Originally Posted by Freebase Dali

Well I'm glad things worked out for you. Personally it sounds like a nasty virus you guys picked up, which are often times more troublesome to get rid of than reformatting anyway if you've got your important stuff backed up.
It's sorta like doing Spring Cleaning with the Incredible Hulk, but it gets the job done. A fresh clean slate is always a good thing in any regard.

Just make sure you invest in a good virus program (I vouch for AVAST, and it's free), and you should be able to do your thing without much worry.