thanks for the replies but to no avail.
almcneil... the only way to get those 3 antispyware programmes was to download them on my uninfected laptop, then transfer them onto my infected computer. However, it couldnt get the latest updates as my computer cannot access the internet. I still managed to run outdated adaware and AVG but neither found anything. Spybot does not install in safe or regular mode so couldnt use. I also ran malwarebytes which found nothing.
bobbye... i cannot carry out those 8 steps to the letter because not only cannot i not get into Norton to disable it, but i cannot access the interent properly to download the latest updates for any antispyware.
all in all, i'm about ready to smash it in with a hammer and get a newer model and take greater care with security. I am loathe to pay £50 for a company to reformat a computer thats 4 years old and creaking a bit anyway, when i could just get a newer & better computer on arbico for £190.
what annoys me is that i pay for something like Norton Internet security and it consistently doesnt stop these things from infecting my computer (thats 3 proper infections in the past 18 months)... and its not as if i even download things using any filesharing sites.
Anyway, plan 1 will be to just give it to the techs at my dad's programming company and let them play around with it and either fix or reformat it (if i think its worth the hassle).
Plan 2 will be a new computer.
...Unless anyone has some fantastic new idea for getting rid of this? or failing that, knows where the people live that created this spyware??