest version of
Microsoft Internet Explorer

Si

 

what was the original problem ?

 

add/remove programs wouldnt initalise, so i couldnt see what was install etc.

sames happened with Admin folder in control panel aswell (Windows 2000)

si