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I recently reinstalled the OS (Windows XP Home) on a friend's heavily spyware/adware infected machine. It appears as though his kids (7 and 11 years I believe) were visiting sites that offered downloads for search bars, screensavers, and "cute" cartoony animations that anyone with safety in mind would never download.
Some of the concerns I noted on the machine were:
- The main account was Administrator
- Expired anti-virus software
- Lack of Windows updates
- Multiple firewalls installed
Basically, I'm looking for a guide for non tech-savvy users that would help them avoid getting infected again.
Possible duplicate of How can I make a Windows PC bullet-proof for home users?
– fixer1234 – 2019-08-18T19:31:13.2702
Similar question: http://superuser.com/questions/14424/how-can-i-make-my-moms-windows-pc-bullet-proof
– Doug Harris – 2009-09-18T18:13:59.1773Maybe this should be a community wiki. I'm not sure there's one perfect answer to this question. – alex – 2009-09-21T21:08:12.897
Avoid the internet; Avoid inserting removeable media into your computer; and most importantly; avoid installing an operating system. That, my friend, is a 100% guaranteed way of keeping your computer adware/spyware free. – jay_t55 – 2014-06-09T03:52:32.297