Network troubleshooting for dialup
Windows XP

In Corvallis, Oregon, Keith Dunlap's browser's Internet Options window showed his home page had changed to a strange address.

Dunlap, a researcher at the Wood Science & Technology Institute in Corvallis, reentered his old one.

But when the system rebooted, his browser jumped to another home page. Obviously, something was lurking on his PC, and he figured the program was tracking his surfing and other actions. Spyware may have been the problem. - PC Magazine

The links above are to small programs that may prevent the pesky spyware from clogging your computer and slowing down your Internet connection, not to mention, gathering personal information about you and your activities.

Hijacking: Unscrupulous Web sites or malicious programs can hijack your home page, causing Internet Explorer to start with a sleazy Web sit

Burrower programs are applications that dig so deeply into an operating system that they can't be found or removed without major surgery. Some hide behind ordinary Windows file names, others install as "layered service providers," so that quick deletion disables the Internet connection. As of March, 2004, there are more than 40 known Burrower programs .
-ZD Net