I have a laptop with XP Home Edition (packard bell). "Program Access and Defaults" is set at "Custom" and the computer refuses to accept change to any of the two other alternatives. This means that I cannot change web browser or media player. When I try to change, the computer seems to acknowledge the change thru text in small windows which appear briefly, but the change does not happen.

Hi,1. Is this issue restricted to web browser and media player?Method 1.Let us first run the sfc scan and check if there are any system file corruptions.a. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.b. Type the following command, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannowThe sfc /scannow command scans all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. More Information about SFC scan can be found in this document:Description of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 System File Checker (Sfc.exe)http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310747Method 2.If the issue still persists then create a new user profile and then copy your current users setting to that profile. For more information refer:How to create and configure user accounts in Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/279783How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile in Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151How to recover the damaged user profile in Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473Hope this helps.Thanks and Regards:Shekhar S - Microsoft Support. Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think. If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.

Hi,Many thanks for you reply. I have now tried Method 1 and unfortunately it did not solve the problem. I will try Method 2 soonest.You ask if this problem only affects the web browser and the media player. However, as I cannot change from "Custom" and all options there are set "use my current....", I cannot alter anything.best regards,

Hi again,Forgot to mention that it is also impossible to make any changes within "Custom"