Thanks for the reply chaps and writing this reply on the wife's laptop.
Yesterday took the machine to the computer shop where it was originally put together for me. Expert there can shed no light on how on earth the SQL whatever got there or what it is doing apart from her saying it is a data logging thingy.
She can find nothing specifically wrong other than age - bit like me really - and is doing some work on it to improve speed and reload everything so hopefully all OK and will pick up Thursday. She did offer a relacement machine but will soldier on with the old one for a bit
H