I found that "c:\documents and settings\username\application data" directory
had a folder called "Skip Gray.....something or other." I navigated to that
directory, changed all the file extensions to .old and if a file dint have an
extension, I gave it the extension of .old. I also ran msconfig from
Start/Run and selected the startup tab. I disabled any weird file that I
thought had nothing to do with Windows. I opened explorer and went to each
user's directory (c:\documents and settings\username\application data) and
found a suspect folder called 'Skip Gray.....something or other'. After
giving each file the extension of .old, I actually decided to just MOVE (Ctrl
X) the 'Skip Gray.....something or other' directory to the recycle bin on a
secondary hard drive. After moving that directory to the recycle bin, I
noticed that they disappeared, probably because they were not files, they
were pointers to various web sites. I also checked and found the suspect
directory under the following users (so to speak): All Users, Default User,
Help Assistant, LocalService, and NetworkService. So far, the icons (and
that stupid bar that appears at the bottom of IE) haven't reappeared.
Sorry for not being able to remember exact names. Hope this helps.
Ed.....