Can't find prefs.ini

I just started at a new company. I intend to blog about it, but for now I'm just too busy trying to learn the new technology to spend any time doing anything else.

One nice thing that they did when I joined was give me a \300,000 (300kJPY) limit and let me go hog wild choosing my own work PC. Oh, I could choose from a tiny Sony handheld or a giant Hitachi desktop replacement, but I really wanted (needed) WinXP Professional so I ended up asking for a Thinkpad with an extra big hard disk and lots of spare RAM.

I think I've been hornswaggled! The laptop I received seems to be slightly used and the hard disk is quite a bit smaller than I had anticipated. In addition, there is a lot of software that is installed that couldn't possibly have come on the recovery CD.

The worst part of it is, though, that I seem to be missing a file called prefs.ini. This becomes painfully obvious when I try to open a URL from within any application other than the browser. I can't even register VS Express because I can't open the registration link from within the installation program. Hyperlinks also don't work from within Outlook. Forget about MS Word.

I'm thinking it may be necessary to get the restore disks out and just blow away the whole installation and start from scratch. I just wish I had that sort of time.