IE8 stopped working, but Firefox works

Looks like I will have to go that way. One of my daughters did a clean install on her Vista machine, so I'll get help from her.
I'm going on a business trip tomorrow and will be away from my desktop for a week; I will make my final drive to fix this ridiculous issue on my return. I thank everyone for the time & concern you've devoted to my problem.

Ed

Ed, I hope that everything works out for you. Hopefully, your trip will get this off of your mind, at least for a few days. These things can be at a minimum, frustrating, and nerve wracking at it's worst. When you get back and go to work on this issue, remember that you're not alone. We're here to help and support you through getting your computer going again, so keep in touch with us, if you need further support. Best of luck to you.

FIXED IT!
Back from vacation, I talked to my daughter & she decided to look at the machine again. Spent about a half-hr on it and came up with the solution:
IE > Tools > Connections > LAN Settings > Proxy Server > unchecked "Use a proxy server for your LAN".
That's a lot easier than re-installing the system. I'm now going to by an external backup & image the entire system.
Thank you everyone for your efforts.
Ed

Glad to hear everything worked out for you, EdBerl! Should you ever need anymore help, come back. The light's left on around here all of the time.