BleepingComputer.com: DCOM server process launcher service terminated unexpectedly

I started getting the error above or Plug and Play service terminated unexpectedly a couple days ago. The error is new and started happening after getting a fake antivirus virus. I am running Win7 on an HP Pavillion laptop. (I have a moderate amount of experience with WinXP, 98-95, and prior; I am pretty new - and frazzled - by Win 7)

The fake antivirus was hard to get rid of, and I eventually used several anti-virus's and anti-spywares to get rid of it. I dont know what the name of it was, but it would make a Window open and appear to actually run a virus scan and find virus' (and prompt me to activate the license for the fake antivirus). The fake antivirus would keep opening up within seconds of being shut down from the task manager.

At this point I have run the following:

AVG
Avast
Combofix
Spybot S&D
Kaspersky
PreVx
AdAware
Malwarebytes
BitDefender

AVG and Avast did not seem to have any success. While trying to remove the virus, I think it changed the file associations, because eventully, couldn't get antiviruses to launch or to go to webpages for antivirus software.

Also, while running either spybot or one of the earlier virus scans, the computer crashed and lost association for exe files [Windows began asking me what program to open Exe files with]. For some reason tho, combofix was able to run and corrected the file associations (and exe files worked again).

I have also uninstalled or tried to remove most of the above after I used them.

The error "DCOM Server process launcher...." occurs when using IE 9. I can use it on www.google.com and some other pages without a problem, but if I go to Yahoo.com or other pages the error occurs.

I have reinstalled IE 9 and there does not seem to be a change.

I am using Opera as a brower right now, because it does not seem to cause the error. I have not tried Firefox or Chrome.

So far the problem does not seem to ocur except when using Internet Explorer.

I don't seem to have any System Restore points from before the virus that started this mess.