Detected this about three days ago. Things like "cannot find server" was the main one, OE stopped functioning properly. Restarts would correct the problem before it went into slow mode again.
Used Housecall this morning and it detected a piece of "grayware" that looks for XP ID and product keys however many you have.
It cleared the infection and its fizzing again!
If you have similar problems I suggest you use it.
PPP