Can anyone help with opening links...

[bobkate]

For some reason I can no longer open links that appear in messages...for instance if someone is linking to a product, etc. I click on it and it just beeps and a little shock shape symbol shows up instead...can anyone give me any pointers on how to change this please. It only started doing this yesterday and before that they'd open just fine. Many thanks

Can you provide some additional information on what operating system (Windows 7? Windows Vista? XP? Mac?) you are using and what browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) you have this problem with?

As a general rule of thumb have you tried rebooting the machine and does it still happen?

Thanks for your reply, sorry I've been out all day so not had a chance to see this before then. I'm afraid I'm such a dud when it comes to anything technical. This is a new one and it has been opening links fine until the day before yesterday.
Erm it's Internet Explorer, a Dell laptop and I'm not sure what windows it is....only got it about a month ago. I think maybe Windows 7 rings a bell?
As for rebooting it.....again, quite embarrassingly I have no idea what that entails...could you please enlighten me! Many many many thanks :)

Rebooting just means turning it off and turning it on again. That's not sending it to sleep if it's a lap top but a full shutdown and restart.

Windows 7 would probably be right.

Do you know if the machine has had the latest updates applied?

Given that it's Windows I'd also recommend checking for any bad software, use the following application it's really rather good (and very free!):
www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free

I always turn it off fully after each session...so yes it's been rebooted. Not sure about any updates..
thanks for the link..I've just done it and no malicious files found apparently.
I just wondered if I've somehow inadvertantly pressed some key combination that has stopped me being able to open links...it's just annoying me that a few days ago and for the whole 6 weeks or so I've had it it's never had this little blip noise....aaaghh...any other ideas??? she says hopefully!!