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FOUR: ANTI-SPYWARE SOFTWARE
There are a number of products out there that can find, remove and block spyware. They work much like anti-virus software. You must scan your system with them periodically and keep them up to date. New spyware is always popping up and the anti-spyware software is updated to stay ahead of them. Like Anti-Virus software, you accomplish this by updating the definitions. Unlike anti-virus software, you can have as many different anti-spyware programs as are necessary.
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 NEVER click on links in pop-up adds that purport to sell you anti-spyware software. Amazingly, most of these are companies will sell you a product that IS spyware. They trick you into giving them money to infect your computer!
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 There are a few industry standards in this field. Ad-Aware by Lavasoft (www.lavasoftusa.com) will scan your machine for anything that appears to be spyware or adware. Another must have is SpyBot Search and Destroy. It can be found at www.safer-networking.org. (Be VERY careful to spell this URL correctly. If you mistype it slightly you will be sent to a site that looks like it is selling anti-spyware software, but is actually selling you spyware that will infect your system. See, I told you these companies are slimy.) Once you install Spybot and scan your system, be sure to turn on the immunization feature. The last prgram comes from Microsoft. It is called Windows Defender and it can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com/spyware. These programs are all free.
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FIVE: E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS
Do not open e-mail attachments unless you know what they contain. Never. Don't even think about it. Could I be more clear here? This is how almost all viruses spread. You'll get a piece of mail from someone you know. It will have some content that sounds realistic or official and it will tell you to open an attachment. If you open the attachment you will have infected your computer. Unless you are expecting an attachment from someone, don't open it. If you are unsure call or e-mail the person and ask if they sent you something. You could be doing them a favor too because they may not know that they or someone they know are infected with a virus.
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Often the return address is spoofed by the virus, so don't be surprised if it didn't come from the person you think it did. It probably came from someone who has both your e-mail address and the return address somewhere on their computer.
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SIX: FIREWALL
Make sure you enable the Windows XP firewall. This will prevent anyone or any viruses, etc. from gaining access to your computer. It will also limit what information spyware can send out from your system back to the author. To enable it, go to the Security Center from your Control Panels and click on Windows Firewall. Unless you do anything out of the ordinary on your computer you can set it to the "recommended" settings.
Another option is a hardware device. A broadband router lets you share an Internet connection among several computers. This is a great feature, but the device will also provide you with a second unintended benefit. It sits between you computer and the Internet. Even if you have only one computer you should consider adding one of these devices. Anyone or anything that tries to access your computer will be stopped at the router.
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If you have an older version of Windows that does not have a built in firewall, or you want a more robust solution, I recommend Zone Alarm by Zone Labs. (www.zonelabs.com) You should select the free version. That is all that you need. If you want to use a broadband router as a buffer between you and the outside world consider one from Linksys (www.linksys.com) or D-Link (www.dlink.com).
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SEVEN: PREVIEW PANES
If you use Microsoft outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express or any other e-mail program that offers a "preview pane" option, turn it off. Do it now! The preview pane opens e-mail without you doing anything to make it open. Just as you shouldn't open mail you don't recognize, you shouldn't preview it. HTML e-mail often contains invisible images that load when you open or preview it. This lets the sender know that they found a legitimate address and they can send you more. More importantly, they could embed malicious software in the e-mail that could infect your system when the e-mail is opened.
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In some newer versions of Outlook you can turn off HTML rendering. This makes the use of the preview pane safe. But if you are unsure, the best bet is to always turn the preview pane off.
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