The first thing to suspect is spyware.
First, go to Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs and uninstall anything that looks like it might be spyware. Newdot Net and Gator are common.
Then, since removing spyware should be a part of weekly computer maintenance if it has internet access, download, install, immediately update and then run Spybot and/or Ad-Aware. Read the help files to familiarize yourself with how they work. I recommend you use them both since each tends to find things the other misses. Let them clean up any spyware found.
If that doesn't fix the problems, the next culprit to suspect is a virus or viruses. If you don't have an anti-virus program installed, you can get a free one from Grisoft or you can use one of the free online scans you can find by doing a Google search for "online virus scan." Panda and Housecall are two I've used and can recommend.
First, go to Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs and uninstall anything that looks like it might be spyware. Newdot Net and Gator are common.
Then, since removing spyware should be a part of weekly computer maintenance if it has internet access, download, install, immediately update and then run Spybot and/or Ad-Aware. Read the help files to familiarize yourself with how they work. I recommend you use them both since each tends to find things the other misses. Let them clean up any spyware found.
If that doesn't fix the problems, the next culprit to suspect is a virus or viruses. If you don't have an anti-virus program installed, you can get a free one from Grisoft or you can use one of the free online scans you can find by doing a Google search for "online virus scan." Panda and Housecall are two I've used and can recommend.
