Has anyone had encounter with the following message with WinXP?

" Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

I am a novice computer user. New PC; 6 months; installed all WinXP updates. . . Anytime I click on a desktop icon that was packaged with the WinXP Operating System, I get the captioned error. That is, I cannot open either My Computer, Internet Explorer, Recycle Bin, etc.; but Microsoft Office XP works and all the games work.

Looking for a helpful response to this error. I have surf the web with no help. Someone suggested going into a "forum". So, I am a novice with this too.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.