In general I agree with the combination of Superantispyware and AVG.

I have Superantispyware. In fact, it found the first 81 infestations. I also used Prevx, which caught another half-dozen Superantispyware missed. I uninstalled Internet Explorer, deleted a bunch of stuff by hand and reinstalled it from a fresh installation file, and did a few more things (like SpyBot at the very beginning of the problem, which caught a dozen or so and disable system restore during all of this).

The only major thing I did not do, which I still think I should, is make a log from a Hijackthis scan and post it on a techy forum for advice. I have the feeling that a lot of the crap on the IE browser is neutralized by the programs I ran, not deleted from the browser. In other words, if something happens to the programs, these issues could arise again. And I want them killed dead, finit, not breathing, croaked and deceased.

I am happy now, though. I have a clean machine and it is purring.