thanks for the tip on how to re-register / re-validate my copy of vista. BUT, what i did was a system restore from a day or so earlier, and its been fine ever since.
i would like to post what it found, and what i moved to my virus chest, but frankly, its ALOT of typing.. if i could highlight and copy/paste, id do it, so maybe i could learn something (and other folks too).
im very suspicious of Avast after this. im not sure i trust a full system scan. and i especially hate the boot scan. you have to baby-sit it. for HOURS. if it finds something, it stops and waits for you to respond, rather than just piling them all up at the end of the scan. i started it, went to work, and when i got back home, it had only completed 55%, and was asking me what to do next! i figgured it'd be long finished!! im not doing any more boot scans...