[lapaverde]

I think I picked up some bad spyware, or something similar. I don't know if my windows xp has been damaged or what. But here is the situation. I cant use my desktop! After I log in my icons, tool bar, etc show up for about 3 seconds, then it is as if the desktop refreshes and things disappear. They come back a few times then they disappear for good. Usually has happened after that is that I get this message:

" Attention, ! Some dangerous viruses detected in your system. Microsoft XP files corrupted. This may lead to the destruction of the important files in C:\WINDOWS. Download protection software now! Click OK to download the antispyware. (Recommended) "

Personally I think that this is a bot or some kind of spyware itself trying to get be to go to a certain website or something.

Also when this message appears it make a sound like I pressed a wrong button or something.

If I click no it attempts to go to //free-viruscan.com/id/4912933/4/1/

And then it goes to blank as the url.

I have been unable to get explorer to run normally, however if I turn off add-ins explorer will work.

I can get to my task manager via CTRL+ALT+DEL and it seems as if my files are still all fine on the desktop. I can even open them. I can open antivirus, and I open firefox, as well.

But my desktop doesn't work.

I ran Trendmircro anti-virus and there was a bunch of junk that was quarantined. Like 21 items between viruses and spyware. (I thought I was protected!!). Anyway. I was previously unable to delete all these. However, today I just went in and I could. So I did. Restarted and still no changes.

I also ran CA Security System. It picked up a number of things as well, that I seem to be unable to delete from my quarantine.

Additionally I downloaded the free version of Ad-aware by Lavasoft to screen for adware. I begin to run a scan and my computer crashes and goes to a blue screen saying.

" a problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer". It says some other stuff about what to do if this is the first time this has happened (which it has not been the first time in the last few days). It further states
"Technical information:

***STOP: 0x0000008E (0xC0000005, 0x00720072, )xF0815AC4, 0x00000000)

Beginning of dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete."

Not so good. I then have to manually shut the computer down.

When I try to start in safe mode I just get a black screen saying it is in safe mode, and again none of my icons nor the bottom tool bar show up.

I can get an Active Desktop Recovery screen to come up with my desktop for a few seconds, but when I try to "restore active desktop" I get an Internet Explorer Script Error! It asks me if want to continue to run script on this page.

The error says " Doesn't support this action".

It then gives a long url in association with this error: file:///C://Documents%20and%20settings/Andrew%20Rothman/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Internet%20Explorer/Desktop.htt

The window then closes on its own and "refreshes" the desktop once again going back to the Active Desktop Recovery background with my icons visible. This just keeps happening.

All this being said, how I can rescue my desktop? I will give some of the previous efforts a shot and cross fingers.

Any advice you would have would be very helpful. If you think its best to just bring it in somewhere I can resort to that but my warranty has run out.

Thanks