A modal dialog popped up when I opened the IDE for the first time and warned me 
of an AbstractMethodException. Here is the ide.log (it's short.):

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Log Session: Saturday, May 12, 2001 10:40:59 AM EDT
>System Info: 
  Product Version       = NetBeans IDE 3.2 (Build 39)
  IDE Versioning        = IDE/1 spec=1.2.1 impl=39
  Operating System      = Windows 2000 version 5.0 running on x86
  Java; VM; Vendor      = 1.3.0; Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM 1.3.0-C; Sun 
Microsystems Inc.
  Java Home             = C:\jdk1.3\jre
  System Locale         = en_US
  Home Dir; Current Dir = C:\Documents and Settings\gcoles; c:\netbeans
  IDE Install; User Dir = C:\netbeans; c:\projects\netbeans
  CLASSPATH             = C:\netbeans\lib\patches\openide-
compat.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\core.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\openide-
fs.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\openide-nodes.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\openide-
util.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\openide.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\ext\jaxp.jar;C:\netbeans\li
b\ext\jh.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\ext\jpython.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\ext\parser.jar;C:\n
etbeans\lib\ext\regexp.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\ext\rmi-
ext.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\ext\sax2.jar;C:\netbeans\lib\ext\servlet.jar;C:\netbeans
\lib\ext\xerces.jar;C:\jdk1.3\lib\dt.jar;C:\jdk1.3\lib\tools.jar
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Loaded modules: org.netbeans.core/1 (1.0/unspec); 
org.apache.tools.ant.module/2 (2.2.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.autoupdate/1 
(1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.clazz/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.debugger.core/2 (2.0.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.applet/1 
(1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.debugger.debug/1 (1.8.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.debugger.jpda/1 (1.8.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.editor/1 
(1.7.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.html/1 (1.7.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.httpserver/1 (1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.extbrowser/1 
(0.2.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.icebrowser/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.image/1 (1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.jarpackager/2 
(1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.java/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.beans/1 (1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.form/2 
(1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.javadoc/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.jndi/1 (1.4/39); org.netbeans.modules.objectbrowser/1 
(1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.projects/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.properties/1 (1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.i18n/1 
(1.7/39); org.netbeans.modules.i18n.form/2 (1.7/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.properties.syntax/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.text/1 (1.6.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.usersguide/1 
(1.7.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.web.core/1 (1.2.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.web.core.syntax/1 (1.2.1/39); org.openidex.util/1 
(1.7.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.scripting/1 (1.3.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.utilities/1 (1.6.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.apisupport.lite/1 (0.1.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.rmi/1 
(1.3.1/39); org.netbeans.modules.vcscore/1 (1.4.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.cvsclient/1 (1.3.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.vcs.advanced/1 (1.4.1/39); 
org.netbeans.modules.vcs.cmdline/1 (1.7.1/39)
*********** Exception occurred ************
Sat May 12 10:41:46 EDT 2001: java.lang.AbstractMethodError: null
java.lang.AbstractMethodError
	at org.openide.xml.XMLUtil.getDOMImplementation(XMLUtil.java:134)
	at org.openide.xml.XMLUtil.createDocument(XMLUtil.java:106)
	at org.netbeans.modules.form.GandalfPersistenceManager.<init>
(GandalfPersistenceManager.java:84)
	at org.netbeans.modules.form.FormEditorModule.restored
(FormEditorModule.java:91)
[catch] at org.netbeans.core.ModuleItem.restoreCode(ModuleItem.java:763)
	at org.netbeans.core.ModuleInstaller.initialize
(ModuleInstaller.java:267)
	at org.netbeans.core.NonGui.run(NonGui.java:484)
	at org.netbeans.core.Main.run(Main.java:187)
	at org.openide.TopManager.initializeTopManager(TopManager.java:120)
	at org.openide.TopManager.getDefault(TopManager.java:81)
	at org.netbeans.core.Main.main(Main.java:274)
	at org.netbeans.core.TopThreadGroup.run(TopThreadGroup.java:90)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:484)
Creating samples directory c:\projects\netbeans\sampledir
Adding samples directory c:\projects\netbeans\sampledir to Filesystems.
OK, samples directory is still in Filesystems.