Sounds like a mixture of problems. Sorry you're having difficulties.

Not opening your browser automatically when you select web links implies that your PC has lost its automatic association between web pages and your browser, so it doesn't know what to do any more with a "htm" file extension.

Nothing ever "deletes itself" but it certainly sounds as if some information that 12Pay uses is either corrupt or missing. We store application data like recently used company files and licence info under your user name in "documents and settings" (called "users" on Vista, I think) in a folder falled "Local Settings/Application Data/12Pay_Ltd". You  have to set up your PC so that you can see system and hidden files to see that folder (from a folder window select Tools/Folder Options/View/Show hidden files and folders". I wonder if perhaps it has become corrupt and a good start might be to completely delete the 12Pay-Ltd folder..

Another possibility is that you're not logged in to the PC as the same user as normal.

If the "retrieve" option is giving problems, perhaps  because of some damage to your internet connection settings, you can copy and paste the appropriate keys in manually to see if that solves the problem. Q11 in "Registration and Buying FAQ" explains how to do that.

Unfortunately the same things have happened all over again today.

I'm wondering if its our BTinternet broadband causing problems. I was also unable to receive emails in Outlook yesterday, but could send them OK. This problem solved itself, at exactly the same time my 12Pay problem ceased.

Could there be a link? same scenario today

When this is happening something is either periodically destroying your application settings (stored totally under Windows control, not really influenced directly by 12Pay at all) or preventing them from being saved properly in the first place whenever you modify them (eg by saving licence details).

The other problems that you describe with things like browsing and using outlook imply that other applications than 12Pay are also having their application settings trashed somehow. Stuff like that is all stored in the same place (local settings/application data) by windows in a separate folder there for each application.

We've seen stuff like this happen a couple of times before on PCs that had faulty backup software installed. Once the backup software was patched by the manufacturer the problem went away. We've also seen stuff like this on PCs where they're being accessed through MS Terminal services and terminal services isn't configured correctly...

 I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about here....

The only way I can put it more plainly, and cutting out all the technical gubbins, is to say that your PC needs to be working correctly in order for 12Pay to work correctly. Since you're having problems with other applications as well as 12Pay that isn't the case, and you need, somehow, to sort your PC out.

This is weird as I'm writing this, I clicked back to 12Pay and the Premium Employee HR tab is suddenly available!Yet the Holiday update bit on the Advanced payroll tab is greyed out.

 

This is all rather unfortunate. I'm tearing my hair out as I am running our Companies final payroll this weekend (we have sold our company) and I obviously need all the Premium functions etc etc

Some premium functions are only activated if the premium licence is already present when you start the company file up. Since windows is losing your licence details every time you restart the software that means that you never get access to some premium functions. One way round this may be to select the "File/Open Employer" option after you've started up and licenced, and select the same employer again from the selection list (or the Find button) with the licence now already in place.

But your better medium term plan is to get your PC sorted out.