Thanks for the reply, Judy.
I tried downloading the Malwarebytes' software as you suggest, but, again, Internet Explorer tells me it "cannot display the web page" (whether I click on it or paste it into the browser). Wow, it's frustrating to see the "besttechie.net" URL when my cursor hovers over the link, but I can't get there.
If I knew how to run in "Safe Mode with Networking", I would certainly try it, but I'm pretty clueless in that regard, and "google" is not my friend right now. If there is a quick explanation I can follow please let me know.
Otherwise, I will go the "sneakernet" route from a friend's computer at a more reasonable time of day.
Pete