Continuing the 12 step program from here

4 – Firewall
In Windows 7: Win Logo – Control Panel – System Security – Windows Firewall
Be certain it is turned on. Look at the list of applications that have already punched a hole in your firewall and disable them by unchecking them. If you don’t know what it is, google it. And deterine if you need that application or service to access the internet. After a quick google, if you still don’t know, then just disable it. {need to elaborate}

5 – Protect yourself, from yourself.
You just bought the computer. It asked you a bunch of questions including your name and time zone and the account name. You were then logged into the computer and presented with a desktop. You just created an administrator account. And most people just continue to use that account and never think twice about it. Being and administrator sounds glamorous, and maybe it is, but it is also dangerous.

Don’t be an admin. Don’t log into a computer as an administrator. Don’t be a power user. Don’t ! ! Have you ever notice that at work or at school that you log into a computer as a Standard user and you are ‘locked out’ of some computer functions. Why does the IT Department lock down the workstations? Because they hate you and don’t trust you. Well, probably. But mainly to protect the employees’ computers and data from the employees.

While logged into a computer as an administrator, every thing you do on the computer you do with the authority of an administrator. Everything you click on, launch or type has ultimate power on the computer system (and in some situation, the network as well) Supposing you are logged in as an administrator and doing some web surfing and you click on a link titled “fuzzy puppys” and the link does take you to a site of cute pooches. But the link also downloaded some code behind the scenes, and since you were logged in as an administrator, it has complete authority on the system. It launched and installer that begins to infect your operating system. In a few hours you’ll be contacting you “computer geek” friend and bribing him with pizza to come over and “look at” your computer. He maybe a “computer geek”, but you are the “computer moron” who isn’t smart enough to follow these (very simple) rules.

“Ahh, but I’m good with computers, I know what I’m doing, I’ll just keep logging in as administrator.” The way I see it, if you are savvy enough to log in to your computer as an administrator, you are also savvy enough to fix it when you screw it up.

In Windows 7: Click Win Logo Button (old start button) – Control Panel – User Accounts – Give other users access to this computer
This launches the “User Accounts” form. Click the Add button and enter a name. And Next. Now here is the important part, you want “Standard User” and click finish.

Now log off and back on with the new Standard User. Only log in with the old Admin User when you need to install something or run some system utility. But 98% of what you do does not need Admin authority. Because you now have the inconvenience of logging off and back on to perform admin functions, you are less likely to spontaneously do things and click on crap. And you might think a little longer and harder about what it is you are doing.

adminlogin

6 – Don’t install that
Do not install unreputable software or software from unknown and untrustworthy sources. All because your buddy who “is good with computers” has it installed, does not mean it is reputable. After all, that moron logs in as an administrator. And all because you can download it from sourceforge doesn’t mean you can trust it. So before you click that setup.exe ask the person who is going to end up fixing your broken system if the program is reputable. If that person isn’t available, do some research on your own. Try googling “limewire and virus”.

Quote of the day; “Limewire is installed. I think I know what the problem is…” Limewire is a program that offers copy written and non-free software, media, or files for free. Regardless of this illegality and lets forget about how limewire eats up your bandwidth and system performance, and lets ignore that it ruins your privacy by sharing your files… Limewire is a horrible program that opens a hole in your firewall and gives access to your system to anything that wants it. I’d say a mere 10% of the systems I’ve cleaned did not have limewire or similar programs installed and were infected by some other source such as email or flash drive or sick link.

“Quit installing limewaire!”… “Why?”… “you’ll not find a more wretched hive of scum, and villany than limewire that’s why!!!!!”