I placed a link on my desktop from the web, now when not on the internet, it
appears as a white box with a red x in it. I cannot remove it or select it.
When on the internet, the actual picture ( a circuit diagram) appears, I
assume from the link.

Also, my icon wording has colored boxes around them which I cannot remove
either. I tried making the selection "translucent" in the performance-visual
options, but no go.

Also, when I start windows, I now get a message that the security settings
do not allow active x to run, so my desktop properties may not display
properly.

Can anyone help me straighten out whatever I did?

System restore did not repair.