When I right-click on my desk top icon for any program that needs to go on the Internet including Internet Explorer, it opens for just a second and then closes again. Is there a fix for this?

Have you tried a simple reboot.
Yes, turning the power off and on again fixes many of these annoying issues.

Go to your internet options inside of your control panel. Click on the advanced tab. Click on the button at the bottom that says restrore advanced settings. After that restart your PC.