Think twice before you let a Scorpion, even a friendly one, near your computer.

This was the message from Wednesday morning's testimony at the Schabir Shaik corruption trial in the Durban High Court.

Former arms company secretary Susan Delique had described how she copied a computer disc with an incriminating letter on it to her home computer's hard drive before handing the disc over to the Scorpions.

She said a Scorpions computer expert, who then came to her home, also made a copy of her hard drive.

However, after the expert left, the automatic date display on her machine no longer functioned and she had to reset it by hand every day.

"So you have some grievance against the Scorpions as well?" Judge Hillary Squires asked.

Delique laughed for the first time in her two days in the witness box.

For most of this period Delique has been referring to "floppy discs" when she clearly meant a "stiffy".

By Wednesday morning lead prosecutor Billy Downer was referring to a "soft disc" until he was gently corrected by a fellow member of the prosecution team.

Earlier Downer had also quizzed Delique on her knowledge of pathing --the footprints left by a computer document -- which produced a "what?" from Squires.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.