Lost internet connection

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I would be grateful for any suggestions!?
I have an AMD Duron 1000mhZ 256 meg RAM desktop running 98SE, Internet explorer 6, Outlook Express and NAV 2004 (originally no ad-aware, spybot etc), networked wirelessly through a 54g router to a laptop.
After some surfing, the desktop developed problems. There was serious adware etc, and I managed to run ad-aware only once before I lost the internet connection.
The desktop is still talking to the laptop, so the actual hardware appears to be working - there is (?probably) software interference with the internet connection.
My email cannot find the POP server.
The browser still has my URL homepage address but fails to connect to the homepage. The associated icon at the head of it has transmogrified from the "e" to an icon with two 1/2 sweeping red ellipses.
The "properties" for the browser says that it cannot find the server, the protocol is unknown, and the address is now "res://c:\windows\system\shdoclc.dll/dnserror.htm#http://(URL homepage)/
Thanks

 

Can you ping an external IP address (e.g. 199.181.164.1)
Can you ping an external web site name

 

Thanks Bob. However, I am a novice - I will go find out what "pinging" is!