How to proctect Your Computer From Spyware,Viruses and Trojans

1. Keep your Windows operating system updated.

I assume most everyone is running Windows XP anymore but I don't care what version of Windows you're running (personally, I like Windows 2000) - you must keep it patched and updated.
Click on this link to get to Windows Update
NOTE: You must use Internet Explorer. If you are reading this blog at this very moment using Firefox (and if you are, you get a gold star), this link will not work properly. Alternately, you can go to Start, Windows Update and it will automatically open Explorer and get you to the Update page. You can also always access Windows Update in Explorer by going to Tools, Windows Update.
Once you're at Windows Update, if you get a popup asking you to download the Windows Update software, click YES. Then click Scan For Updates. It will check to see if you are missing any updates and patches. I can't really walk you through the rest of this because everyone's computer will bring up something different. But it should list a series of patches you're missing, each with a REMOVE button next to it. You need to read through each of these in case there is one that indicates that it must be installed first before the rest of the updates are installed. In that case, you would remove everything but that one, click Install, reboot your computer when it's done, then go back to the Windows Update page and get the rest of them. Otherwise, just install them all together.
NOTE: I think Microsoft has made some changes to the Updates page recently. If the instruction vary from the above, just go with the flow.
Service Pack 2 (SP2) - if you're running XP and you haven't yet upgraded to SP2, you absolutely must (you can learn about SP2 here if you want to read up on it). This is a major upgrade to the XP operating system, not just a security patch. Windows Update will most certainly prompt you for this. It will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes (or more) to download (depending on your internet connection) and a couple of hours to install. You don't have to babysit it; just tell it to install (after the download) and go shopping or something. DO NOT UPDATE to SP2 if you have not completed the steps I gave you in Security 101. Your operating system must be clean of infections or you will most certainly run into trouble here.
To make life easier for the future, you can set Windows Update to automatically download and install new updates to your computer. Go to Start, Control Panel. Double click on System. Put a checkmark next to Keep My Computer Up To Date. Then decide on the options it offers.

2. Antivirus Software

You probably already have some kind of Antivirus software running on your computer. If you don't, there are very good free ones you can use. I use AVG on all of our computers at home and can highly recommend it. It's very simple to use, it does not take up alot of space, and it does a very good job of monitoring your computer. You can download AVG FREE from here. (Remember, first you download, then you install.)
If you're using Norton or McAfee, that's perfectly fine too. I, personally, don't like them or recommend them because they're huge programs that are major resource hogs. With XP itself being such a resource hog, I don't want to slow my computer down even more with either of these two programs. And quite honestly, they're not superior products that you should have to pay for. But if you don't mind the annual fees and if you have plenty of harddrive space and memory, you're good to go.
NOTE: If you decide to use AVG and you're currently running either Norton or McAfee, you need to first uninstall Norton or McAfee and THEN download and install AVG. Multiple antivirus programs do not play well together. They bully each other around and that leaves you to constantly referee their battles. To Uninstall either of these, FIRST open the program and turn it off ('disable', or whatever similar prompt you can find). THEN, go to Start, Control Panel (or you can double click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and get to Control Panel from there), then Add/Remove Programs. Find Norton or McAfee from the list of programs and click Uninstall.

3. SpywareBlaster

I just love this program. It doesn't cure your computer of anything, it simply keeps all sorts of bad stuff from ever getting onto your computer in the first place. You can download SpywareBlaster from here. I highly recommend you use this. Download it, install it, click Download Latest Protection Updates, then Check for Updates, then Enable All Protection. That's it. Then close the program. It doesn't need to be open and running for it to work. You just go about your internet business and it stays on guard protecting you.
NOTE: The updates page will ask you how it is you want to go about updating the program. There will be a little checkbox that says "always use this option and don't ask me this again" or something like that. Click on the checkbox and then click on the INTERNET button. Then whenever you check for updates in the future, it will know to go to the internet and get them.)

4. Spybot and Adaware

You should already have these on your computer by now but if you don't, scroll down to the Security 101 post and click on the links from there. Then scan your computer with each program and fix everything they find.
There are many other spyware fighting programs out there you can use besides Spybot and Adaware. Counterspy is one I really like but it's not free (on the other hand, it's only $20). Not only will it find and clean malware but it will run in the background and alert you when something is not kosher. It comes with a 15 day trial so you can download it and use it without purchasing anything if your computer is having problems and you want to do a more thorough check. You can download Counterspy from here.
NOTE: If you go looking for more Spyware fighting programs on your own, make sure you CHECK THIS LIST before downloading anything onto your computer. There are many programs out there that masquerade as spyware tools but are not actually trustworthy. If it's on this list, stay away.

5. Switch To Firefox

Firefox is today's browser of choice. It's safer by miles over Internet Explorer. There really is no excuse anymore for not using Firefox. It is extremely user friendly and there is a very minor learning curve because it looks and acts very much like Internet Explorer so you're not going to be lost and not know what you're doing when you start using it. Read up on and download Firefox from here. Firefox is very flexible and adaptable to your own style of internet surfing. You're going to love it. I promise.

6. Get In The Habit of Monthly Maintenance

Once a month, you should update and run Spybot and Adaware. You should Immunize in Spybot after every update. You should update SpywareBlaster then click on Enable All Protection. You should empty your cookies and your temporary internet files. You should run Windows Update. If your computer seems much slower than usual or is acting up in some other way, you should go to the Housecall Trendmicro page and the Trojan Scan page and run those online scans (links from the Security 101 post). These are not difficult things. Just do them. Your computer is going to thank you for it.

7. Keep on the Lookout for Email Worms and Viruses

People just love to click on all those attachments their friends have mass emailed to them. And yes, many of them are legit and won't harm your computer. But sometimes, it's not your friend who has sent the email at all but an email worm that has infected your friend's computer. Now you open a malicious file and infect your own computer with it. Try to use some discretion about what you actually open. At the very least, you should not open anything that has an attachment with an '.exe' on the end of its name. That's an executable file. You can be sure it is nothing but trouble.

8. Don't use Peer to Peer (P2P) software

I used to download music via P2P programs. And my computer paid the price for it. Just buy your music instead. Much, much safer. If you want to check out the music first, borrow it from the library and have a listen. Then go to one of the legitimate music sites and pay for your download. Or take the old-fashioned route and go to the store and buy the CD.

9. Don't Download Anything From Websites You Don't Trust

Get into the habit of only downloading programs from websites you are familiar with and trust. If you're not sure, do a quick Google search to check things out. Most of the bad stuff that ends up on people's computers are things they have downloaded themselves without knowing it.

10 - Firewalls

If you are not on a router to the internet, you might want to consider using a firewall. I'm not a big fan of firewalls myself, but they're recommended for protection. If you're using Windows XP and have updated to SP2, there is a firewall already included. If you're interested in a freestanding firewall for your computer, check out ZoneAlarmFree. You can download it from here.

Is your head spinning yet? Let's simplify this whole process now lest you don't end up doing any of the above:
1. Set Windows Update to automatically update your system
2. Make sure you have an Antivirus program running
3. Download and install Spyware Blaster
4. Download and use Firefox
If you do nothing but these four things, your computer will be very well protected. Now how hard is that?