Strange object on my screen....Malware?

[digitalandanalog]

About a month ago this block appears on my screen after the boot up is complete.

It is for some kind of "download excellerator" that wants me to pay for the service.

The block gives me the option of Buy Now, Remind Me Later, and Never Remind Me.

I click on the last option and the thing keeps coming back.

I know there is software that can help me get rid of the thing, but I am too computer illiterate to be comfortable using some of this stuff because I am afraid of crippling my computer.

Any ideas?

[agricola]

Either contact someone who does know computers well and have them remove it, or get something like Norton (or one of the other boxed security suites).  Avoid free programmes unless you are absoluetly 100% sure they are what they say they are.

[K Frame]

At very best it's spamware.

But, I think, given the "never remind me again" failure, that it's a safe bet that it is Malware.

[bk425]

Either contact someone who does know computers well and have them remove it, or get something like Norton (or one of the other boxed security suites).  Avoid free programmes unless you are absoluetly 100% sure they are what they say they are.

Excellent advice. And can't stop myself from adding, though, that it imho it is malware and by clicking on the "leave me alone option" you've told them "hello, there's a human here and thanks for sending me your junk". Agricola has good advice here.

I used to tell friends that anyone running windows on the internet needs name brand virus protection (specifically telling them to go and pay for it, all kinds of studies on line showing "time to infect" under a half hour.). Now, because one of them had a machine off line and a kid with a usb drive it's -any- windows machine. Of course they don't generally listen to me... particularly when I tell them to format and reinstall.