Various windows not opening post installation of recent update

Question

 - when selecting tools in IE 11 > internet options nothing happens; little
Internet Option window does not show up (inetcpl.cpl works tho)
 - file upload windows such as the ones used to select from my computer and upload photos on online sharing websites are not showing up
 - traditional pop-up windows are not visible
IE pop-up blocker is off, Java is up to date and working (at least according to their little testing tool), i have tried other v. obvious settings in IE, like killing the add-ons and resetting all preferences, but nothing seems to fix the issue.
Any suggestions/ideas on what else try?

Answer 1

hopping for some support questions since I don't actually see anything happening 
I was telling you that if you don't tell us what you have done with the suggestions and what you saw, telling us that they don't work is being unresponsive.  Consider all suggestions as diagnostics, not fixes.  Diagnostics don't work, they help
you refine your symptom description.
The system is clean--no malware found; I disabled Norton, the only security solution that is currently installed, but the windows still don't show up.
Norton frequently needs to be removed, not just disabled, in order to avoid all its interfering effects.  In fact, in some cases, its uninstaller apparently does not work properly and then you would need to find a cleanup tool to download and use.
"Known issue 2
After you install this update, the z-order of the windows is changed. (The z-order calls the SetWindowPos function together with the HWND_TOP parameter.) Therefore, the windows of certain applications may become invisible or may be incorrectly displayed behind
other windows." Unfortunately a resolution from Microsoft is still in works.
But meanwhile you can use the two procedures that I mentioned as workarounds:  moving the window to another monitor or moving the window to somewhere that it is more visible.  Coincidentally this weekend when I had a Snippingtool execution go berserk
on me I stumbled across a third possible workaround:  activate Narrator (press Win-Enter) and let its voice guide you around when using things which have been obscured from view.
Robert Aldwinckle