Do a google search for online virus scans. Go to housecall and do a scan.
If you have not renewed your McAfee, its probably only the 90 day demo that came with the laptop.
Try the online virus scan and if you do not have a antimalware program, Google Malwarebytes, download it, install it, update it, then run it. Do it periodically after updating each time

genes: Thanks for your feedback. FWIW, I purchased the McAfee Total Protection shortly after getting the laptop, so it's not due for renewal for another 4-5 months. So the McAfee is still active; it's just stopping when the scan hits that file.

McAfee offer an online scan, try that you never know what it might do for you. You must be using Internent Explorer as it does not work in Firefox

Here is a link that might be useful: McAfee free scan

owbist: Thank you for your feedback. I do have Firefox on the laptop and McAfee Total Protection supports Firefox. For some reason, however, McAfee's free scan does not run on Firefox.

McAfee's free scan probably requires an active x to install to run that scan, firefox does not use Active x, that's why you will see in some posts please use Internet Explorer for this scan.

C:\Windows\System21\SpeechUX\sapi.cpl

See definition of .cpl file.

Here is a link that might be useful: .cpl file

if your scans are stopping there you are not getting a complete scan there fore no way to know if your system is actually clean. Definitely get malwarebytes asap and do an update and full scan with it.

I can tell you from experience with McAfee what you would be told to do by them and the people on their forum they would tell you to completely remove all your McAfee products, use the special removal tool they provide, remove all remnants from program files and then re install it. The main reason I got rid of McAfee were these issues which kept happening and I was having some problems on my pc that I had no idea were related to McAfee but once I fully removed it my pc no longer had all those problems which amazed me.

Removal tool (MCPR.exe)

If you go to this forum post and scroll down to the info given by EX BRIT he tells the exact steps to do to remove and then reinstall. Pay no attention to the persons problem I am just linking to this particular one because he gives those instructions there.
Removal Assistance

here is the malwarebytes
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware update and run full scan

When I opened the Malwarebytes site, I got a red flag from Firefox WOT. Details and user comments did not sound very good. I'm puzzled. What next?

Oops. When starting the download, I clicked on an ad that triggered the red flag. Of course, that ad had a huge "Start Download" sign that I bit on. Anyway, hopefully I'm back on track. More later.

Got Malwarebytes and started running full scan. It stopped after 17 min and 57 sec. on C:\Windows\System32\SMI\Store\Machine\unattend.xsd

Froze up as before. Could not pause, abort, or exit. Had to use power button to shut down.

Next??

Will it do a quick scan instead?

luis_pr: Thanks for your feedback. I just ran the quick scan (4 min and 14 sec) and there were no hits at all.

Did you try that online virus scan at housecall yet as suggested

As your computer has Vista you should also have Windows Defender and/or Windows Live One Care installed, are these running? Check the logs for Windows Defender, be default it is set to scan daily.

Realising that these MS programs are on all Vista machines one has to wonder why McAfee is put on all new computers other than providing a lucrative income for MS.

Mike when I suggested using the McAfee online scan I said it would not run in Firefox. You responded that you do have Firefox on this computer. You also have Internet Explorer so use that to connect to the McAfee free online scan.

You may also have programs running in the background that could interfere with Malwarebytes, McAfee, or Microsoft virus/worms/etc. scans. These can be in the Startup programs (use Start/Run and type in msconfig) then look at the Startup tab, leaving only the basic programs running. You might also temporarily turn off the connection, e.g., modem, to the cable or phone. Reboot, then run a scan from software on the computer. Any scans using programs on your computer will run from the desktop rather than running at Startup. Still no good? Last suggestion -- System Restore back to the last time that a scan was successful, February 15. If you do so it may mean that any downloaded stuff, programs you added, and updates from Microsoft may no longer be available on the computer.

usually the best course of action when that keeps happening is to shut down and boot up in safe mode and run your scans in safe mode that has only the basic minimal items running and if it is a conflict with some program it usually eliminates that issue. So try doing that, and doing an online scan would be good also that way it would not have any conflicts, here is another one to try.
ESET's Online Antivirus Scan

Thanks to all for your advice! I'll be working on this tonight and will provide feedback later.

Might want to look in your Event Viewer logs. Maybe you'll get lucky and see something. And even luckier if you click the link to the microsoft fix & they have a solution.

mikie: Not too smart, here. How do I get to Event Viewer? Also, what would I be looking for? And what link to microsoft fix? Thanks!

To get to event viewer in Vista, just type in "Event Viewer" in the little search box on your start menu.

Well, things have really gone downhill! The laptop is virtually inoperable, so I'm now on the desktop.

After starting in safe mode, I could not load either IE (cannot display webpage) or FF (address not found). As I kept trying to solve things (hah!), somewhere along the way I got a message that c:\users\name\appdata\roaming\adobe\acrobat is corrupt and unreadable. Things would freeze up so that my cursor could not activate anything, so I would need to turn off using the power button. On the last attempt, I was able to log on, but the only thing that appeared was my desktop, without the bar containing email, internet, recycle bin, etc.

So at this point, I cannot even get to the point to run a scan, safe mode or not.

Looks like I'm going backwards! What next?? Thanks!

Can you boot safe mode an choose last known good configuration.

I don't know what is meant by "choose last known good configuration" or how to get there.

I just tried to turn it on again in safe mode. I was given three choices (safe mode, safe mode with networking, and safe mode with command prompt). I just picked the safe mode since it appeared to be the default selection. I then entered my password. After about ten seconds, my desktop icons briefly appeared, then disappeared. The mouse cursor also froze in place and the turning circle (don't know what else to call it) also disappeared . So all I have is a screensaver, no icons, and a frozen cursor.

Should I have booted in one of the other safe mode options?

Safe mode link information

Here is a link that might be useful: Safe mode

zep516: Thanks much. Assuming I can "get there", I'm wondering what comes next. Thought I might ask that question now rather than later. Thanks again.

Success! Well, I think so. :-)

I was able to get through the "last known good configuration". Email and Internet appear to be working fine. The McAfee Security Center shows that all systems are okay.

So is that it? Are those corrupted files all fixed now? Should I still run those scans that others have suggested? Should I still remove and reload McAfee? Basically, what happened by going back to "lkgc"? Is it similar to a System Restore?

I really am extremely grateful for everyone's help, but I guess I'm asking all these questions because I don't know whether it's "over" or whether I should be taking some preventative measures for the future.

Do this lets see what it looks like.

Click Here to download HJTInstall.exe
 Save HJTInstall.exe to your desktop.
 Doubleclick on the HJTInstall.exe icon on your desktop.
 By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis .
 Click on Install.
 It will create a HijackThis icon on the desktop.
 Once installed, it will launch Hijackthis.
 Click on the Do a system scan and save a logfile button. It will scan and the log should open in notepad.
 Click on "Edit > Select All" then click on "Edit > Copy" and Paste the entire contents of the log (no attachments) into your next post.
DO NOT use the AnalyzeThis button, its findings are dangerous if misinterpreted.
DO NOT have Hijackthis fix anything yet. Most of what HJT lists will be harmless or even required by your Operating System, a spyware fighter will g

I spoke too soon! It's back to square one. I'll try to go through that lkgc again in order to do the HJTInstall, etc. Back later.

Your computer sounds pretty unstable, is there a heat or hardware issue going on perhaps?

For it to recover in last known good configuration an then crash again you have some serious issues going on an may need to take it in for repair...

No luck in getting thru last known good configuration again. Tried no less than six times. Each time it would allow me to enter password, show desktop, but not execute any icons.

As for heat/hardware, it's been in the same spot since I got it last August and has worked fine until a month ago when the scheduled scans got interrupted. Seldom on battery as its on an ac adapter.

Perhaps I should check with Dell re warranty??

Take the battery out only use ac adapter, otherwise out of ideas.

I did ask about the condition of your Windows Defender way up the page. I suspect your only option now is going to be reformatting and start over. Hopefully you have created a set of recovery disks for this computer - or Dell provided them when you bought the machine? The recovery partition on your computer is probably as corrupted and your main partition seems to be sadly.

owbist: I checked on Windows Defender a while back and it was activated and working ok.

I was on the phone with Dell tech support last night for over 2 hours trying to fix this hummer. I thought the tech was pretty good. Tried one thing, didn't work. Tried next, didn't work. And so on. We went through a lot, to include reinstalling the OS. Sorry that I can't explain it all, but the bottom line is that it has to go back to Dell for them to work on it. What I thought sounded like just a minor bug turned out to be full-blown double pneumonia.

A million thanks to all of you who weighed in to help! I enjoy monitoring this forum and am extremely impressed by the willingness of so many of you to help others.

Ah, good news that Dell is going to take care of this for you. Hopefully it will be a quick turn around and you get up and running again.

seattlemike, if you learn anything about your problem(s) from Dell, please post the info. Seems strange that Dell must fix something that sounds like a software problem, versus hardware.

Dell wants to check out the motherboard, among other things.

Got the laptop back from Dell yesterday. Note included saying that the hard drive needs to be replaced. They didn't have one available at the repair center, so one is being sent separately. As Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

you have got to be kidding me, they sent it back to you with a bad hard drive saying a new good one will be in the mail? then what they expect you to do the install and transfer and all that goes with it? I would be an un happy customer. I wonder just what they do have at the repair center?

Actually, you're probably better off that they didn't install the new drive. I think that when they do, they just pull the old drive and replace it with a blank one. This way, at least you've got the opportunity to transfer stuff.

If I were you, I'd get an external drive enclosure so that you can transfer things from the old drive to the new one. If you have to return the old one to Dell, get something that will completely erase the old drive. Just deleting the files or reformatting leaves it in a state where data can be restored. I've bought refurbished drives before that had sensitive data on them.

If you don't have to return it, either buy spinrite to recover the drive as much as possible or drill some holes through it and throw it out.