If you do not need the shebang line, chances are that perl is included within the System Path (right click on "My Computer" > "Advanced" > "Environment Variables" and then see the Path information. Chances are that the ActiveState installer created the path entry for you. So the guy who said that the program is in the registry is correct. Having the perl.exe in your System Path allows you to execute "pl", "cgi" or whatever mapped extensions that are perl programs. At least that is how I understand it. If I am mistaken, I would be more than happy to be corrected.