It does my head in when i read some lamer write "get firefox".
You have a proper underlying problem, that if you wiped under the floor using such antics, you would get into further problems like your ID being stolen and you wouldnt even know it.
If IE does not work in the way you are suggesting i would bet my last dollar you have a virus or some nasty malware trojan/spyware in there. It cant do what it wants to, so it blocks your access to IE making the uninitiated think its IEs fault when it isn't...
There is something in your computer denying you access to your IE. you need to install something like AVG, go to safe mode, then scan the computer for malware.
Solve the problem, IE will work THEN you can use firefox in the full knowledge that you are clean.
It serves as a darn fine test that if your IE isnt working then you can rest assured something is wrong, not with IE itself, but with something affecting it. Therefore, IE is your friend, and dont follow people who try to gloss over the facts by saying, ahem, install firefox (which btw is a good browser but would NOT cure that fact you still have a problem)
Good luck