I HAVE HAD A EUREKA MOMENT!!! and FOUND THE PROBLEM!!!!
As I said, registry monitor said that it was trying to use Google Chrome to display the reports.
I had installed Chrome some time ago, and uninstalled it, probably after upgrading to 3.310, then 3.311.
Evidently I didn't discover the problem until I tried to create reports just recently.
Registry monitor wasn't telling me the REAL registry key that it was using to open the reports, so I just searched the registry for "google\chrome.exe" and FOUND IT!!!
Registry monitor was showing that it was trying the key for html files in HKCR, and the shell\open\command that I had set was for Firefox. EVEN if it was IE, Chrome was STILL listed in file monitor as the app to open and display the reports.
Chrome, however WAS NON INSTALLED!!!!
Soooo....
I searched the registry for google\chrome and FOUND it under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\HTTP\shell\open\command!!!
I changed the complete path under this key to IE and I GOT MY REPORTS!!!! ALL OF THEM!!!
Soooo (2).... I changed the path to firefox, AND IT NOW OPENS FIREFOX FOR ALL THE REPORTS!!!
Conclusion is:
1) The browser used for displaying the reports is NOT hard coded
2) IF YOU KNOW HOW TO EDIT THE REGISTRY.... you CAN change the browser to use for your reports
3) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS BACKUP THE REGISTRY BEFORE MESSING WITH IT!!!
YOU CAN CREAM YOUR SYSTEM.
A BETTER thing to do is to BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM or MAKE A BOOTABLE IMAGE OF YOUR DRIVE. That way if you trash your registry, you can restore the image and boot into windows. Using system restore may not be enough if you cannot boot windows!
Of course, if X10 would incorporate the option to pick and choose the browser used for reports (SIMPLE), THAT would REALLY be nice!!!
I have purposely NOT included the complete change to the registry because everyone's system is different and arbitrarily merging someone else's registry entry into their registry could really do some damage!!!
Once again... ONLY DO THIS IF YOU KNOW HOW TO EDIT THE REGISTRY!!! I can and WILL not be responsible for someone creaming their system by messing with the registry!!!