Internet Properties missing functionality

Hi folks, this is my first post here, please be gentle!

I was looking to change the settings in my windows7 internet properties security tab because when I try to force quit and restore windows explorer to fix a missing windows icons issue, I was getting a message that "These files can't be opened: Your internet security settings prevented one or more files from being opened"
I found the following link to help fix my issue: [Updated] These files can

But I am unable access some important options because the security options box is missing some items, as seen in the screenshots below





Does anyone have an idea what may have happened, and how I can restore functionality? I can't for the life of me figure out how this happened. I never use Internet Explorer, just Chrome and Firefox. If not for the missing icon issue, I probably never would have found out about this issue.

In the of icons in the control panel, it is listed as Internet Options, but it opens as Internet Properties.
Anyhow, I ran the scan three times, and unfortunately, it reports that it found corrupt files that it is unable to fix.
I have attached the log file, could this help in your diagnosis?

IE, as well as windows 7 when I first installed it, was a clean install on a freshly wiped harddrive.

As I mentioned before, I don't use IE at all, but a strange thing has occurred. Because of that, I removed the internet explorer icon on my desktop. I hope that was a shortcut, or was it not? Because if it was not a shortcut, it may explain a new strange issue: My internet explorer program folder is missing the iexplorer.exe file! I was hoping to open IE and access internet options there, and now I can't even do that.

So, I go and download IE9 from the web, and I am unable to open the installer. It leads to the security warning that prompted my inquiry into this issue in the first place:



Weird stuff.

Now, I have to wonder, is there any possibility I was infected with malware that caused the security level in my control panel to change, and lock out any modification to correct it?

Update, I found out why iexplorer.exe was missing. I had removed Internet Explorer 9 via the control panel "Turn Windows Features On or Off" option some while back and forgot about that. So, I turned it back on, I got IE9 back, and was able to open the internet options and see the missing options return.

But, the Windows Security issue with the yellow warning box is still active, and is now partially handicapping some OS functions that up to recently were fine. So far, the following tasks will trigger the warning:

- Force quitting explorer.exe in the Task Manager, and then trying to restore explorer by opening "New Task (Run)". I seldom do this nowadays as w7 rarely crashes on me, but I used to do this with past windows OS's to fix explorer crashes.

- I have UAC off, but If I open the control panel and try to change settings, Windows Security won't permit me.

What is strange about this behavior is that these are just OS settings, not internet websites. This is a very perplexing issue, as I am starting to fear I was somehow infected with malware, and I just recovered from a nasty virus about a month ago forcing me to rebuild the OS and some other software installs (FSX) from scratch, a rather lengthy and painful process. Apart from this annoyance with missing thumbnails on my jpg file icons, everything else is running smoothly.

Should I run a windows repair of the w7 install CD?

I appreciate your assistance!