One More Comment,

I saw on one website that Avast! anti-virus had shown success for others. I downloaded and installed it. However, after I rebooted the computer, I lost Browser internet access again. Once I deleted Avast!, I was able to access the internet through my browser. Therefore, it seems that all anti-virus applications stop me from accessing the internet through my browser.

Maybe this IS some kind of malware afterall (a new kind?).