If you used your installation cd you could attempt a windows Repair [ignore the option to "repair using Recovery Console", just Enter to go past that into setup where it detects your OS and then suggests a Repair if possible]. That would give you the chance to pull off the music etc....
I was going to tell you - you had a rootkit-protected trojan [amongst others] which allowed others to totally control your pc... so in the end a reinstallation of XP is always the best option there. I gotta go to town right now, I or someone will give you a guide later today.

Heidi, if you would still like suggestions for reinstallation, pls post your HD size and whether you have only one HD....

Yes, only one hard drive. 40 gb. The computer is a Dell Dimension 2400.

Hi, Jeannie.... here are my suggestions considering your drive capacity and overall convenience, plus reliability through creation of a better environment for the windows OS. That last comes from installing Windows into its own partition and then removing all the temporary files to another partition, where their continual creation, deletion etc will not interfere with the OS. Windows likes to stretch out and arrange itself so that the bits you and it use most often are grouped and fast to reach - it does that automatically, and is more stable if the temp files, temporary internet files, cookies, histories, outlook express mail folders and so on are elsewhere. Currently a fully updated XPSP2 with a full driver cache [handy] and several restore points solidly occupies 4GB [well, mine does; it depends a bit on the software you install because that affects registry size] - you will need to include 1 1/2 times the size of your RAM for virtual memory [128MB > 200MB, 1/2 GB > 800MB...], plus room for several Restore points; All in I think 8GB is the minimum, pretty much, for that Windows partition. It leaves plenty of free space for it to arrange itself. If you do not wish to relocate [I can guide you through that] the plethora of temporary files you should give it 2GB more, say 10GB. Mine is in 8GB.
Next you need a partition for the temporary stuff - emails from eg Outlook Express, temp inet files, cookies, firefox and opera caches and so on, plus the stuff you download [pgm files, pictures, silly stuff, music... you name it] - all the stuff you play with for a short time while you decide whether to keep or discard it. This does not need to be a big partition cos you move the good stuff out continually - mine is 6GB but rarely has more than 2GB of stuff in it. The advantage of this space being separate is that all this addition and deletion of short stay files and folders does not interfere with the OS or your keeper files by fragmenting them and thereby slowing your sys. Give it say, 5GB? 6GB if you wish to load a couple of game images to save CD wearntear.
Applications. Give them their own partition, put with them all the pgm installation files you download in a separate folder cos it saves downloading them again if you need them. Again I have given 6GB to this partition, but it contains atm only 2GB of pgm files and any downloaded installation files. I think I have a fair selection of pgms.... 4 or 5GB would be tons.

So, 8 +5 + 5 = 18GB, leaving you 22GB in a fourth partition for storing music, photos, and any other files you wish to hang onto for a fair while while you use them. Letters, financial records.... Of course, the really good stuff goes onto CD /DVD as well, doesn't it? Well, what do you think? I have a bigger primary HD so I have a few more partitions, but they are only a convenience and not really necessary - I could easily forgo the extra ones and use folders in their place. Four, I think, would be a good setup for your 40gig HD.

Try very hard to borrow someone's XPSP2 CD, cos you will be able to use it to install with your own numbers... to install XPSP1 and then update online would be almost impossible with dialup. SP2 is pretty vital but it is a huge download... 272MB!!
When you go into Setup set the size of the OS partition to 8GB and proceed with formatting it and then installing. We do the other partitions later, when windows is working. And then we can shift out those temporary files.... all I can say is that a setup like that works very well for me. And if anyone reads this and has other ideas, please post em.
Comments, Jeannie? It is your sys, after all....

Ok, So far this sounds good to me. I'll think of the partitions like a four drawer file cabinet.
So, one "drawer" for the OS.
One for Temp files.
One for Applications.
One for Music, Pics, and keeper files.

Now, a few ?s.
I'm a little confused about the Temp partition. How do you keep the Temp folders seperated from Windows OS partition? Won't Windows continually create the folders (in Windows) if they are not in the "Windows" folder?

What do you mean "Game Images"? Actual games, or actual Images? I don't get it.

And by "Applications" you mean programs? Like Paint, Video conversion programs, Anti-Spyware (HiJackThis, Spybot) Media Player, etc.? And games? My son has LOTs of games? That would be application too? (Duh!) Also, MSN. That would go under the Applications partition, but the email, temp MSN folders go in the Temp partition? Is this all correct so far?

Hi, Jeannie, yes, the four drawers is pretty close to the idea.
The Temp partition. Pretty much we will create in the temp partition the requisite folders/files that windows normally uses, and other pgms too, and then we will tell Windows about them by changing, for example, environmental variables and some registry settings. And windows will happily use the new folders/files as its own.
Applications.... yes, Paint, AV, AS, Outlook Express, infact any pgm that you install apart from windows... we just change a single setting and that will make hat partition the default location for any pgm you install.
Images..... most games insist on running from a CD when you play them. That is slow, tedious [you gotta find n then insert the CD...], damaging to the CD surface from accidental scratching.... So if I play a game often I use certain software [Alcohol 52% does me] to create an "image" of that CD on my HD [images are special copies that contain exactly what is on the CD and not just the information in its files..]; you install the game as per normal; to play all you do is click the image to "mount" it as a new drive.. the Alcohol software presents it to the OS as a CD drive, and it runs. And there is no waiting while an actual CD drive spins up... cos its on the HD. You can do it with most everything that is to be found on a CD, not just games, but in fact you only use it when the pgm insists on a CD being present [like many games].... I mean that you could [if you wished to be silly] create an image of a CD of music and play it, but no media player insists on running from the CD - all they want are the files of music. Etc.
Some piccies of my main drive:

This all sounds perfect to me! Although I'll probably opt to skip the game imaging bit. My son has lots of games and I think he'd rather keep the drive space than run games faster. And it may be a bit of work teaching him the partition deal, but it's way worth it!
Now, I went through the first couple of steps to create a partition (just to see what it was like), but I didn't actually create any. Didn't want to screw up. I followed the command prompt instructions in WinXP Help. cmmd>diskpart>selectdisk>etc. Like I said I didn't complete any steps, just wanted to see what it was like. It did confuse me a bit. It asked Primary Partition, Extended Partition or Logical Drive. Also, about offset? How do you know where to offset the partition?
And a question about SP2. I've heard about a lot of problems with Service Pack 2. And there are so many "horror stories" out there, and help sites on uninstalling it. I never bothered to install SP2 on MY pc or on my son's either. Why are there so many problems with it, and why is it so neccessary? (well, duh! I realize why it's probably so important.) But, why is it such a problem for some?
Well, Thanks again for all your help so far! What can PC geek wannabees like me do to repay the Real ones like you? (besides not have PC trouble) You guys do so much to help us! THANK YOU!!!!!!
~Heidi (not Jeannie, by the way) wink ;o)

Hello, Heidi. Fair enough about the game images... you can take up that idea at any time you like down the track, and just load a game image into your temporary partition in some folder. We'll ignore em now though.
SP2. M$ put a deal of effort into that patch, and if you surf the web it is pretty vital to have. It is all about improving security.... and they continually update their work. I have never had a problem with my pc.... so SP2 works for me. I strongly suggest you borrow a friend's XP-SP2 disc to use for installation if your key is a general, not limited type. Otherwise use your CD and key then get the SP2 CD from M$.
Skip using diskpart, use the formatting tool on the XP CD to create the first partition, the one for Windows itself; it will automatically create one of the right type [primary, and active], you get to choose FAT32 or NTFS - choose NTFS. Once again, it is about security, besides it was designed for XP. To install XP only one partition is necessary, we'll create the others later using XP.
Right. Disconnect from the web, change your BIOS setting to boot from CD and restart with the CD loaded; or more simply start up, hit F11 to set the one-time boot source to CD, load your CD ...
Let Windows Setup start, delete any partitions it finds, then in the unpartitioned space create one of the size you desire [8GB?, NTFS]. Full format it, not quick. Have your key handy and let installation run.
Don't load any apps yet, or create files, cos they will only have to be moved later on. Kindly, Setup will not even mention offsets..
Can I break now? -it's late, and tomorrow I shall guide you thru partitioning with the XP disk management tool -it's easy as... Briefly, because of coding limitations in the master boot record [created when you made the first partition] you can only have four partitions cos that is all that code can record. But by making one [the last] an extended partition you can add any number of extra logical partitions [they daisychain from the extended partition and from each other - the extended partition tells the loader about the next, that one tells the loader about the next... and so on]. Simply, go for 3 primary plus one extended if you wish to leave some unallocated space on your HD for whatever; or if four, filling the HD is all you wish for, just make em all primary.
My bed is calling. Payment? Be nice to animals, and your folks.

I'll look forward to your advice on placing folders tweaking the registry, etc. Thanks again so much! You are such a busy helper! Helping all these people! Your so Gerbilicious!
~Heidi

Also, Why I ask about SP2, is because I'm having a hard time getting ahold of it. I was using my M-In-Law's pc for support (highspeed downloads, checking Daniweb, etc.) but now she's having trouble with her pc and wants me to fix it! AAAHhhh! What next?! Anyway, couldn't I just make the partitions and then download SP2 & updates in safe mode? Yes, very time consuming but..... I can't think of anything else. Looking forward to your advice. Thanks again! And Again and again and again............
~Heidi