When you download a new application, NEVER install it immediatly. Scan it with some antivirus and antispyware. Wait a few days and scan another time just in case that ther is a new treat that was still unknown on the first scan.
On a typical Windows machine, you run as "administrator" with full install rights.
To help you against unintentional/accidental instalation of spyrare and virus (colectively known as "maleware") it can be desirable to run as an ordinary user or even as a gues.
Open the profiles management tool from the control pannel.
Take the default acount and give it some good password.
Cerate a new acount and set it to "User" privilege. You don't need to set a pasword for that one.
Set that new acount as the default one.
Close the manager and restart the computer.
Remembre that when you use that acount you won't be able to install most programms.
You may forbit some application's execution.
If you login as a gues, then there is no way to install any programm and you will only be able to run programms that have been previously allowed by the administrator: you using the administrator acount.
If you are infected:
Install and run a good antivirus and an antispyware.
If you look around, you'll find references to many reputable offerings, several of whitch are available free.
Some of those offer "boot time" scans that are launched before windows is started. If your's have that option and you have resilient malware, initiate that scan.
Kualinar, March 2010
