I can confirm that the actions up to your recommendations regarding security vulnerabilities have been completed. I have not done anything about those vulnerabilities as it is not my PC and Brenda may have reasons for not upgrading to IE 8. She probably doesn't use Firefox because, if she did, it would have automatically updated itself. As to the MVPS Hosts file, I agree that it's a useful tool for avoiding ad sites but, if you are following a sponsored link on a search engine, it can be frustrating. I use it myself and know to copy the real link from the sponsored ones if I get blocked; but it may be more than Brenda is prepared to do. I have provided her with a link to this page, so that she can see what has been done and, if she decides to follow those recommendations, so much the better. Practically, security has to be a trade-off between safety and convenience and my experience is that if it's too inconvenient it'll get ignored.
Well done and thank you for your patient assistance. If you're ever in the South of England, I'll buy you a pint - or several. In the meantime, give my respects to the little people.
Cheers.