Windows AOL is Evil!- Program files restriction

Alright, where to start,

After installing AOL 9, setting it up to wireless with a router downstairs using a Netgear WG111v2 adapter whenever i try to access some programs in the program files directory of my C: drive i get this error:--------------------------------------|
| C:\Program Files\Opera\Opera.exe |
-------------------------------------------|
| Windows cannot access the specified |
| device, path, or file. You may not have |
| appropriate permissions to access the |
| item. |
--------------------------------------------|
BUT I'm the only user and the administrator, also the windows firewall control panel is grayed out when you go in to it and it is set to off
AND when i start the computer it used to go straight to the desktop, But now it comes up with a sort of log on screen, but in a dialog box form, as if it were a window
BTW I'm running XP

 

Do you need to install AOL at all? If you're using an AOL BB line, it isn't required.

 

Sounds somewhat like malware activity, first try scanning for virii / Adware / spyware. The disabling of windows firewall could be indicative of the policy on your system disabling it. However you need to find the cause first. Run your scans, and let us know the results.

 

Yay an opera user (mouse gestures for the banana)

reinstall windows and forget about installing AOL you dont needit if your going via a router

(alternitively check the windows users accounts AOL may have created one for you annoyingly

failing that run GPedit and mess around with soem settings in there that look relevant to you problem

my advice tho is to reinstall only takes an hour)

 

Reinstall is rather drastic to use as a first-resourt in this case. It's better to investigate and find out the route cause so you can prevent it happening again.

 

when you have found the cause/solution to your problem, i strongly recommend NOT installing the AOL software, i personally use aol and dont have a problem with the service, but im sure im not going to be the only one who thinks the software is basically a virus?

(ohhhh and im another opera user )

 

AHHH! running an AVAST standard virus scan it a=says EVERY bloomin EXE file is infected!
that surely cant be right,
lets try another virus scannner

 

alrighty then, just ran spybot search and destroy, got rid of a few cookies but nothing as "evil" as avast had told me, still clueless

 

I'm also of the opinion that a reformat is the way to go. Its quite possible that this is all or mostly down to the AOL software and the fact that it runs IE is just another disaster waiting to happen. Even if you fix this you wont fix all the damage th AOL software has done.

By the way guys, can you use AOHell without the software with a modem or can you only do that with wireless. I ask becuase a friend has AOL and I think I'm going to have to wipe their computer becuase of it.