it came with? Well maybe we can solve this if you have any "nasties" as DMR describes em.

Don't you just love microsoft?

You say in the one of the last sentence's that your sister's laptop does connect to Windows Update and Hotmail. I've just updated every computer on the second floor...

Do you know your comp.? Like the CPU speed (Mhz.)? How much memory (MB), etc?

Have you tried looking in advanced internet options? Maybe some HTTP or active X controls are secured?

Try running Adaware click here (www.lavasoft.nu) and be sure to download the latest update or reference file.

Perform an online virus scan at Trend Micro's Housecall click here...

what's your IE version? I think version 5 has these problems..

was that while playing a game? Or otherwise instead of the cross, try alt+F4

If so, did you get the latest updates for these programs?
or
have you been updating windows through windows update?

what does your computer say? When you try to open my computer/documents?

^^ too many people are trying to help you Scott, but do tell what Catweazle asks, it would help us a lot..

First of all it has nothing to do with IE.
No garantees, as I don't know if you have ISDN, ADSL or plain telephone costs
You should try the following:
1.
Ad-Aware
www.lavasoft.nu
2.
Spybot...

If I'm right, you can right-click on the website link and do "Open in new window".

I think that's a message that you should send to MSN...

Even though MS goes through great lengths to hide it, it still has a potential for hiding dangerous cargo for the computer. In my experience the users tend to ignore that problem. And when I do come...

I had a few problems with going to internet-options and cleaning it out. The Directories like Content.IE5 and Content.MSO were NOT deleted. And the files in there either.
Here is another temp...

I think you might have spyware, try running spybot or adaware.
spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/
adaware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

no, I don't have that problem and I know not of any way that you could gray out your toolbars. And if it did, 0.o it's quite weird. I don't think the cause would be spyware though.

Have you tried changing the starting page in extra-->internet-options?

I did that, messed up the dl read good. It's a long time ago, but I think there is a solution in the extra-->internet-options.

Clean up all the temporary internet files