Computer/Virus/Trojan Horse help for a dummy!
Dear DP,

Thank you for saving my ass a million and one ways.  I need need an ass saving for the million and second time.  To preface my story of woe:  I'm a PC desktop user.  Around the middle of December my computer got infected with...something.  My somewhat computer savvy roommate got me switched over to Firefox (was using IE), got me AVG free (since I couldn't afford to renew my Norton subscription) and got me set up with the automatic scans and whatnot.  Despite that I STILL have some godawful combination of viruses and trojan horses.  Every few minutes Spybot pops up asking if I want to deny a system registry change of some sort (I deny of course) and randomly my browser (both firefox and IE, the latter I've only used to see if the problem is consistant) will open a new tab/window telling me I have a trojan horse/virus and suggesting I buy some kind of virus protection with something that looks suspciously like the Windows security logo, but is clearly not.  AVG occasionally finds something and asks if I want to delete/heal/move it to a vault but then can't find the specified file. When I try to follow the path in my folders to find and delete said viruses/trojan horses nothing's in the folder.  Half the time the folders don't even exist (like temporary internet files, for example), even when I search for them and include hidden files and folders in the search.  HOW THE HELL DO I GET RID OF THESE?!  I do have an external harddrive though I haven't used it to back anything up for fear the nasties will get on there too.  Not sure if this is possible but I figured I'd better be safe than sorry.  Now firefox is crashing regularly and all sorts of bizarre alerts which look like windows alerts but are different than the last ones are popping up and I just have no idea what the hell to trust on my computer or not.  If anyone can tell me here how the hell to remove these things in VEEEERRRY extreme detail (as in "go to the upper right of your screen, click on edit, click on 'xyz,' etc...) for someone who is not computer savvy in the least I will be extremely extremely grateful.  If someone knows that I can't fix this on my own but can do it for me I can bake you cookies, awesome cinnamon rolls or a lovely meal.  I'm a pretty stellar baker and cook.  I cannot afford to pay someone or a business to take a look, but I'm down for bartering and trade or whatever.  Seriously, I'd give my virginity away to fix this if I could.  Damn my dirty whore of a lifestyle though.  But now you know how badly I want this gone.  HALP.


On another note, hotmail is not working for me.  It does work on my live-in boyfriend and aforementioned roomate's computer both of which are Macs.  I have no idea if this is related to the above problem or not, but basically once I get into my inbox nothing wants to load/work.  I can't access my e-mail messages, I can click on messages but they won't delete (though strangely when I later access hotmail on one of the others' computers those messages are deleted), can't access other folders.  Basically useless.  And I can't forward my messages to any non-msn accounts.  Any help there?

Seriously you will have my undying love and devotion and future virginity if you can help me.