Hi beatlefanLH,
You need to give your computer a good clean and then install a good firewall. Follow the instructions here:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=24656.msg201975#msg201975
Be sure to download, install and update the programs, then go offline to do the scans: pull the internet connection and don’t plug it back in till you’ve run all the scans and installed the firewall.
You should go to Windows update after that and download all the critical updates. If you need to reboot, go back and check for more updates.
You should be updated to IE7. You could also consider a browser like Opera or Firefox. If you are unable to update from IE5, you should definitely use one of these browsers.
EDIT: I’d also recommend you run CleanUp! before you start scanning to clean out your temp files:
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/