annoying bright blue screen

we've been having lots of computer problems lately (for the last month is was turning itself on every nite after clearly and definitively been shut down, downloading a trojan virus via facebook).

in an attempt to fix it, i reloaded everything back to factory settings. seemed ok at first but in the process of installing the driver for the wireless modem (issued by our internet provider - qwest) and going through the high-speed internet installation process with qwest, more problems arose.

for a while it was automatically restarting every time i told it to shut down. in doing so, it was also flashing a bright blue screen with lots of text i did not have time to read cause it would restart. i finally solved the restarting problem by playing with the power options. so it no longer restarts, but when i shut down this bright blue screen appears and says something like the outline below (it's not verbatim). and the bright blue screen doesn't go away, i have to hit the power button to turn the machine off.

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Problem detected and windows shut down to prevent damage. If first time this screen appears, restart. Otherwise run system diagnostic utility, check the memory in particular. Disable/remove new hardware or drivers. Disable new software. Use safe mode (F8, advanced start options) to disable if necessary.

Stop: 0x0000007F (0X0000008, 0X8014C000, 0X00000000, 0X0000000)

Collecting data for crash dump
Initializing disk? (I think - can't read my notes)
Beginning dump of physical memory
Dump of physical memory: 100
Physical memory dump completed
Contact system administrator or technical support for assistance.
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i've been all over the internet trying to figure out exactly what the problem is. most of the websites with the exact sequence of stop error codes listed above are asian and the english translations don't always make sense. but i've seen everything from viruses to bad mother boards blamed for the problem.

i am fairly competent at fixing stuff when given step by step instructions, but i'm not trained in this stuff (so don't tell me to replace the mother board) and i can't always translate all the technical jargon on some of these sites to even comprehend what the problem is, let alone how to fix it.

can anyone tell me in simple terms, what the problem(s) is/are and how to fix it/them? if i need to call the geek squad or junk it - just tell me please. i'm desperate!!!

some additional info, in case it helps.

**i'm running vista on a dell computer that is just over 2.5 years old.

**i ran the dell diagnostic program that came on the computer in the support center. it did not find any problems.

**don't ask for the minidump files unless you can tell me how to get the machine to save them. i found the folder but it's empty.

**also while in the process of trying to restore things back to original form, over 100 updates have now been downloaded (84, 23, then 5) and most were installed successfully but about 5-6 were not and some of them pertained to vista. and it took the computer nearly 2 hours to shut down after installing the batch of 23.

**the day after my husband downloaded the virus, the wireless logitech keyboard and mouse (which were at least 5 years old) died. not sure if it was a fluke or if it's related but it certainly was irritating.

 

I agree with Halo.. it sounds to me like the Blue Screen is being caused by a driver issue. I would boot into "safe mode" and run a virus scan. With your computer turning itself on usually means it is a "zombie".