The os is AIX version 4.2.1.0. This has happen only recently. I had a problems last week in that the database and informix 4gl were stored on a different volume attached to an external device and the server suffered some power surge. I have now installed a UPS, but I am now having to find that I am recompiling all the data and running bcheck to reinitial all the pointers. Informix is yet again installed on an other volume, /usr/informix/bin is where the isql resides and this has started to slow down considerably. A copy a version of the isql and renamed it to isql2, given it full permissions and ensured it belong to informix group and this still takes a long time to execute. Running out of ideas!!!!