In desperate need of computer help

[geoboy]

Okay. First thing's first. The virus (I believe you are referring to MS Blaster) gets onto your system through a vulnerabilty in Windows XP. I first recommend closing the hole before removing the virus. To do so, enable the built-in XP firewall. To do this, open up your network settings (i think you can get to it by going to "start -> connect to" and click on "show all connections" or get there through the control panel. Right click on the connection you use to connect to the internet (should be local area connection if you use broadband) and choose properties. Click the Advanced tab, and check the box to enable internet firewall.

Next, download DCOMbobulator <a href="http://grc.com/dcom/" target="blah">here</a>. Run it and the hole is now closed. Now it's time to remove the virus. This is the part I hate because it's not always easy. Go to <a href="http://www.symantec.com" target="hi">Symantec's website</a> and look for the removal tool of MS Blaster. There are various strings of the virus and it's hard to know which one you have. I'd probably just reformat, but remember to perform the previous steps immediatly. Run the DCOMbobulator before connecting your computer to the internet, and enable the firewall right after you connect to the internet for the first time.

When the virus is gone and the hole has been closed, it's now time to go to Windows update and download all the patches, NOT service pack 1. That can wait once you've downloaded all critical updates.