Neither reading an article or two nor buying software is sufficient preparation for the task of cleaning up an infected Windows machine. The task can be difficult as evidenced by Microsoft's recommendation that you blow away the contents of your hard disk and reload. That is a painful process in its own right and, when possible, I prefer to clean up rather than reload.

You can increase the likelihood of success by following the procedure outlined in Knoppix after which your machine should be behaving resonably well. If it is not, I recommend backup and reload. Now you can pick up the process from Windows.

1. Install and run CCleaner. Follow the instructions here.
2. Install and run Hijackthis. Follow the instructions here.
3. Install and run SpyBot. Follow the instructions here.
4. Install and run an Antivirus scanner. We have been using Antivir, but this is currently under review.

By this time you should have a cleaner faster Windows machine. If not, it is time to buy a new one or consider a reload with Ubuntu.