q-bel,

they way things are, i would suggest you run an antivirus program just to rule out any virus infection on your system. if you don't have one, you can go to the www.symantec.com and look for 'free online scan' in the security response page. then go visit microsoft webpage, look for the 'downloads' link under the 'RESOURCES' section and download the Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1. hope this will help solve your problem.