Prevention & Solution For Safe Computing

At the very least you need a spyware and virus protection program.
Usually two spyware programs are a good idea, but only one full time
loaded virus program is sufficient. Some are more resource intensive
than others, can slow your system down, and be a real pain to
uninstall later. Norton fits in this category, but many people are
happy using and paying for it. AVG Free is, of course free, and
provides real time protection.

For Spyware there are a lot of safe, and free choices. AdAware and
Spybot are my personal favorites, but others use SpySweeper and
others. Some of these programs are for removal, others are for
protection from infestation. A program like CCleaner is also VERY
helpful.

Be warned that there are MANY spyware prevention programs that are
just that -spyware! Be careful of programs that you do not see on this
list.

Any of these spyware programs should be updated first, then turn
system restore off and run it in Safe Mode (F8 at boot time before you
see the Windows logo). Anything found can be deleted safely.

Occasionally more resistant malware is found and Ewido can be helpful
for getting these trojans on Windows 2000 and XP systems only. The
above suggestions for running in safe mode with system restore off is
applicable. The reason is that a restore can be harboring malware, and
without doing this you run the risk of reinfecting the system.

Any unknown popup that says "Your computer has a problem. Click here
to fix it" or similar should be a red flag. Do NOT click on the link
or you will definitely be further infected. It also requires that you
deal with the problem immediately with the above action.