[sammyg2]

This is kinda sorta related but not totally:

I got hit with a particularly nasty malware/virus about 6 months ago or so.

I ran all the spyware and malware programs, they'd find it and get rid of it but the next time I re-booted it was back. I changed anti-virus programs, still kept coming back.
I went through the registry and cleaned that up but it kept coming back.
I did all the tricks listed on this forum but it kept coming back. There was a hole in the firewall and in XP and it kept re-loading itself.
I never confirmed for sure if it was re-loading from the inrterwebs or off of my own hard drive, didn't really matter.

I stuck the windows XP CD in the slot and re-started the computer.
It asked if I wanted to re-install or repair XP, I said repair.
It went through the half hour process and when it was done, no more virus, no more malware, no more hole in the firewall. The puter ran faster and better than before too.

Avast keeps an eye on things now and I haven't had a bit of trouble since then.

So, when in doubt I reload or repair windows.

Oh one other thing, I don't use outlook. Not even loaded on my puter.

I use the online mail box thing that comes with AT&T and shows up on my homepage. It's a tad slower than outlook and doesn't have as many bells and whistles but seems more secure.