Problems with IExplorer and DSL

[Paul]

I bought a new Dell Dimension 4600 with WinXP
home addition. I put Verison's DSL on it for high speed
internet. The computer came loaded with the newest
version of Norton antivirus. Things were great for 2+
weeks after setup but now every time I open MSN (butterfly
icon) that opens the internet via DSL I get pop-up ads and
I get indications that IExplorer is trying to open. I
think the IExplorer is what involkes the pop-ups.
It seems like what happened is related to my daughter
trying to open IExplorer when DSL was already open. Weird
things are happening now on my brand new computer. The
system freezes up, takes long to load upon re-boot,
IExplorer is running in Task Manager automatically without
opening it. I get another error - "unable to connect to
the network" also which has to be closed to continue
working in DSL. One other change I made before this all
started happening is I installed the free cd software
advertised on TV the other day. The free training CD's
that that bald headed guy on TV advertises. Example: Home
Depot's how to do it, Encarta encyclopedia, route planner,
3D house planner, medical guide (which didn't work). I
tried downloading Adaware from download.com but it would
not download. No dialogue box appeared to show the
download taking place. It stayed in limbo with
a "downloading" message.

Any Ideas? Thanks for your help.

 

[purplehaz]

Sounds like spyware or a home page hijacker.

Run these tools weekly
spybot -- http://www.safer-networking.org/
ad-aware -- http://www.lavasoftusa.com/