Error mssg when trying to access the internet

I access the internet all the time by various methods. Most of the time I either type a site in the address bar or click on favorites to the sites I want to go to. Never had any problems. My isp is USWEST and I use an ADSL connection. I have NEVER used AOL, thus this error message is really confusing. This just started today! When I try to access I get this Message: Cannot find www.aol.com
This program is needed for opening files of type URL: http Protocol

Whats going on? The only way I can get to the internet is by going directly through my browser.