Thanks, Soda, for your detailed post.

I didn't know you could restrict scripts in your browser. That's a good suggestion.

You can find Stop Sign at eaccelaration.com. It's a complete package and it worked fine for awhile, blocking the No Close virus, or stripping it of its power. The No Close virus clogged my system in Feb. and eventually shut it down completely. I had Norton 2000 with outdated definitions - I had baeen concentrating on the trojan end with Spybot and all those programs. I got SS after that, and like I say, it worked fine for awhile. They had an update module, email server, threat scanner, etc. Using email to communicate with them was a mistake since my enemy has been known to read my email. Unfortunately you can download programs on the Net that will crack a msn password in 16 seconds.

This is a patient, determined attacker. He eventually saw that the No Close virus was no longer working and came up with something else: All my defensive measures were broken down in the second wave of attacks: the update module disappeared altogether, the threat scanner no longer completed a scan, so I couldn delete the infected cookies, etc.

My ability to survive online will depend not so much on an invulnerable defense, but on my ability to repair my defenses short of taking my machine to the shop. You and others have made valuable suggestions on how to do this. Thanks!