The label says it has 512 MB of memory. I'm not sure which memory this is referring to, but if it is the RAM on the motherboard, it could use an upgrade. Windows XP likes to have 2 Gigabyte (2 GB) or more. You are using a wireless router on a DSL sevice. Make sure that your wireless router is secured so that someone else within range can't horn in and ride piggyback on your connection for free. The more computers using the connection, the slower it gets for any one computer. The next potential bottle neck is the DSL service. If this is over a phone line, it may not be a large jump in speed over a standard dial-up service. A good connection does have marked improvement in speed, but a troublesome connection looses much speed advantge. Consider taking the computer to a shop or friend and try on their lines. Another problem, if over a phone line, is a noisy line. Thw phone company can test your phone line for quality. Make sure that you tell the technicam that this line will be used for internet service. If over a phone line, another bottleneck can be the phone company. It may not have installed equipemnt capable of high speed data transfer. If you have a friend who has a high speed cable connection with a wireless router, you may want to try your computer on his connection. Have the computer checked out at a computer shop to discover if it is the computer or the DSL service to your house.

grandms that link there on the avast site links to the cnet download page if you put your cursor over the download button you can see at the bottom of the screen the cnet address. I bet what is happening when you click on the big download now arrow on that cnet download page, it sends you to another page where the actual download file pops up in a pop up box my guess is you have the pop up blocked and are not seeing it, you firefox or IE should show you a bar at the top saying you need to click there to allow the box. Since you are not seeing that pop up all you are seeing is the link for the pay version. Is your download blocked? if you have that blocked then you probably will not get the one from mikies link either. another site you can try from is major geeks just click on one of the download locations Avast! Free Edition 5.1.889

OK, I ran the MBAM and it found nothing. Here is the log: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.39 Database version: 2421 Windows 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 7/15/2009 10:34:00 AM mbam-log-2009-07-15 (10-34-00).txt Scan type: Full Scan (C:\:) Objects scanned: 194825 Time elapsed: 1 hour(s), 5 minute(s), 50 second(s) Memory Processes Infected: 0 Memory Modules Infected: 0 Registry Keys Infected: 0 Registry Values Infected: 0 Registry Data Items Infected: 0 Folders Infected: 0 Files Infected: 0 Memory Processes Infected: (No malicious items detected) Memory Modules Infected: (No malicious items detected) Registry Keys Infected: (No malicious items detected) Registry Values Infected: (No malicious items detected) Registry Data Items Infected: (No malicious items detected) Folders Infected: (No malicious items detected) Files Infected: (No malicious items detected) Last antivirus update and run was yesterday with nothing reported. I am using AVG free 8.5. Was considering going to Avast from what I've read. My hourglass icon is not staying on as long as it was. Can't remember when I did a defrag on this computer, maybe never. Thought about this when it took so long to run the TrendMicro. Found a Win XP (Simmons) book which should have the instructions. I copied suggestions from ravencajun of Jan 4, 09 and plan on structuring my security along those lines. Also need to find those 17 files that need deleting, "vulnerable"? Hopefully I'm fairly safe for now. Thanks all for your prompt help, you've saved my toast again.

My impressions are based on a limited number of contacts with tech support, but I sense that tech support overseas is harder to communicate with. Part of it is language, part is culture. Overseas tech support seems almost autometronic. They seem to have a script they work from, and if your problem doesn't fit one of their scripts, they can't help. When I asked for help in fixing the problem myself, the only reply he gave me was to ask me to let them take over my computer. And he had no response when I said no. He didn't seem to understand why I refused. And my comment, "There is no way on God's green earth I am giving you access to my computer," didn't resonate with him. This happened on the heels of another tech support call involving my cell phone company. I received an odd e-mail out of the blue from my phone provider that they were going to stop my phone service on a certain date, and when I called, I was told by someone in tech support that they were no longer going to accept payment by PayPal. So I went in to my account to change to another payment method and found myself locked out. I called for help, and they couldn't get into my account. The tech support guy from the phone provider wanted the password for my Paypal account. I refused. And he didn't seem to understand why I would not give it to him. I think someone living in the US would understand this sensitivity on the part of the customer.