WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
Use my advice at your own risk.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
What I do:
Go to START | Run.
Type in regedit.
Go to HKeyLocalMachine - Software - Microsoft -Windows - Current Version - Run.
This is where programs start themselves if they are trying to hide from you. There are legitimate programs here too. You need to determine which is legitimate and which is not and remove the ones you dont want.
To do that, go to
www.google.com and type in the .exe file name. You will find websites that will tell you what the .exe does. If its spyware, or a virus, delete it from the registry.