when i open up Karl Grabe's webpage to run the paye calculator, the applet isn't running. i know it's some setting on my pc but don't know which one to change. can anyone help me out?
Most likely your Java setup. What Java runtime (Microsoft's or Sun's) and version do you have installed and configured for your browser? For example check:
Start -> Control Panel -> Java (if present - Sun's)
and
Start -> All Programs -> Set Program Access and Defaults
Also, if available, check the Java (not JavaScript!) debugging console in your browser for errors.