java vm error

I have previously launched Alice on my pc with no problem. Today I try to launch & get the splash screen plus the msg "can't create Java VM". I have uninstalled/reinstalled Alice & Java but still the same problem. If I check the task list I see a process called Alice running. I have deleted this & tried again but with no success. I get the same msg for the slower version of Alice. I am not aware of deleting any files/applications in the last few days that would make a difference. I have checked the recycling bin & there is nothing unusal in there. Please help, how can I fix this?

thanks

Jane