Help! XP's explorer stuck in "Refresh Mode"

[vetteguy]

For some reason, my brand new XP installation is stuck in permanent "refresh mode". Whenever I open Windows Explorer, every second it displays "Searching for items" in the status bar and refreshes the window contents, even though I am not executing a search or manually refreshing. I've also found that this is causing the explorer process to take up 60% or more of my CPU time even when it is not open. I have tried everything I can to get it to stop, but it won't. Has anyone ever encountered this problem? I really don't want to install (as I JUST got everything installed) but I can't go on like this, as my CPU is taxed to the point where other stuff is slowing down. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.

 

[vetteguy]

Bump for any ideas? I'm stumped.