This is just to say thank you for all the helpful suggestions, very
difficult to work out whats wrong when you cant see for yourself, so I am
very gratefull for them time given.

While following some of the suggestions I noticed that the machine would
only reboot if everything was removed from USB and card slots, so I wondered
if with everything removed it would do a "System Restore" it did! and all
the USB ports are now working again although the graphics are all different.
When the new windows 7 machine turns up I shall be a lot more proactive
about backing the system up (and checking it works)


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk