i have several "self-perpetuating" files that i cannot stop by using ctl/alt/del (when i shut down one, another starts immediately...when i end that one, yet another starts running). names like "tuz6.exe", "Zjt7.exe" and "HieuD52.exe" when i search my C drive, they appear in a windows folder called "Prefetches" (which i am unfamilliar with), and nowhere else. does anyone recognize these files, or know what they are associated with? they are using a great deal of cpu memory when they run, and i can't get rid of them. thanks for any help.

I would say, "definitely yes."

ok, then...any suggestions on how to rid myself of them?

Eliminating a virus from an active system is tricky. The place to start is probably Norton, or maybe an internet available system such as f-prot. http://www.f-prot.com

It's always easier to clean a virus when you are able to boot the system from another drive.