IE will not open

[Guest]

Okay, so I click on IE and it starts to load up and then says:

Internet Explorer cannot download //http:sympatico.msn.ca
Internet Explorer was not able to open this Internet site. The requested
site is either unavilable or cannot be found. Please try again later.

Behind this box saying the above is a File download box that is throwing
files across, but not doing anything.

I am running Windows XP Pro, I can't seem to get IE to open at all. So what
do I do?

 

[Peter]

That's because it isn't //http:sympatico.msn.ca
it's http://sympatico.msn.ca

 

[Guest]

I know that. The problem is that IE won't open enough for me to change the
settings i.e. the home page or anything else. It just says can't download
from this site in a great big error banner across where IE should be.