So my PC has been running progressively slower and slower, and a few days ago, Internet Explorer started to work "intermittently"...meaning that sometimes it would hang when loading, I'd do an "End Task" and then reload it and it would (usually) work. Suspecting something amiss (bright one, aren't I?) and worrying the problem would continue to digress, I downloaded and installed Firefox. About a day ago, IE disappeared - went into the program files and it's still there, just set as "hidden" for no apparent reason. Sent it to the desktop as a shortcut, but it will no longer load (after attempting to load it, I get a lot of hard disk activity, then nothing, then several minutes later the windows "You chose to end the non-responsive program..." dialogue. In addition, Firefox started to redirect me after searches (for instance, googling "Spybot Search and Destroy" and then clicking on the resultant search results did not take me to the spybot website).
I've attempted self-help, which may or may not have been good. Malwarebytes found evidence of a trojan (and like a moron, I didn't save that log) and I removed it through Malware, downloaded the latest version of AdAware (was unable to update the definitions), booted into safe mode and ran it and found more evidence of a trojan (and again, like a moron, I can't tell you if it was a different one or not) and removed it. Attempted to run the malwarebytes scan in safe mode and everytime it caused a system reboot.
So here I am, asking for help in an attempt to avoid a clean windows reinstall.
I have performed all of the steps in PhilliePhan's "Read me" post, except as noted below:
Windows Defender - when download attempted, get error message "Failed to connect. Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at download.microsoft.com."
Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware - unable to update (connection error - recommends disabling the firewall, have done so, still unable to connect for an update). Downloaded most recent version, log is below.
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.33
Database version: 1654
Windows 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3
02/09/09 8:51:14 PM
mbam-log-2009-02-09 (20-51-14).txt
Scan type: Full Scan (C:\|)
Objects scanned: 155579
Time elapsed: 1 hour(s), 15 minute(s), 8 second(s)
Memory Processes Infected: 0
Memory Modules Infected: 0
Registry Keys Infected: 0
Registry Values Infected: 0
Registry Data Items Infected: 0
Folders Infected: 0
Files Infected: 0
Memory Processes Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Memory Modules Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Registry Keys Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Registry Values Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Registry Data Items Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Folders Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Files Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Unable to run ESET - Internet Explorer is non-functional at this point. Kaspersky online scan attempted instead, received the following error: " [ERROR: Failed to connect to update source]".
Panda Security online scan also failed - got another "unable to connect" type of error.
Trend Micro's Housecall appears to have somewhat worked - it detected PE_PATCHED.ET...I wanted to chose to "Clean" it from my system but after waiting for quite some time, there was no way to do so - I could choose it under the result's tab and I was never able to do more than view the results fo the scan. I had hard drive activity for a while after the scan was completed. but then that was it...?
Thanks again for your time and help!!!