>Thanks for your suggestions and to everyone else too, but I'm no nearer a >solution. Any other ideas gratefully received.
Pat, are you sure you found and deleted in "Your Username/Library/ Preferences"all these: com.aladdinsys.Expander com.aladdinsys.DropStuff com.stuffit.Expander.plist com.stuffit.Deluxe.plist com.stuffit.Engine.plist com.ctmdev.PowerMail.plist "Aladdin" folder PowerMail Prefs ? The following demand you have admin login handy and change the owner of the containing folder (remember to change back) in /Library/Application Support/" you deleted the Aladdin folder ? and in "/Library/Preferences/" com.stuffit.DropTar.plist com.stuffit.DropZip.plist com.stuffit.Engine.plist com.stuffit.stuff.plist com.stuffit.ExpressPE.plist com.stuffit.Expander.plist ? and finally in "library/frameworks/" you got rid of the folder "StuffIt.framework" ? Alternatively you made sure these have been deleted. Then restart, before you reinstall, just in case something remains in cache. I'd also boot first into single mode: Command-S at boot and write fsck -y plus return, before I'd