The “Star Gate” sequence, one of many ground-breaking visual effects. It was primarily for these that Stanley Kubrick won his only personal Academy Award. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My computer has a mind of its own. The laptop does strange and impossible things. Obviously, the interference is from Amelia Irene (AI) along with the various gremlins who inhabit my C drive.
The gremlins are unionized calling for work slowdowns (then the laptop is VERY slow) wild-goblin strikes (strikes without warning and negotiation that make certain programs and files inaccessible). They picket 
the keyboard and the desktop; take icons hostage as bargaining chips.
Amelia Irene has multiple personalities: a “problem child;” a moody teen; a cranky old woman among others. Her behav(u)r reflects the kind of day she’s having. I expect to hear “Hello phylor” when I log on, and “I can’t do that, phylor” when I try to use a program.*
Today, all things clickable were underlined: icons; files; file folders; applications; programs, etc. The issue developed after problems yesterday trying to change the length of time before the screen saver kicked in when the computer was inactive. Although everything is on an external backup, and I don’t think this process effected online things like blogging. But if you left a comment recently with no subsequent reply/response, blame the gremlins (Spud, Spike, Hammerhead, Toenail, Suspenders, and Frank) or Amelia Irene, not me!
* paraphrasing Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey
I think your computer is related to Hal.
Sounds like your computer is seriously infected there, Phylor. You might want to take to a place like Staples if your antivirus software is not telling you anything. (AVAST makes a good free antivirus software, BTW.)