Can't access My Documents folder

[CSEAW]

I sat down to my Dell (Win XP) last night and noticed that all of the short-cuts that I created on my desktop were missing! I immediately checked the recycle bin to see if I accidentally erased them and they were nowhere to be found. After that I tried to access the files via My Documents and I got this error message: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\ Documents is not accessible. Access is denied.
Can anyone shed some light on my problem?

 

[CSEAW]

When I went to view the properties of the folder, everything was blank. Basically, no one had access to the folder. So, I fumbled through some steps and regained access. After completing this step, I again clicked on the My Documents folder. This time it said that my C: drive was not formatted. Would you like to format it now?
Do I have a virus?

 

[mechBgon]

Try the first link in my signature and give that Panda online antivirus scanner a whirl, and try the Norton online "security scan" to evaluate whether your system's visible to the Internet. Do you have a firewall, up-to-date fully-configured antivirus software, a fully-patched Windows/Office installation and a tinfoil deflector beanie? If not, or if you're not sure, there are more links on that page as well, check 'em out.

 

[CSEAW]

Thanks for the reply!
I tried Panda, it found nothing.
Went to the Norton site and it said all is good.
On top of the missing files and the My Documents problem, my computer is running incredibly slow. Just to clarify things a bit...I treat my Dell like the Cadillac in the elderly woman's garage that only gets driven to church on Sundays. I do not surf the web with this computer. It is primarily used for MS Office and things of that nature. If I do not have a virus, what could it be?

 

[Navid]

What is your operating system, XP Home or XP Pro?

 

[mechBgon]

It might be a good idea to determine who manufactured the hard drive, either by looking at its label or by looking in Device Manager, then getting that manufacturer's disk diagnostic utility and having it do the extended drive-fitness test. If you look further down my Resources page, there are links to the ones that you're likely to need. Good luck!

 

[dclive]

The errors you're getting are OS-related errors, so I'd be inclined to think there's an OS-related issue with the disk. Can you run NTBACKUP, click the SYSTEM STATE feature in NTBACKUP, and then go to c:\windows\repair and send me the updated (with today's date - check that first) SYSTEM and SOFTWARE files in that directory? You might need to RAR them into 4MB or so chunks....

Also please run MPS Reports. Find the link that that in the article listed in my .sig.

For the curious, I'll be looking for any device drivers or filter drivers that may be hooked into the system that shouldn't be.