thanks again to everybody who has replied. I'm expecting to see this again, as I can't imagine that what I did actually solved the problem.

Marc, the symptom of phantom imstances of IE is a good bit of information to look for. Thanks for that.

Brian, thanks for the tip on Rkill. I'll have it ready if the need arises.

Tim, Please don't utter the phrase "reformat the computer". You're forcing me out of ostrich mode when you say that. It's blissful here with my head in the sand.