Hello, I have read a few great posts helping people resolve infections here, and figured that you are the people to whom I should turn.
My computer is running Windows XP SP2; I have tried to upgrade to SP 3 a few times, but it always hangs my computer (the computer won't load up once the update is installed), and then I have to do a system restore, so I've just been resigned to having the computer perpetually tell me that I have updates that can be installed.
In terms of protection, I was running ESET nod32 and Webroot Spy Sweeper, and I have spybot search and destroy loaded on the computer as well. The computer seemed clean for the longest time, regularly updating and everything, but about 2 1/2 weeks ago my antivirus and webroot spysweeper stopped updating, and the computer started doing odd things. I wasn't home, but when I got in my wife said that the computer (which was on, but the screen was turned off) had been making a lot of noise all evening. It had been opening up page after page, many of them blocked, but I suspect it was busily infecting itself. It wouldn't let me do a boot-up scan, so I I downloaded a new antivirus package and managed to get a lot of infections out.
I think I've managed to get rid of most or all of it, but I'm having residual problems so there may still be something hiding on here.
Sometimes when I do a google search and click on a link it instead takes me to scour.com, and sometimes when I try to open certain things (e.g., spoiler boxes on forums) it instead seems to stop all the links from working while opening up another window. That window doesn't end up connecting, thankfully. My webroot spysweeper still can't connect to the server to update (nor can I update by going to the site), and many antivirus sites won't load for me at all (e.g., the microsoft malware removal tool wouldn't D/L, so I had to get it on the laptop and transfer it over on a flash drive).
Any help is greatly appreciated,
Many Thanks,
Richard