[GeronL]

Hey, some of us need to know that too

[Free Vulcan]

http://www.safer-networking.org/files/spybotsd_mainapp.exe

Spybot Search and Destroy should solve the problem.

[martin_fierro]

FREE PC PROTECTION: (Not an exhaustive list. Your results may vary. Void where prohibited. For entertainment purposes only. No wagering, please. Whattayawantfernuthin'.)

Alternative browsers: Mozilla Opera AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition: Free anti-viral protection Popup ad killers: Bayden Systems Popup Popper: Blocks popup ads well in MSIE Shoot the Messenger: Close that friggin' Messenger in Windows XP Spyware removers: Spybot S&D AdAware MailWasher: Good for pre-screening & bouncing SPAM Windows Update: At least install the critical ones ZoneAlarm: Excellent Firewall Test your firewall from without with ShieldsUP! Test your firewall from within with LeakTest

[Just_de_facts]

Got to www.download.com and get the program Spybot Search and Destroy. Download it ,install it and then follow the instructions. After you run it, delete everything it finds.

[glorgau]

Get a Mac!

[airedale]

It will take some work but it can be done. First go get some free software Spybot http://security.kolla.de/news.php?lang=en and Ad Aware 6 http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ (the download link will send you to mirror sites to save bandwidth.)
After you've downloaded and installed them update them. Set a Restore Point. Delete Gator using it's remove program or the Windows Control program to add and remove programs. Then run the Spybot and Ad Aware and get rid of all the spyware it finds.
There will still be some entries in the registry. . Get a registry editor which are also free from some place like TuCows or Regedit from http://www.winguides.com/registry/ JV16 Powrtools is another good tool and can be used for free for 30 days. You can get it at: http://www.macecraft.com There are lots of other registry editors you can use and a lot of the shareware has a free 15 or 30 day trial period. TuCows is a really good source of software and has excellent reviews. http://www.tucows.com
Your going to use this software to remove all the registry entries related to gator. Actually it might be best to run this before you do anything and examine the entries related to Gator. It’s handy to know what it shows before you start removing things.. Spend some time looking.
SET ANOTHER RESTORE PONT BEFORE PROCEEDING FURTHER! Be careful if you remove the wrong things when playing with the registry you can have some real problems. Remove entries related to Gator. You can also clean other old and obsolete entries. AGAIN BE VERY CARFUL IN WHAT YOU DO! You might want to do this in stages. Start by getting rid of the Gator stuff and make sure everything is running smoothly. Set a new restore point and then tackle some more of the obsolete stuff.
Just getting rid of the spyware will speed up your system.

Good luck

[Don W]

Well, I ended up biting the bullet, and took the box in for a complete reformat and new install of win XP.

I tried to reinstall from all my disks here, but was only getting a partial, so I just got frustrated and flustered.

So, now I'm all set: Win XP, Ad-Aware, and Spybot S&D all up and running well.

An interesting aside: after coming back here and following a link before installing spybot, I ended up with a couple of Alexa files.

Thanks to all for your help, and happy FReeping!.