Yes drive by infections are common.:-

Use these to remove Malware (Spyware and Adware).

1) SpyBot Search and Destroy
After installing SpyBot Search & Destroy, first press Online, and search for, put a check mark at, and install all updates.
Next, close all Internet Explorer windows, hit 'Check for Problems', and have SpyBot remove all the items it marks in red.

2) Get Ad-Aware
After installing Ad-Aware, and before running the program, first press “check for updates now".
Click "Connect" and install all updated components available. Click 'Finish'.
Press "Scan Now", then 'next', and let Ad-Aware scan your drives.
It will find a number of "bad" files and registry keys. Click 'Next' again.
Check all found items, and click 'next' once more.
It will ask you whether you'd like to remove all checked items. Click OK.

Always reboot the computer between each program - both of these may find things that they need to have a reboot of the machine to clear - please reboot and let them finish .

Failing those solving your problems a post of a hijackthis log for the experts to advise.
HijackThis From Here
or one of these other links:-
http://www.merijn.org/files/hijackthis.zip
http://www.aluriasoftware.com/tools/hijackthis.zip
http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/

Important: Create a folder on the C: drive called C:\HJT.
You can do this by going to My Computer (Windows key+e) then double click on C: then right click and select New then Folder and name it HJT.
Unzip HijackThis into this folder. When you run HijackThis from this folder and have it "Fixed checked" it will create a backup file of modifications to use if restore is necessary. Then run, scan, save log, then in notepad copy the FULL log by copy and paste as a reply to this post and an expert with HijackThis Knowldge, will have a go at giving advice. Please note the list of experts names below, very few forum regulars here have had this training.

DO NOT FIX ANYTHING WITH HIJACKTHIS WITHOUT EXPERT ADVICE, most of what it finds you need for normal MS Windows tasks.

Known Spyware HijackThis fighters in DellTalk - If you are, and are not on the list please PM Me.

TomCoyote (of http://tomcoyote.org/forums/index.php fame)
YoKenny (Accredited Expert at TomCoyotes)
baskar1234 (Teaching Assistant at TomCoyotes, Trusted Advisor Spywareinfo)
ChrisRLG (Teaching Assistant at TomCoyotes, Trusted Advisor Spywareinfo)
Tuxedo Jack (Teaching Assistant at TomCoyotes, Trusted Advisor Spywareinfo)
Yellowhammer (Trusted Advisor at Net-Integration, First Responder at Computer Cops)
therock247uk (In Training at TomCoyotes)
irelynmisses (In Training at TomCoyotes)

You could also go to one of the more specalist forums where more experts will be able to help.
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi (Home of Spybot S&D)
http://boards.cexx.org/index.php
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/index.php
http://tomcoyote.org/forums/index.php
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php
Do read the sites FAQ before posting, and advise your problem and what steps you have already done to try to cure your problem.

I, and the other hijack experts mentioned above, are in all those sites (and more) with the same login names. You might get one of us at those sites also to anwser your log, but other experts will also be available.

Thank you for all the data.  I will look at these sites.  I use SpyBot Seek and Destroy.  I don't click on strange downloads or boxes.  I don't have any indication of a virus or spyware.  My question is more narrow.

 

1.  Is there a way to set my IE brouser so it does not enter sites which freeze my brouser on that site so I can't click out of it.  It may be over zealous marketing or at times something more sinister.  Many such sites seem legitimate and it may be just the product of some control freak.  Other have very suspicous links, downloads, fixes they try to fool you into checking.

2.  If I land on such a site how can I get out without closing down?

Thanks again

Jake

 

You could try the google toolbar (with it popup stopper) and the malware tools listed on my website, link below. The tools spywareblaster, spywareguard and ie-spyad would do you the most good.