Originally posted by rogue_red
At the point now where a complete reformat and clean installation is looking like my only option for regaining control of my system. ...
Recommend trying this first:
  1. Create a new folder named C:\HijackThis
  2. Download HijackThis version 1.98.2 from http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html and download it into your C:\HijackThis folder
  3. Extract the downloaded C:\HijackThis\hijackthis.zip file into C:\HijackThis
  4. Launch the C:\HijackThis\hijackthis.exe program and click "Scan"
  5. When it's done, click "Save Log" and save it as C:\HijackThis\hijackthis.log
  6. The saved log file will automatically come up in Notepad. Click "Edit|Select All" then "Edit|Copy"
  7. Start a new thread in our HijackThis Logfile forum: http://discussions.virtualdr.com/for...php?forumid=71
  8. Click once inside the Message box, then press [Ctrl-V] (or click Edit|Paste) to paste the contents of your hijackthis.log file into the message
  9. Add a Subject and any comments to your message and click "Submit New Thread"
  10. Hopefully one of our HijackThis Logfile experts will be along shortly to analyze your logfile and help you rid your PC of any malware