Thank you Bob, You are brilliant! Sorry I can't give the exact email I previously sent because it was sent from a different system. In brief, my computer ceased to function after I moved an item emailed to me on to the desktop. I booted from an external back-up disk and went to the Hard Disk.
On Bob's suggestion I found went to the desktop folder and found the offending item and trashed it. Back to normal. The expertise available from the WAMUG community is amazing as is their willingness to help others. Thanks again Bob. It reinforces to me the importance of having a bootable back-up external hard disk. Lloyd --
