Internet Explorer not connecting to internet

[Julie]

Dear Helper,
In trying to connect to the internet I get a message box
that says "Cannot find server". I have gone through the
diagnostics with my ISP to see if my computer sees them
and the ping along with other testing showed that it
does. They think that it is an issue with Internet
Explorer having a missing or corrupted file. My Norton
Antivirus will not stay turned on as well.
History: I receive an internet newsletter daily from
the "Kim Commando Show" which suggested that I should go
to a website called Hackerwatch.com. They have a test
that verifies if you have open ports that would be
vulnerable to attack. I checked my computer at this
website and the results from them said I have closed but
vulnerable ports. My browser was working before doing
this check but not afterward.
Another issue I've been having which I thought I should
mention in case it's related is AIM. When it is used you
type in a message and hit Enter and there's a few seconds
delay before the message appears in the conversation box
on top.
Thank you for your help on this issue,
Julie

 

[Kevin]

Julie,

You are probably infected with a worm, virus, spyware or other malware.
Scan using the usual applications like Ad-aware, Spybot Search and Destroy
and Pest Patrol. Make sure your anti-virus software is updated and run a
firewall.