When I Ctrl+Click on a hyperlink in my Word document where I had previously created a hyperlink, I now get the following message: "This operation has been canceled due to the restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator." I am the only user of my PC. Previously, the hyperlinks were working just fine.
This is not an IE problem nor is it a MS Office problem per se. This is a Registry problem caused by misbehaving DEFAULT browser selection and deselection, if that MAKES sense. I BLAME Chrome. Have you recently deleted Chrome?

This usually works. I think it’s the official MS fix:
Click Start, and click Default Programs
Click Set program access and computer defaults
Click Custom, select INTERNET Explorer and click OK
Close and re-open Microsoft Outlook

That usually works; if it doesn’t you take it up a notch. Note that several steps below may be completely unnecessary.
•Get rid of all traces of Chrome you can find; it leaves bits and pieces everywhere. You can reinstall it later.
•Set Firefox and other non-IE browsers to NOT check for being the default browser. Set IE to definitely be the default browser.
•Run a registry cleaner. Now fire up IE again and verify that it is the default browser.
•Cold restart, and fire up IE again. Try the link problem again.
•If this works, and it worked for me with XP Pro – Outlook, Vista – Gmail, and Vista – Hotmail combinations, you're set. If not, you’re stuck with zapping references to Chrome in the Registry, and that’s not such a fun way to go.
•...And NEVER run Chrome as the default browser again unless you plan to make it permanently so.
Waldobaby,
That sounds rather radical.
Do you have a reference for this? I agree...
Course they may be one and the same...I have never installed Chrome, and I could not find in on my system, so that can't be the problem. I checked and found that IE already is my default browser. Any other ideas?DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE TO RUN A REGISTRY CLEANER. Registry cleaners CAUSE problems, they do not cure them. The best of them are benign, the worst will leave your system unusable. Either way, none of them do ANY good.

What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new hw, new SW, virus, error, etc)?