How do I resolve the following:

When I try to open an MS Word file (.doc) I receive a
message that states "WINWORD has caused an error in
HPFWIN11.DLL".  I receive a similar error trying to
open .PDF files with Acrobat.

Dell and Dellnet haven't been able to help, other than to
suggest I'll have to reformat my hard drive.  That seems
like an extream measure.

What does HPFWIN11.DLL do, and what would happen if I
deleted it?