Browsers forum: Interent Options gone from Control Panel, IE

Windows XP, service pack 2; IE 7; Zone Alarm Security Suite; AVG free.
I don't have SpyBot or AdAware installed.

I can't use Internet Options in my browser. It flashes then quits. Internet Options is gone from Control Panel.
I've done several things according to adivce in CNET and one of their links to a Microsoft.windowsXP help.

I used advice from
http://www.delphifaq.com/faq/internet_explorer/f660.shtml
who wrote:
This is a technique employed by some malware that wants to make it more difficult for you to clean up your PC.

Your control panel's Internet Options have been disabled not deleted. You may get them back by locating the file control.ini (search for this file in your Windows directory with the find function from your start menu)
Then open control.ini in Notepad or another simple text editor (meaning: NOT in Microsoft Office) and look for the lines:

[dont load]
inetcpl.cpl=yes

Then remove these two lines, save the file and boot your computer, but first check on something else.

Open the registry with the tool REGEDIT and open this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

If there are subkeys under Internet Explorer named 'restricted' or 'Control Panel', then delete those subkeys.

According to the above link, when I went to my registry the number "0" was written where where a file should be. I can't find it now.

The words "the registry is write protected" appears under "Files."

Yesterday I read from Cnet:
EXACTLY what happens if you click Start then Run then insert the following into the Run command line -
REGSVR32 /N /I INETCPL.CPL

You should get a specific message box.

You might also simply copy this entire key from your laptop to your desktop (assuming both are XP SP2 and both have IE7).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AdvancedOptions

To copy it you simply open REGEDIT.EXE and navigate to that key and once you have it selected Click on the Registry menu item and then select export registry file. You then copy that file to your desktop and double click it to merge it into the desktop's registry.


I did 'run' REGSVR32 /N /I INETCPL.CPL & was told it was 'successful' but still I can't use Internet Options.
when I wanted to save a registry key 'as' it was never found.

Can someone help? I don't want to re-format my computer!
Thank you, Mary