they made Windows a real pleasure to reboot into. i'm not particularly sophicated, not a "power user" but i can't imagine going online without protection after getting a couple of nasty viruses back when i began as a user, in the stone age of windows 95. (yes i still keep my flint axe handy, but haven't needed to use it for a while.) i usually leave my computer on all the time, but run a "stand down" routine at the end of a session. temp files delete in internet exploder, shut that down and run my malware catcher, virus blocker (paid version) a cleaner utility and finish with a maintenance utility. i've seen that bogus "warning" a few times but didn't bite. for online purchases i use one time cards as close to the purchase amount as possible, and use any leftover balance for charitable contributions, so anyone trying to steal the card gets a dead card. not a perfect system but its worked so far. The "nuclear option" is to call a PC tech support person to come in and clean your system. Now this WILL cost you money. Cleaning a PC can take four hours or more, so make the calculation times the tech support person's hourly rate to see if that makes any sense for you. I charge a maximum $100 for home user PC support -- but I can and have spent up to eight hours cleaning a PC. You wouldn't believe the level of infection