DSTDiva it sounds as if you may have it [the virus]. Anti-virus packages need updating every so often so quite possibly yours may not recognise this latest infection. I didn't like the sound of that credit card thing, kinda like "you'll be okay so long as you give us your lunch money".
Nichole, touch melodramatic to toss the computer because it has one rogue program (virus) on it! Kinda like buying a new car after running out of petrol/getting a flat. Incidentally, your description of the problem suggests you definitely have the virus.
I'll suggest a coupla things to get rid of it:
1) Activate the built in Windows XP Firewall FIRST.
How to Enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) on Windows XP- On the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
- Click the Network and Internet Connections category.
(If the Network and Internet Connections is not visible, click Switch to Category View under Control Panel on the left side of the Control Panel window.)
- Click Network Connections.
- Right-click the Dial-up, LAN, or High-Speed Internet connection that you use to connect to the Internet, and then click Properties from the context menu.
- On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, select Protect my computer or network, and then click OK.
The Windows XP firewall is now enabled.
2) Next you wanna disable System Restore. This is a nifty (well in Microsoft's opinion) part of Windows XP that backs up selected files automatically to the C:\_Restore folder. In case of a problem which will let you restore them. What it means here though is an infected file could be stored there as a backup file, and the anti-virus program will be unable to delete those files. So....You must disable the System Restore Utility first so any anti-virus program can remove infected files from the C:\_Restore folder along with from everywhere else.
2.5) Disabling System Restore: 1. Right click the My Computer icon on the Desktop and click on Properties. 2. Click on the System Restore tab. 3. Put a check mark next to 'Turn off System Restore on All Drives'. 4. Click the 'OK' button. 5. You will be prompted to restart the computer. Click Yes.
(Note: To re-enable the Restore Utility AFTER you've got rid of the virus), follow steps one to five and on step three remove the check mark next to 'Turn off System Restore on All Drives'.
If it's still trying to reboot you after 60 seconds of gettings into Windows XP after booting, Press CTRL-ALT-DEL, click on the Processes tab and terminate the process msblast.exe
3) Install the Microsoft Patch:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
4) So you're restarted, no system restore activated, patched now to get rid of the unwelcome guest. Well normally you'll have a nice updated anti-virus package, erm instead of that use this:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com...r/FixBlast.exe
That file is essentially an anti-virus package which just works on that virus.
Should it not work, then try
http://download.nai.com/products/mca...rt/stinger.exe . It's an emergency tool from Symantec created when they need to respond to new viruses in between full updates of their software. So uhm, download ... install, run. Should fix it?
5) If that's fixed it, go to
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and download the regular XP updates if you haven't already.
6) Come back to us in the thread if it hasn't fixed it.