problem is solved - thanks to the many people who offered suggestions in the end, it was easiest to delete the .mhonarc.db, index.html, and threads.html and reconstruct and restart mhonarc earl - sorry i wasted your time John Hogan Systems Administrator SparkLIST.com Corporation • The Business Email List Experts • -------------------------------------------------------------- SparkLIST Email List Hosting, Promotions & Management Service Tel: +1 920-490-5901, ext 219 • http://SparkLIST.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------