Control Panel won't run from Start Menu

Within the last several days the Control Panel in Windows Vista Ultimate
won't run from the Start menu. This is on a brand new Falcon Northwest
system. I can still access & run the programs in CP using Windows Explorer
though. The Control Panel item on the Start Menu is listed as "Empty", and
the Control Panel icon in Accessories-->System Tools won't run either. When
I double-click on this icon a window flashes on the screen for a fraction of
a second, then disappears. Has this happened to anyone else, and does anyone
know how to fix this? I have been trying to fix this prblem for days, and am
pretty frustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Randy L.

--
"Remember: Any landing that you can walk away from,
is a landing that you can be fined, sued, or prosecuted for."