"cocked it up straight away?" ROFL You just GOTTA be a Brit or maybe
Aussie!
Do a search for that file name and the \\.\ indicates a network resource.
Get rid of it wherever it resides.
Sounds like spyware unless you know it is something you did but more than
likely it is spyware or a virus.
Go to
http://www.grisoft.com and download/install the freeware anti-virus
program. You'll have to update signatures and run scans unless you set up
the program to do each automatically.
Go to
http://www.lavasoft.de and download/install/update the database/run
the freeware program and let it rid your system of spyware. You'll have to
occasionally update and run the program again.
Go to
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html to
download/install/update freeware Spyware Blaster to prevent spyware from
entering your system before the fact. You'll need to occasionally update
and run the program again.
Go to
http://www.panicware.com and download/install/tell it to start with
windows to get rid of unwanted pop ups.
Go to
http://www.zonelabs.com to download and install ZoneAlarm which is a
freeware firewall. They hide the freeware link so that you might be tricked
into buying the pro version. Make sure you get the freeware version.
You can disable Windows Messenger, ( not to be confused with MSN
Messenger, ) which will stop a lot of the unwanted pop ups and spyware:
Right-click My Computer/click on Manage/click the plus sign, ( +, ) in front
of Services and Applications/click Services/scroll down in the right-hand
pane to Windows Messenger/right-click Windows Messenger/click on
Disable/click Apply/click OK. It may want you to reboot. If you
right-click Windows Messenger again and click on Stop then you do not have
to reboot. If you keep it disabled it will prevent many pop ups. I am
assuming that you are not on a network and do not expect to be receiving
admin messages from the dreaded administrator.
