#:9 [RPCSS.EXE] ModuleName : C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RPCSS.exe Command Line : RPCSS ProcessID : 4290971913 Threads : 4 Priority : Normal FileVersion : 4.71.2900 ProductVersion : 4.71.2900 ProductName : Microsoft(R) Windows NT(TM) Operating System CompanyName : Microsoft Corporation FileDescription : Distributed COM Services InternalName : rpcss.exe LegalCopyright : Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1981-1998 OriginalFilename : rpcss.exe Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DIGEST.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NTDLL.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSNSSPC.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSAPSSPC.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSVCRT40.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RPCSS.exe... #:10 [AD-AWARE.EXE] ModuleName : C:\PROGRAM FILES\AD-AWARE\AD-AWARE.exe Command Line : "C:\Program Files\Ad-Aware\Ad-Aware.exe" ProcessID : 4290900157 Threads : 2 Priority : Normal FileVersion : 6.2.0.236 ProductVersion : SE 106 ProductName : Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE CompanyName : Lavasoft Sweden FileDescription : Ad-Aware SE Core application InternalName : Ad-Aware.exe LegalCopyright : Copyright © Lavasoft AB Sweden OriginalFilename : Ad-Aware.exe Comments : All Rights Reserved Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RICHED32.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\OLEPRO32.DLL... Scanning Module:C:\PROGRAM FILES\AD-AWARE\AD-AWARE.exe... Scanning Module:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\COMDLG32.DLL... Memory scan result: »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» New critical objects: 0 Objects found so far: 0 Started registry scan »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Registry Scan result: »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» New critical objects: 0 Objects found so far: 0 Started deep registry scan »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Deep registry scan result: »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» New critical objects: 0 Objects found so far: 0 Started Tracking Cookie scan »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Tracking cookie scan result: »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» New critical objects: 0 Objects found so far: 0 Deep scanning and examining files (c:) »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Disk Scan Result for c:\ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» New critical objects: 0 Objects found so far: 0 Scanning Hosts file...... Hosts file location:"C:\WINDOWS\hosts". »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Hosts file scan result: »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 1233 entries scanned. New critical objects:0 Objects found so far: 0 9:20:12 PM Scan Complete Summary Of This Scan »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Total scanning time:00:15:38.560 Objects scanned:110511 Objects identified:11 Objects ignored:11 New critical objects:0 ##################################################

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Here are some of the results from the Symantec Security Check. After I did the BitDefender scan one of the detail items from BitDefender sounded vaguely familar as though it could've been one of the results from the Symantec Trojan Horse Check that showed a 'closed' port and so I tried to re-do the Symantec Security Check again and again but I kept getting a “Server Error 500; Try Again Later” message. And here's some of the earlier results from Symantec Security Check. Hacker Exposure Check Description: Tests your TCP ports for unauthorized Internet connections. Analysis: Your computer appears safe from most common intrusions. Your Results: Port Description Ping Open. ICMP Ping Ping. Ping is a network troubleshooting utility. It asks your computer to acknowledge its existence. If your computer responds positively to a ping, hackers are more likely to target your computer. [Note from Tsark: All other ports were mostly 'closed' while a few ports were listed as 'stealth'] ################################################## Windows Vulnerability Check Tests whether basic information, including your PC's network identity, can be seen by hackers. Analysis: Your computer's identity is secure. However, this does not mean you are completely safe from all Internet security threats. ################################################## Trojan Horse Check Description: Attempts to test for access to your computer through methods commonly used by Trojan horses. Analysis: Your computer and data are not vulnerable to Trojan horse attacks. However, Trojan horse threats are constantly evolving, and unless you have a personal firewall and current virus protection, you're not completely safe. To learn more about threats you are protected against, view a detailed analysis of your test results. [Note from Tsark: The Detailed View listed 126 ports and the status showed all ports as “closed” .] ################################################## In all attempts to perform the Symantec online Virus scan I end up with a webpage saying: “Unable to run Virus Detection. In order to run Virus Detection you must be using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher with ActiveX and Scripting enabled.“ I've already been using IE6 and my ActiveX and Scripting are in fact enabled. I also tried changing the “Download signed ActiveX control” from 'prompt' to 'enabled' but it still did not help to change the situation any. ################################################## Upon clicking the buttons for either the Symantec Security Check or Virus Check, for a split second the intial new winow is mostly blank except for a link that says, “To continue without java click here.” Upon clicking that button to continue without java my browser then opens up a new window to URL: http://nct.symantecstore.com/virusalert/ , however, that new window URL page is just a store webpage to purchase their products but otherwise there's absolutely nothing on that new window URL page that provides for any type of online security or online virus checks. (At the same time a smaller java window appears that says:) Java Plug-in 1.5.0_06 Using JRE version 1.5.0_06 Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM User home directory = C:\WINDOWS ----------------------- c: clear console window f: finalize objects on finalization queue g: garbage collect h: display this help message l: dump classloader list m: print memory usage o: trigger logging p: reload proxy configuration q: hide console r: reload policy configuration s: dump system and deployment properties t: dump thread list v: dump thread stack x: clear classloader cache 0-5: set trace level to <n> ----------------------- java.lang.Exception: fcCall{0} :no such method exists at sun.plugin.com.JavaClass.getMethod1(Unknown Source) at sun.plugin.com.JavaClass.getDispatcher(Unknown Source) at sun.plugin.com.DispatchImpl.invokeImpl(Unknown Source) at sun.plugin.com.DispatchImpl$1.run(Unknown Source) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at sun.plugin.com.DispatchImpl.invoke(Unknown Source) java.lang.Exception: java.lang.Exception: fcCall{0} :no such method exists at sun.plugin.com.DispatchImpl.invokeImpl(Unknown Source) at sun.plugin.com.DispatchImpl$1.run(Unknown Source) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at sun.plugin.com.DispatchImpl.invoke(Unknown Source) ##################################################

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I also decided to try running 4 more different online virus scans a few times each from Symantec, McAfee, Panda, and BitDefender but somehow I kept getting blocked from being able to have 3 of the online scans done, and so I tried a 4th scan by BitDefender only find myself semi- or seemingly-blocked which I'll explain in a moment. With Symantec I quickly end up with getting the message that my ActiveX and Script are not enabled even though they are in fact enabled. With McAfee I quickly end up with mostly a blank page except for the McAfee logo. And with Panda I had clicked yes to download their request to install components from them and after 10 or so seconds later the status bar said “done” but then nothing else happens after that. As for BitDefender, I was able to accept and install BitDefender's components for their virus scan and then the BitDefender scan appeared to take place but the problem was that during and after the scanning process, the progress bar was displayed okay but under the progress bar were 3 blank buttons. I presume one of them stood for "fix or continue or next", another button probably stood for "cancel or stop", and I tested the 3rd button which stood for "hide or show details of scan". After the scan from BitDefender ended it showed a list of programs which are either installed or downloaded-but-not-installed. (I label all my installed programs within my download folder as being "installed".) All the programs shown on the BitDefender list contained programs which have been in my computer for the last 3 or 4 years without having shown any previous problems that I know of. Here's the order of what the BitDefender scan showed on the detailed list which I tend to doubt have anything to do with my current problem: C:\Program Files\KeyTick\kt_dll.dll --------------- Backdoor.Badcodor.B C:\Downloads\blockers (not-installed)\Spam Nullifier 3.3.0.0 setup.exe=>(Instyler o)=>(Instyler Module28)=>(CAB Sfx o)=>v2.0.2.cab=>NHelper.dll -------------- Application.Browser.Hijacker.NavExcel.SearchToolbar C:\Downloads\share(not-installed)\IMesh v3.1 setup.exe=>wise0027=>(ZIP Sfx s)=>cd_htm.dll ------------- Adware.CyDoor C:\Downloads\- Installed\KeyTick v1.0 (typewriter key noise).zip=>INSTALL.EXE=>wise0013 ------------ Backdoor.Badcodor.B C:\Downloads\- Installed\KeyTick v1.0 (typewriter key noise).zip=>keyt_src.zip=>kt_dll.dll ------------ Backdoor.Badcodor.B C:\Downloads\- Installed\Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3(1).5 setup (game archade).exe=>(NSIS o)=>Izma_nsis0005 ------------ Dropped:Trojan.Click337 C:\Downloads\- Installed\Pop-up Jammer 1.0.0.196 setup (popup stopper).exe=>wise0019 ------------ Backdoor.Optix.Pro.1 C:\Downloads\The Tracer setup (finding IP addresses)zip.=>nc.exe ------------ Application.NTSniff.110 Note from Tsark: It's been several months since I've ran the program KeyTick. It's been around a couple of years since I've used Pop-up Jammer. And it's been around 4 years since I've openned the game from Arcade Classic (out of the Pack I had downloaded and installed only 1 of the games). And there's only one last oddity to mention. Upon attempting to do the Symantec online virus scan I found out that Bugnosis apparently still works again since the bottom portion of the window will now show the Bugnosis analysis list, however, the Bugnosis program still does NOT display itself as a tool bar nor within the context menu for the toolbar. What I find curious is that although the problem affects mostly programs that might perhaps be of help in troubleshooting the problem but yet it's not exclusive to such programs, for example, Anvil Studio encoder and Audacity sound editor programs have nothing to do with security problems and yet they too are affected likewise. I don't suspect I have been able to give you sufficient facts for determining what it is that's specifically troubling my computer, but I do thank you very much for at least spending your valuable time looking into this. I have not yet notified any anti-virus companies since I'm not exactly sure what specifically is causing my problem but I'll probably eventually end up emailing them a copy of this thread. Sincerely, Michael Tsark

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postscript: I eventually re-did the Symantec Security Check to double-check the details list but it turned out it had nothing to do with anything that showed up on the BitDefender list. I was mistaken there.

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To Johnw, Please accept my apologies for the confusion. The information I just posted was supposed to go to another website where someone else was asking me for the log from Ad-aware.

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Wondered what was going on Michael.

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Michael, here is info re your problem files. kt_dll http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=kt_dll&meta= NHelper http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=NHelper&btnG=Search&meta= cd_htm.dll http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=cd_htm.dll&btnG=Search&meta= wise0013 http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=wise0013&btnG=Search&meta= kt_dll.dll http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=kt_dll.dll&btnG=Search&meta= NSIS o http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=NSIS+o&btnG=Search&meta= wise0019 http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=wise0019&btnG=Search&meta= nc.exe http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=nc.exe&btnG=Search&meta= ======================================= I'm sure these can be fixed with these tools. a² free http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/ Update after installing. Remove Spyfiles by using these programs. Make sure you use the SpyBot/SpywareBlaster/Ad-aware/ > Online > Update button regularly. Malware Removal and Prevention: Overview http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Overview SpyBot http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/SpyBotSearch-Destroy.shtml http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html http://beam.to/spybotsd Update from MajorGeeks if unable to get from Spybot > Spybot Search and Destroy Detection Update http://majorgeeks.com/ Bad Checksum message http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/20.html Once you have the program installed, open SpyBot, Select > Mode > Advanced ( menu at the top, gives you more options ) then select the "Immunize" icon on the left & Click on Immunize ( the green icon up the top ) in the new page. Repeat this process every time you Update, unless you get a message that everything is blocked. Tick > Enable permanent blocking of bad addresses in Internet Explorer & Select > Block all bad pages silently. Select your download site. Open Spybot Search and Destroy. After clicking the button that says "Search for Updates" & the check is finished, you will see 5 items near the top of the window, "Search for Updates", "Download Updates", UniDo(Europe), "Show Log" and "Help". Next to UniDo(Europe) you will see a "down" arrow. Click the "down" arrow and you will see download site choices (3 in Europe, 1 in USA and 1 in Australia). Right click on your selection to make it default. A Beginner's Guide to Spybot http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/documentation/security/spyware/Spybot_guide.htm http://tomcoyote.org/SPYBOT/index1.php http://tomcoyote.org/SPYBOT/index2.php What the Heck is Teatimer? http://www.voiceofthepublic.com/SSD/SI/teatimer.swf.html Tea Timer info http://forums.net-integration.net/index.php?showtopic=13433 http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=32276 http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=32034 SpywareBlaster http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html SpywareBlaster doesn't scan and clean for spyware - it prevents it from ever being installed. SpywareGuard http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html Ad-Aware http://www.lavasoft.de/ http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ All software offered on this page is free* to download and use and compatible with Windows 98/ME/NT40, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Home and Professional. Download sites. http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10045910.html?part=69274&subj=dlpage&tag=button http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=506 =================================== Here are a range of free online sites to cleanup your comp. Use at least 2 from each group. http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virusscan.aspx http://housecall.antivirus.com/ http://www.coledata.com/virusalert.htm http://www.cybertechhelp.com/html/misc/av.php http://www.pandasoftware.es/activescan/activescan-com.asp http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/ http://www.bitdefender.com/ http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/default.asp http://virusscan.jotti.dhs.org/ http://virusscan.jotti.org/ http://www.virustotal.com/flash/index_en.html DrWeb CureIT http://www.klitetools.com/comments.php?id=2088&catid=46&highlight=Dr.Web+CureIT%21 http://www.klitetools.com/comments.php?catid=46&shownews=2088 Free online trojan scan http://www.trojanscan.com/ http://www.pcflank.com/ http://www.spywareinfo.com/xscan.php http://www.windowsecurity.com/trojanscan/ Free online Spyware detector http://www.pestscan.com/ http://home.ca.com/dr/v2/ec_main.entry25?page=freePestPatrolScan&client=ComputerAssociates&sid=35715&CID=188513 http://www.spywareguide.com/txt_onlinescan.html http://www.webroot.com/services/spyaudit_03.htm http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/promotions/spywaredetector/index_za.html Or, http://www.spywareinfo.com/xscan.php Screen for Adware, Spyware, Scumware, Diallers, ’Jackers and other unsolicited commercial software. This scanner is an ActiveX applet. After a short delay in which your browser downloads the control file, you will receive a "Warning Dialogue" requesting permission for the scanner to run. Click "Yes" and the applet will pop up and scan. You will be alerted if any spyware is found. When a spyware or malware is found, you will be alerted and asked if you want to remove it. If no spyware is found, the scanner will disappear on its own. If nothing happens, or if you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer, click here and choose either "Open" or "Run this program from its current location". Do not choose "Download". http://www.xblock.com/download/xclean_micro.exe

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Wow! Thank you so much for the treasure chest of information and links! This one's worth printing out on paper as well as backup CD for safe-keeping before anything else might go wrong. I'm not yet familiar with over half of what you've just provided. Thanks. ...Yeah, I had dropped what I was doing to get back to this post the moment I had realized I had posted on the wrong website. After your initial help, the last thing I wanted to ever do was return the favor by presenting you with confusion. ...Even though the odds are remote I'm starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I stumbled upon a new virus, one that is mostly geared towards blocking programs that would serve towards troubleshooting the issue. That includes being unable to do at least 3 out of the 4 online scans, and even the fourth scan attempt (BitDefender) didn't exactly go perfect. Plus the way the ailment targets my registry recovery programs, meaning regscan/restore and SpywareBlaster. I keep wondering what does Anvil Studio encoder and Audacity sound editor have in common with all the security/troubleshooting type programs that are getting blocked? ...I've reached the point where I'm 99.999% convinced I'll have to wipe out my Operating System and start from scratch all over again but meanwhile I'm still working at accumulating as much information as I can and then forward all information to anti-virus companies for their records. I gotta thank you one more time, Johnw, for providing me with such a comprehensive list of choice things to look into. You just saved me at least a couple of years or more of searching by myself before I'd get around to learning of all these programs upon my own accord. Tsark, out.

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"just maybe, I stumbled upon a new virus" Michael, a lot of your problems are Trojan related which virus programs may not remove, like I say, once you have run the above, I feel you will be close to OK. BitDefender has the ability it seems, to look inside all programs ( whether installed or not )& is just doing it's job. Too much reading, so report back after doing all above & let me know what problems ( if any ) are left.

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Michael, here is my list of W98 cleaners. You may need to print this. I use all these cleaners for 95/98, each one specialises in a different area. Do not be supprised if hundreds of files are found. Files are either removed to the programs backup or the Recycle Bin ( make sure the Recycle Bin is empty, before using the cleaners, that way you know the files you have removed ) All ( except DustBuster ) allow you to restore them back into the system, either by right clicking on the reg file in the programs folder ( example Regclean & OleClean > Windows Explorer > Unzipped, click on either RegClean or OleClean ) & clicking on Merge. jv16 PowerTools & RegSeeker both store in Backup on their main page. Opening Backup allows you to either Restore or Delete. EasyCleaner removes to the Recycle Bin & by opening the Recycle Bin, right clicking on the files & clicking Restore. CCleaner, one advantage of this cleaner is, when Issues is clicked & the boxes ticked, it will tell you before you fix ( doing one file at a time ) why the file is there. Configure the Windows, Applications & Issues panels to suit. DustBuster Very quick, if you want to know what it cleaned, takes about 1 min to clean ( depends on the speed of your comp ) you have about 4 seconds to read the message displayed, when it is finished. Find Junk Files I use only > Find Dead Links, which is part of Find Junk Files. Backups Once you are sure they are not needed again ( about one week ) they can be deleted. ============================= jv16 PowerTools 1.3.0.195, which doesn't expire, is available here: http://spazioinwind.libero.it/puntocr/dwl/jv16pt_setup.exe http://down.hengshui.com/download.asp?downid=1&id=726 http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page7.html http://www.pricelessware.org/thelist/sys.htm Click on Registry tool > Tools > Registry Cleaner > Continue > Start. When finished, Click on Select > Special select > Items that should be safe to remove > Remove. Or, the renamed later version ( dos'nt hurt to use both ) RegCleaner http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/ http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/dload/RegCleaner.zip RegCleaner 4.3.0.780 ( last freeware version ) OS: Win9x/NT/ME/2000/XP ================================== RegClean http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?http://vbnet.mvps.org/dev/updates/tools.htm Microsoft's RegClean ( freeware ) very conservative. By default it puts the 3 files into Windows Temp. I prefer them in Unzipped. Right click in an empty space in Unzipped, select Folder & name it RegClean. Now when you click unzip ( during install ) select the new folder. To use, you can either open up the folder & doubleclick on RegClean or right click & make a shortcut to your desktop & then put it anywhere you like. I normally only use this cleaner once. =========================== OleClean ( Freeware. I tick all 8 boxes in Options ) http://www.majorgeeks.com/showfiles.php?cat=15 http://www.geocities.com/maurizioferreira/oleclean.html http://www.webgrid.co.uk/system_13.html http://www.webgrid.co.uk/index.html http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=oleclean =============================== CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/ CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimisation tool. That removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing it to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's fast! (normally taking less that a second to run) and Free. :) One advantage of this cleaner is, when Issues is clicked & the boxes ticked, it will tell you before you fix ( doing one file at a time ) why the file is there. Configure the Windows, Applications & Issues panels to suit. ================================= RegSeeker http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm RegSeeker is a perfect companion for your Windows registry! RegSeeker includes a powerful registry cleaner and can display various informations like your startup entries, several histories (even index.dat files), installed applications and much more! With RegSeeker you can search for any item inside your registry, export/delete the results, open them in the registry. RegSeeker also includes a tweaks panel to optimize your OS! RegSeeker is FREE for personal use only! Click on Clean the Registry & tick ( new version 1.45 has this already ticked > Scan Drives for old exe entries in the registry. Click OK. My personal use, is to, delete only the Green entries. Click on Select All and choose > Select all Green items. Right click to delete. ========================================= EasyCleaner http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm Click on Unnecessary. I tick > Normal types, Extra types & Temp directories. Don't use Duplicate files unless you really know what your doing. If you try & remove a file that is being used, it will after about a 15 second delay, inform you so & will not delete. ================================== DustBuster http://www.casperize.com/dustbuster/dust_en.htm DustBuster is a garbage file removing utility for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It searches for junk files and temp files that are of no use and are just taking space on your hard drive. Based on a "common sense" scanning technology, DustBuster now cleans over 1500 different types of useless temp files and directories in a single click, detecting and deleting all these unneeded files automatically. This will increase hard disk space on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003. ================================== Find Junk Files http://www.iclaxton.com/findjunkfiles.html Find Junk Files is a user-friendly utility designed to free up disk space by deleting useless junk files. Each time you use your PC, unwanted files are created that increasingly use more space on your hard drive. Find Junk Files can find more than 165 types of junk files with ease. Unlike many other programs Find Junk Files will let you choose which drive or drives to clean, which file types to search for, and what folders to include or exclude. ================================== Binman http://steveseymour.0catch.com/ http://anothermirror.tripod.com/free.htm Seeks out the rubbish left behind by other programs. Use regularly it will save space. It can auto run at times set by you. Or, ( dos'nt hurt to use both ) W95/8 Start > Run > type in msconfig & press Enter. Copy & paste the lines below into autoexec.bat deltree /y c:\windows\temp md c:\windows\temp Deletes & recreates the Temp folder every reboot.

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Thanks again for the added info. I appreciate you sharing it to me and for other users you might be searching for such information. I'm been sticking with CCleaner for a long time now because of how it allows me to pick what to clean. I've had problems in the past with other programs who do the picking for me and so I'm willing to look into Find Junk Files as a backup to CCleaner because of the features you mentioned. I generally keep my computer as clean as can be on a regular basis but still am working on identifying what is specifically blocking my HijackThis, CWShredder, SpywareBlaster, Winuscon, Bugnosis, & other programs from either not working or not working properly. I'm also getting blocked from performing most of the online scans except for HouseCall which showed up clean & semi-blocked on BitDefender but I haven't gone through the whole list of scans yet. I doubt I'll ever pinpoint the problem but if I do I'll let you. Thanks. Tsark, out.

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Without me reading everything again, blocking can be due to firewalls, host programs, security settings or other similar programs. Here is a way to disable your hosts file. Start > Find > Files or folders or Search, type into the top space > Hosts ( no extension, just Hosts. Make sure you are in C drive ) & press Enter. You may have 2 hosts files, 1 is a sample ( SAM ) file, no need to touch that one. Rename it to "Hosts.txt". When you want to use it again, change it back to "Hosts".

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Been working on a comp for a hour or so Michael, no way could I get it to install a program, ran all the cleaners I listed above & finally it installed.

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That's great news. I'm still working on that, otherwise, I don't use a firewall, the hosts file's okay, my security settings' the same medium for the longest time, I haven't installed any new security programs, and they still wouldn't explain what caused the sudden burst of deletions when I had closed my browser, but thanks for trying and for the good news.

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Another trick with 98 Michael, all part of eliminating corruption ( you have nothing to lose, trying everything, as you feel you will have to eventually reinstall ) is to delete the applog file. From Windows Explorer, Delete all the files ( except the read only file ) in Windows > Applog. Taskmon will rebuild the Applog file. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q218/1/60.asp&NoWebContent=1 To view Applog, do this. Windows Explorer > View > Folder Options > View, click on Show all files. Click OK. http://www.windows-help.net/windows98/start-17.shtml

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Will do. Still doing RegCleaner.

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