Note: For users without write access to the C:\Windows directory: A file called ncbi.ini is required for the currently-implemented blast utilities in BioEdit. When blast or database formatting functions are used by BioEdit, this file is first read, then written to be compatible with BioEdit, then re-written to its original state after the BLAST function runs (for compatibility with any other program(s) that use ncbi.ini). This causes a problem for users without write access to C:\Windows. To turn off the feature, go to Options->Preferences\General and uncheck the checkbox labeled "Do not write to ncbi.ini (manually create ncbi.ini)". You may need to manually create the ncbi file (one time only). To do this, create a plain text file called C:\Windows\ncbi.ini with the following contents (next four lines), substituting the folder in which you have BioEdit installed for "": [NCBI] ROOT=C:\ ASNLOAD=\tables\ DATA=\tables\ for example, for a default installation, the file would contain (four lines): [NCBI] ROOT=C:\ ASNLOAD=C:\BioEdit\tables\ DATA=C:\BioEdit\tables\ Save this file as C:\Windows\ncbi.ini. Keep "Do not write to ncbi.ini (manually create ncbi.ini)" unchecked, and the BLAST functions should work without requiring write access to C:\Windows.