Thank you again raven....I ran Malwarebytes anti-malware here's what it found and removed (I hope). Am I safe? ML Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.33 Database version: 1666 Windows 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 1/19/2009 10:30:33 AM mbam-log-2009-01-19 (10-30-33).txt Scan type: Full Scan (C:\:) Objects scanned: 197451 Time elapsed: 1 hour(s), 56 minute(s), 45 second(s) Memory Processes Infected: 0 Memory Modules Infected: 0 Registry Keys Infected: 15 Registry Values Infected: 1 Registry Data Items Infected: 0 Folders Infected: 3 Files Infected: 4 Memory Processes Infected: (No malicious items detected) Memory Modules Infected: (No malicious items detected) Registry Keys Infected: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\popcaploader.popcaploaderctrl2 (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\popcaploader.popcaploaderctrl2.1 (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\"e4e3e0f8-cd30-4380-8ce9-b96904bdefca> (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\"fe8a736f-4124-4d9c-b4b1-3b12381efabe> (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\"4d25f920-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\"4d25f923-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\"4d25f921-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Stats\"4d25f921-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\"4d25f921-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\"4d25f924-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\"4d25f926-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\"df780f87-ff2b-4df8-92d0-73db16a1543a> (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Typelib\"c9c5deaf-0a1f-4660-8279-9edfad6fefe1> (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units\"df780f87-ff2b-4df8-92d0-73db16a1543a> (Adware.PopCap) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\MSFox (Trojan.Agent) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. Registry Values Infected: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\URLSearchHooks\"4d25f926-b9fe-4682-bf72-8ab8210d6d75> (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. Registry Data Items Infected: (No malicious items detected) Folders Infected: C:\Program Files\MyWaySA (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. C:\Program Files\MyWaySA\SrchAsDe (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. C:\Program Files\MyWaySA\SrchAsDe\1.bin (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. Files Infected: C:\Program Files\MyWaySA\SrchAsDe\1.bin\deSrcAs.dll (Adware.MyWebSearch) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. C:\System Volume Information\_restore"202550A8-7A33-4BCA-9586-051D24DDBF8F>\RP1338\A0323718.exe (Trojan.FakeAlert) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\rdno5MqT.exe.a_a (Trojan.Agent) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully. C:\Documents and Settings\Catherine\Local Settings\Temp\~tmpb.exe (Trojan.FakeAlert) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

That does seem better, Zep516. Thanks. I had turned off the phishing filter,without noticing much difference, but disabling it improved the speed. I go to familiar websites for the most part and keep my anti-virus and anti-spyware software updated. Mikie, I could not switch to Apple, it's just not my cup of tea ;-) Pam

Thanks, Martha. I tried both suggestions, but no change. Not sure exactly I've been using IE7...a couple of months, maybe? I'll be interested to see if the problem exists on my other computer. I can't tell at the moment because it needs a new monitor. Since posting the first time, I discovered that I can't open the comments to one of my blogs and I can't open the log-in screen that will let me download archived articles on a newspaper website. This is getting very irritating! I'll go see if Microsoft has some sort of help forum... Susan

Do Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up your Task Manager, click on the Processes tab, and click once or twice on the CPU tab at the top of the listings: this will show what process is chewing up the most resources (which will probably be the culprit). Also, look at the CPU Usage line at the bottom of Task Manager and see what the % Usage is. Then report back here on what you found out.