Normally, when I do a virus scan (using Panda Titanium), some 50,000 - 60,000 files are scanned.
Recently, the number of files has increased alarmingly - currently 1,141,052 - taking about 24 hours to complete the scan. The files are in 'documents and settings\local' and have 'coded' names in alphabetic order beginning CA**** - (eg . CAQCFXQ8.jpg).
I can't find any trace of these files - I don't know what they are or where they came from. (Nor am I too clever with computers !!!!)
Any help or guidance would be most welcome.
Mari.

Could be linked to spyware, haveyou done any spyware scans lately?

Visit the downloads section to obtain some tools.

http://www.pchelpforum.com/forum/index.php?board=58.0

Thank you. Panda Titanium 2005 seems to take care of spyware but I also run Spybot. Nothing new has shown up there.

Ummm can you open the files? If you can, and you see something thats familiar with a program, then its possible thay they came installed with that program or other programs, but it could also be Temporary Internet Files, those should be able to delete without no problem. They are like the word says, temporary, so they are not necesary, you dont really need them! So you can delete them anytime you want! But to be sure, is the folder actually called Local Settings? And is it also kinda like a vanishing icon? Because if it is, you can delete the files that are in C:\Documents and Settings\your log in account\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files and also the ones that are in C:\Documents and Settings\your log in account\Local Settings\Temp You done need any of those files since they are just temps, you only use them once and you can throw them away anytime you want. They only there just in case you come back to the website you got them from and so the website would load a little bit faster. But to me it doesnt make any difference since it makes my computer much slower, so i recommend you to delete those and degragment your disk. Thats so it would go a little be faster and the scanner would scan the files a little be faster. Good Luck!

As I said - I can't find any trace of these files, so I can't open them. I am only able to see the names of them when I pause the scan - they run through so quickly. All temp. files are deleted daily and I do a disc clean-up 2 or 3 times a week. I have also recently deleted a lot of stuff that I don't use and I defragment regularly. I can't think of anything that would attach over a million files without me knowing about it. :cry:

Welcome Mari,

Ok, so think back to before this started happening- what did you change, install or download?
Have you recently set a restore point?

Thank you for the welcome. That's a hard one - I know I recently installed a couple of things - but I had the problem some time before doing so. I really can't recall anything special before acquiring these files. If I could only find out what they were it would help. I've tried searching - but haven't found anything useful.