My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:
> I suspect that my hard drive has been contaminated with spyware that
> I can't identify, and some that I can't remove. Does it make sense
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> ediiting my registry, and am not certain as to what I should remove -
> but is a wipe and clean reinstall overkill?
It might be overkill.
Malware Cleaners and Repair:
http://kgiii.info/windows/all/general/malwarefix.html
Without knowing the infections then I can't really say. As for migration of
your settings you can consider researching FAST...
http://aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm

Signature
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/
http://kgiii.info/
"We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind,
which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply
there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations." -
Sherlock Holmes