"My Computer" very slow to show icons and Internet Explorer very slow when using GO button

I'm not sure how this happened but whenever I open My Computer, it browses for several minutes before it displays the icons.  If I open any window with My Computer in it as an icon or choice in a drop down list, it does the same thing.  It will let me select Network Neighborhood, My Documents, etc.  If I just type in C: in the address space, it will stop browsing and immediately display the results.

Also, I'm not sure if this is related but in Internet Explorer, whenever I open it, my home page pops up and I can browse the internet normally by selecting links or favorites.  However, if I type in a web page address, it takes several minutes to display.  I can open that same web page immediately by using the Run dialog box.

These are the only two problems on the computer.  It's running XP pro on a DSL connection, connected to a Linksys router.  I'm up to date on antivirus, spybot, adaware, windows updates, etc. It's mostly used for internet and email so there's nothing else on the computer other than microsoft office.

Thanks,
Carole