Don't know what to do???

If I could tell you what to do to fix your computer at this point I would be a very wea$$lthy man.
First of all, we can't guess. If you want to fix it we have to find the problem obviously before we can attempt to repair it.
If you haven't been running a virus scan, I am only assuming that perhaps you weren't running a firewall either.
In order to fix this it's going to take time, you scanning your system, and downloading some additional programs to help analyze and fix the problems if we can.
I am encloseing you links to 90% of the programs that we will use and some more for your own use.
It's up to you?

Steve
AVG-ANTVIRUS
SYGATE FIREWALL
ADAWARE-SE
SPYWAREBLASTER
HIJACKTHIS
CWSHREDDER.EXE
SPYWARE GUARD

Could this be the dreaded Blaster Worm. Sure sounds similar.

Lets see whats going on?

Go to this site http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/enterprise.htm and do an online scan and delete whatever it finds. Be sure to highlight the drives you want to have searched.
After that could you please go to http://www.majorgeeks.com/download506.html and download AdAwareSE and delete what it finds. Then while using AdAware, click on add-ons and get their plug-in for the VX2 variant, and run that and delete what it finds.
After that go to http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2471.html
and download SpyBot and run that and delete what it finds.
Now go to
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html and download HiJackThis to its own folder that you create on your C:\ drive.
After it is downloaded open the program and click on the Scan button.
When that is done, click on Save to log.
Post the log that it generates right here so that it maybe viewed and analyzed for problems.
Thanks
Steve

thanks so much for the replies!!  The biggest problem was that I couldn't get on line to download anything.  Looong story short - spyware fried my computer.  After many calls to India and Manilla, I am all set - Thanks Dell!!  What a pain though!  Thanks again and I will keep this board in mind should I ever get into trouble again.

What can I do to prevent this from happening again?  I'm not tech. savy if you haven't guessed already...

 

again, what can I do to prevent this from happening again??

soxanaticfay,

Are you running a sofrware firewall? Are your windows updates, upto date?

Mike.

Hey Mike,

Thanks for the reply, really!!!

Yes, I am running McAfee firewall and have just did an auto update.  So far, so good.  It's been 3 days since my "trauma" and I'm doing ok.  How frustrating though...  I don't know what happened before - all I know is that I started getting pop-ups galore and some virtual bouncer thingy and then the blank hit the fan!  I'm really not a stupid person, but this computer thing is just not something that comes easily to me.