Error: "The fillepicker was unexpectedly closed by Windows"

I receive the above error message ("The filepicker was unexpectedly closed by windows") when ever I try to open a file - a image, email attachment, whatever. Also, when using microsoft wordpad, I cannot save files - when I attempt to save the program closes and I lose all typing. I am running windows xp pro with sp2 with a firewall, regular fire scans, etc. Thanks for any help!

Tristan