thanks, lanux128, for your reply.
i have tried both the exe and the ahk, with the error messages as a result, as i mentioned...ie neither works.
what's surprising to me is that this is the first time that the exe version doesn't open (and give a choice re unpacking or not, if i remember right).
FYI: using XP/SP2.
for any further help,
my thanks,
chrisk