Zach,
This sounds like some kind of spyware has infested your computer,
although it could also be a virus.
I suggest that you download and run AdAware:
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html?part=69274&subj=dlpage&tag=button
AND Spybot Search and Destroy:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
AND (if you are running Windows 2000 or XP), Microsoft's anti-spyware:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Watch out, because there are a lot of FAKE anti-spyware products out
there. The three I have listed above appear to be trustworthy.
You might also need to run an anti-virus scan. Avast offers a
free-for-personal-use virus scanner.
Oh, and you may not be up to date with all the security patches from
Microsoft. I suggest that you being your system up to date immediately
after using the above tools.
Regards,
Simon
On 6/17/05, Zach Dorsch <herr_dorsch@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi List,
>
> I have noticed that a number of you deal with computers at a professional
>level (something that I am definitely not!). I would normally go to my
>university ITS but they don't open until Monday.
>
> My computer decided to go crazy today for lack of better terms. Basically I
>was on the internet searching the usual sites that I check every morning
>during breakfast and all of sudden the computer just slowed down. I next got
>a pop up error message informing me that my firewall had been shut down and
>automatic updates are also not activated. Every time I try to activate these
>two I get an error message which will not allow me to activate them. I have
>checked the 'Windows Task Manager' frequently because the computer has been
>chugging along even though CPU usage 0% or 100%. Then everything is fine
>until I try to start opening programs and sometimes it will take forever and
>other times not (especially when going to the Windows download page--when it
>does finally connect I get another error message).
>
> Does this sound like a virus or has something managed to get shut down and
>thus effected the rest of the computer?
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