desktop shortcuts/Outlook email links, don't work; XP says "Can't

My system runs XP Professional WITH SP1, but NOT SP2 updates. My browser is
IE 6.0.2800.1106.xpsp1.020828.

Problem: when I click on a desktop shortcut, Windows gives me an error
message that says it Can't Find the url, and then a blank IE window opens
with the address box blank, as well.

The first remedy I tried was running the command, sfc/scannow, which then
asks for my XP Prof install disk and hunts for missing/corrupt files (I got
this advice from
www.homecomputerrepaironline.com/geektips/index.cfm?id=66&geek_cat=3). This
didn't fix the problem.

Next I tried a similar fix of IE by running the command: rundll32.exe
setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\Inf\ie.inf (I got
this advice from http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_ie_reinstall.htm). This
also did not repair the problem.

Next I did a reinstall of the IE 6.0 SP1 program, hoping this would correct
things. This didn't work, either.

As a last resort, and I don't know if this is related or not, but in the
Start Menu when I click on Help & Support, nothing happens, no window opens
and I'm not given that page where I can choose from all sorts of Windows
internal help options.

My idea was to do a restore back to 3 days prior when links and shortcuts
were working fine. I finally went to Start Menu/Programs/Accessories/System
Tools to get the Restore function and then did a restore to 3 days back, 1
week back and 2 weeks back. Each time the system took about 20-30 minutes to
perform the restore function, and each time it finished by telling me that it
had made NO CHANGES to the system. Why is that????

In any case, I still have my original problem, the desktop shortcuts don't
work. Nor do any of the links in emails in Outlook.

Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I'm just a wee bit
frustrated! I'm not a total newbie, and I did what things I imagined and/or
was told would help, and I'm still with the same problem.

Thank you.
.

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