Thanks for the advice Ian,
I had indeed already tried that. I also tried the 'formal' installation way for downloaded programs:
1. Right-click the install program, choose 'Properties'
2. Choos tab 'General'
3. Click 'Unblock' button.
.... that did not do the trick. Problem remained the same.
However....
I just read the solution as given bij Ipswitch support:
Question/Problem: When I launch WS_FTP (Home or Pro) a small window pops up. Inside is a yellow triangle with the word "Never!". After clicking ok a few times the error disappears but WS_FTP does not run.
Answer/Solution:
If the WS_FTP Pro splash screen will not go away, end-task the "wsftpgui.exe" process in the task manager (or just reboot the system).
- Browse to the installation directory C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WS_FTP Professional
- Delete the file named psapi.dll *** Please note: Only delete this file if it is in the WS_FTP Professional directory. Do NOT delete it from any other directory especially Windows or System32. ***
And that did the trick!
So it is a quirk in Windows 7 installation (I did not have that problem in Vista).
Hope this explanation helps others!
Cheers,
Roderick