Am I futilely beating my head against a wall?
As luck would have it I get home and find the browsers are working again. Hooray! - quoth I - I can see if I can find some different anti-viral/firewall software for free!
<grump> Most of it won't download let alone run from FireFox. I (reluctantly) switch to IE and discover that they won't run from there either, cos the sites use bloody java, which - I don't know why - has never worked on this 'puter. The one bit of gear I could get to d/l now won't install. Just fan-farging-tastic.

Homicidal? A bit. Close to tears? Definitely.
Anybody got any suggestions before I give up and do a [format c:]?

(And to make the day complete, the cubs' father finally managed to get enough money together to see about getting his car fixed only to find out it's essentially a write-off. It'll cost less to buy another car.)

Very tempted to take money I can't afford and drown my sorrows in sushi. I would be tempted to blow the cash on frivolous DVDs except the player's still not working.

Whinge-moan-complain. At least my children love me...