>Ok, SpyBot identifies 9 problems, which are now fixed. However, the original problem still persists. I have to continue with my efforts.

You can also try Spy Sweeper (webroot.com). It's a bit more thorough than the others (finds more malware, but takes longer to run, as well).

However, it sounds like your problem may be something else: just a partial, messed-up install/uninstall, with loose files and reg keys leftover and causing trouble.

For this problem, you may want a tool more like Norton Systemworks, for example - to go through and clean up your machine, especially the registry.