Well since no one else has said it yet I guess I'll say what I think it
might be plus give you some more troubleshooting that might help you
solve this issue.
-- Begin standard answer for this question --
This sounds like spyware/malware/adware running on your computer &
possibly a virus or two.
First I'd download Ad-Aware & Spybot - Search & Destroy. The default
install should take care of most problems. Also make sure you Download
all the updates for both programs & immunize the computer with Spybot -
Search & Destroy. Also on the immunize screen in Spybot - Search &
Destroy make sure you check the box that says "Enable permanent blocking
of bad addresses in Internet Explorer" as this will cut down on the
spyware from getting into the computer. Also if any components will not
remove in normal mode I strongly suggest restarting the computer into
safe mode to remove the other components that won't remove in normal mode.
One last note several programs that are removed by both of these
programs are hidden from them in normal mode, to detect them just
restart into safe mode after downloading all of the updates for them.
http://www.download.com/3405-8022-5153545.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5
(This is for Ad-Aware)
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html (This is for
Spybot - Search & Destroy)
For information on starting is safe mode you can check out the following
Microsoft KB articles.
180902 How to Start a Windows 98-Based Computer in Safe Mode
202485 Description of Safe Boot Mode in Windows 2000
315222 A Description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP
If you have problems getting either of these programs installed I'd
recommend using clean boot to disable the spyware & possibly viruses
that are preventing it from installing. This also applies the the virus
scanning online. Just be careful about disabling any of the Microsoft
services as they are needed.
Also these article can be used to help troubleshoot this kind of problem
as it might be cause by something running in the background. This means
if the online virus scan didn't find any viruses (remember your
antivirus software is the first thing most viruses attack now) & both
Ad-aware & Spybot Search & Destroy didn't find any critical components
you should do the clean boot troubleshooting to see if it is another
piece of software.
181966 System Configuration Utility Advanced Troubleshooting Settings
192926 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98
267288 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows Millennium Edition
272960 Error Messages Occur When Using Msconfig.exe
281965 How to Troubleshoot Using the Msconfig Utility with Windows 98
281995 How to Troubleshoot Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows ME
310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP
310560 How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
314448 Msconfig.exe Stops Responding if User Is Not an Administrator
316434 HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows XP
One more thing if you do use msconfig you may want to check out the
following site as they list a ton of stuff that shows up on the startup
tab of msconfig.
http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html
To check for a virus I recommend using an online virus scanner as the
installed anti virus software is the first target of most viruses. Here
is a list of 4 different scanners.
Trend Micro's free online anti-virus scanner (I currently can only get
this to work in Firefox)
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Panda Software's free online anti-virus scanner
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/
BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/licence.php
Symantec's free online anti-virus scanner
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?productid=symhome&langid=ie&venid=sym
-- End standard answer for this question --
-- Begin rant on Symantec software --
Also remember these links since you use Symantec software.
http://www.clamav.net/
http://free.grisoft.com/
http://rss.slashdot.org/Slashdot/slashdot?m=3074
http://safer-networking.org/en/news/2006-01-07.html
http://rss.slashdot.org/Slashdot/slashdot?m=3030
-- End rant on Symantec software --
Okay, I get your point. I apologize, but I do not frequently use newsgroups.
When I saw no replies, I thought perhaps I had used the wrong newsgroup. I
saw no harm in posting on a second one in the hopes someone there would have
an answer. I guess I was wrong.
--
Don't pay malware vendors - boycott Sony & Symantec for helping them
Please do not contact me directly or ask me to contact you directly for
assistance.
If your question is worth asking, it's worth posting.
If it’s not worth posting you should have done a search on
http://www.google.com/ http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&q= or
http://news.google.com/froogle?hl=en&tab=nf&ned=us&q= before wasting our
time.
If I sound hostile or arrogant you need to read the following before
posting a question "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way" at
(The site I've linked
to just has this article I think people should read before posting a
technical question.)
