Go to McAfee and download a FREE TRIAL VIRUS SCANNER. Do it before it's too late and all your files get renamed.

Hope it works for you...

http://us.mcafee.com/root/downloads.asp?id=freeTrials

Trend Micro has a decent free online virus scanner. Hope things get fixed soon. Would hate for you to lose your pictures.

http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/

http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html

Those are the best anti-spyware programs I know of and they are absolutely free. If you are not already, you should run them (all three, they search for different things) about once a week. I hope that they will find whatever's going on now.

I am so, so sorry your computer is in trouble. I hope it can be fixed. xxoo

AVG antivirus - free!

Zone Alarm firewall - free!

Spybot Search & destroy - free!

and last, but certainly not least:

AdAware - free!

Download and install all of this good stuff, Y - then disconnect your computer from the internet and run each program one at a time. It will take longer to run them that way, but each program will most likely find different threats. I hope this helps, and I'll be home from school after 3:30 PM EST - I'll totally walk you through anything if you need help.

I have been reading your blog for awhile and love it. My computer got the same thing it's fixed now but I was lost without the internet and reading your blog keep up the good work.
Yvette

NOOO! I wish I had special computer advice for you, but I know nothing about them. It's gotta work out. Someone who reads your blog must know a way to fix it.

And if you leave? You will know what I look like when I cry. Who else will post DA NEIS on my myspace page? And who else will make fun of myspace with me, but be addicted to it at the same time, huh?

Get thee anti-virus software! All is seriously not lost. It's not too late, and you aren't doomed.

I promise. The links above will really help. And if you can't figure it out, email me, and I will have my supersmart husband try to help (he's a Computer Guy and has saved my ass more than once).

Yikes!! That sucks!!

Good luck.

My virus software at work is McAffee and I use Trend Micro every no and again. At home I use Nod32 and I like it.
http://www.eset.com/

If you can read this, you can also call your computer's tech support. This same thing happened to me and I had to call Dell and uninstall and then reinstall the hard drive and operating system. It took about 6 hours...but it is fixed. :) Stupid husband looking at porn. $%$$^&* Ok there. I said it in public. I feel better.

That is what I would do, take it in to a computer place and see what they can do.

Malia

dude, first things first, take your computer off the net. that should at least stop the stuff from coming in and going out. then run all the spyware, virus, and adware stuff that everyone else recommended, plus maybe HiJack This (http://www.download.com/HijackThis/3000-8022_4-10379544.html).

if you need more help, i am willing to help! i would die without my computer.

Yuck! I hope you get your PC fixed and that you don't lose too much information. When my husband's PC got really screwed up, we had to wipe his system clean and reinstall. It was a real pain!

oh no, i hope you're gonna find a way to fix it. you just have to. otherwise we're gonna start bringtheunexpectedjoyback.com to raise moneys for a new computer for you. we need the Y to rock on!

I love how helpful you are all. WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU?

I was finally able to get some of the programs to run and for the time being, it appears to have stopped.

WE'LL SEE.

(I know, I was so dramatic, but I seriously was freaking the hell out watching pictures of my beautiful children being renamed to SUCKING COCK.)

I freak out about my pictures too! I have my husband burning CDs and DVDs of them all the time (and he actually bought a second hard drive so I'd stop worrying so much! haha) I protect my computer with my life. Seriously. If a kid heads for it I scream "NOOOOO!!!!!!" haha

here's the thing, I can't burn cd's because my cd/rw is broken and so is my floppy drive and so is pretty much everything on this piece of crap computer. It's only a matter time... I just hope I bought a few more months so I can save for a new one.

Only here to offer lots of good vibes. I can't believe this is happening to you. That sucks. Hope that the anti-virus/spyware/adware etc. stuff solves the problem! Maybe someone can lend you an external CD writer? Good luck, Y!

start copying the pictures to CD NOW!

Okay saw what you wrote. Start emailing your most favorite ones to yourself now.

OMG. That's awful. I wish I had some good advice. I normally just restore my windows XP to an earlier date, but I'm not sure if that will work in your situation.

One more. My husband (Mr. Spyware himself) said to follow Emily's advice on the spyware stuff. Also, he said, UNPLUG your computer from the net ASAP.

Wow! I'd be completely insensed if I were in your shoes! I don't think you are being dramatic, and it's good that you did say something! Hope all this good advice works for you. I'll just echo SJ. Unplug it from the internet NOW and run those programs!

Good luck!

-H

I think you should try e-mailing some pictures to yourself, and then going to the library or maybe someone's house and using their computer to save those pictures to a CD? That's what I would do, I think.

Bring it to best buy and they can uninstall/install for you there. Also buy a USB plug in, since your CDRW is broken and put all of your pictures onto the USB plug in. They're pretty cheap at target.

Good Luck Y! It seems that though you received some very good advice!

do you have a zip program? maybe you can zip them up and save them to your server space online? till you get a new way to burn them. I think there are ways to use a Gamil account as server space too.

One more thing! Maybe two!

Put pictures online as soon as possible if CD is not possible. Anything on your server or flickr can't be affected by spyware or a virus. Also, my old piece of shit PC has a perfectly good CD-R drive that I will totally give you once I get my files burned.

Third bonus thing! That gmail idea was a good one. You can send and receive huge files through them.

Put your pictures online, if you can't save them to disc.

I really hope you get it all figured out soon. I don't think you're being dramatic, I'd feel the same way!
Good luck!

all the above and good luck, it'll get fixed!!

If you have a USB connection, for right now you could go the cheap route and get a USB flash drive. Then you could save all your pictures on that and then if/when your computer dies, you'll at least have your pictures.

You can upload your photos to Kodakgallery.com... not only can you go look at those albums whenever you want from any computer, but then you can order them in prints of all sizes for a pretty decent price.

You can also re-download all your photos that you have on Flickr onto any computer, so even if you get a new one, you will still have all of those.

I know nothing about computers, but definitely e-mail your fave pix to yourself... good luck! We don't want to lose your wonderful presence on the ethernet!

Ack I know it makes you freak out, I did the same years ago when it happened to me and it set my homepage to kiddy porn~ THAT FREAKED ME OUT!
But like others told you, get a good free program the ones they mentioned because I can even vouch for those, some free things promising to fix puts spyware right ON your computer.
It is fixable, you will not lose anything. Breathe sweetie, we almost lost you! ;() LOL

QUICK...download your photos onto Walgreens.com.

I'm serious. You can make your own photo album AND print the pictures. You'll need to set up an account, but it's as easy as pie. I promise. I've done the same thing.

Good luck.

OH, if you don't have a Walgreens close to you, try Target or KMart, or whatever other dept store prints photos...they may have that option.

i've been putting copies on flickr and marking them private. i can still get to them, but can control whether or not they are seen.

Gosh you're sexy when you're sexy when you're freaking out.

help is on the way....delivery 20 April

love and hugs

Aww!! :( Everyone has some great advice!

Ok, you not having pictures or a blog is NOT an option. Please open a PO Box and give us the address. I shall send you a check for $20.00. It ain't much, but I bet if you combine checks from all the people like me who love reading you, you could prolly buy a KICK ASS computer.

I'm stupid when it comes to paypal. *sigh*

I am fairly certain many of your loyal readers can help you with these problems, and it sounds like you've figured out ways to buy yourself some time and keep this from happening. BUT - I had to give you my two cents:

I like yahoophotos b/c they have a quick uploading thing AND you dont have a limit AND they get printed at Target who I love.

OR - I can give you login/FTP access to my site for storage if you'd like. I have tons of space and you can upload it to my site and I can burn it to CDs for you.

Of course - for all you know I'm a cyber stalker - but I just worship my photos as much as you worship yours and want to help in any way because I can feel your pain.

Let me know if I can help.

I don't know how fast your internet is, but when I had a similar problem I emailed all my photos and documents to myself, so they were there once everything was solved. But I hope the spyware programs are working. Also, look into Symantec virus checker--there is a pretty good free version.

Are you still around? Has the computer gone down? Come back and play! And tell you computer to stop hanging out in "those parts of town" - no VD no!

If your pics are on an online site like Flickr you will never lose them. You might lose your computer but you can always go to the library to visit them! LOL
Seriously never leave pics on a computer without burning them or uploading them to a free hosting/photo service and all will be less stress free (well except for being without a computer, that sucks ass!)

whoops sorry that advice has already been given. Please ignore my ass-vice. Hee.