Hello Spudweiser,
The computer was given to you with XP Pro installed, or a friend gave you a copy of XP Pro. Are you able to get Windows updates and what Service Pack is installed?
It appears there could be more going on with the machine than a possible malware infection, the error given is usually hardware related.
Have you checked if the drivers are up to date, and do you access the internet through a router.
Best regards.