hi stuge... thanks for your input in the meantime i reinstalled SS43 completely... (uninstalled it, deleted files in c:\program files, deletid the sony reg keys in hkey_current_user, rebooted and reinstalled... same error when starting elevated with admin-privileges it brings up a new completely weired error.... it tries to run a db-restore tool... and the brings this error... please look at the attached image.. it would be funny, if it weren't so sad ....any ideas? thanks a lot PS: i am working also for a software company.. if we would do like sony, i think we would have been out of business already 20 years ago ;-)