I would like mvguy-ga to answer this. You gave me a good lead.  I
downloaded ad-aware and it seems to have solved my problem. I think I
accidently closed my question.  Please  put your suggestion in the
form of an answer so that you can be paid.

Sorry about the delay in getting back. I had a major computer problem
the weekend before last and had to wipe my hard drive clean. My most
recent backup of my important data was a couple months old, so my more
recent stuff was lost. But things are back to normal now, and I just
found out about your question.

Anyway, I'm glad that you found Ad-aware useful. It's really easy
these days to accidentally download and even install software that can
do all sorts of things to your computer. Some programs are installed
maliciously, while others come bundled with software you do want.

For those who wondering about Ad-aware, it's a program made by
Lavasoft that searches the hard drive for spyware and other types of
programs that are known for monitoring your Internet usage and/or
using information about your computer usage in order to benefit
advertisers. Such programs are often an invation of privacy, and they
also can play havoc with computer systems. Some programs identified by
Ad-aware have purposes that benefit the computer user (such as
ad-supported software), while others do not.

You can find Ad-aware here:

Lavasoft
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

You can also find information about the program here:

Download.com description and review
http://download.com.com/3000-2094-10045910.html

The free version of the program (the only I've used) does a good job
and is all most computer users will need. A professional version is
also available and looks like it would be good for those who are
managing computers for a business (or for a family where children
might download things without telling parents).

Best wishes,

mvguy-ga

Just as an after thought, I recently uninstalled Adaware, which I used
diligently for years, and switched to "Spybot". On the advice of a
friend, I tried it and discovered that it consistently found
"problems" that Adaware did not. Now I'm an exclusive "Spybot" user.

http://security.kolla.de/

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Hi donbg,

Doesn't hurt to run both AdAware and Spybot.  

Regards,

tlspiegel
Google Answers Researcher