mr. ed wrote:
GOT IT FIXED! Finally, after much messing around, I was able to open"file explorer" I went to my C drive and scanned for errors. Was informed errors were found. I then elected to have the errors repaired and voila, the computer is back in shape. I don't know what caused the problem in the first place, but hope it doesn't return. I was all set to run out and buy a new laptop!
How old is the laptop? You maybe seeing the first indication of impending hard drive failure. It maybe prudent to run scan-disc on a regular basis to watch for problems.