Gentlemen,

Thanks so much for the advice and empathy. I tried to download the free spysweeper software but the  fake spyware advertisement kept popping up and I lost the connection to the website. Our Dell computer is about 6 years old so we're giving serious thought to a new one with enhanced capabilities. There may be no silver bullet but perhaps a wee bit of a silver lining. Thanks again, and I'll let you know if I am able to extricate myself from this stickiest of wickets.

Peter T.