What to do to remain protected after a virus/malware attack?

You say to yourself "Now what can I do to Prevent this happening again??" Here are
some general instructions to Protect your System from another attack. Please take
note of the tools that may prevent the fix from working. Please familiarize
yourself with each instruction and when your PC is clean make sure you are
protected by following these instructions:

Clean out temporary files:

Start | Run | type cleanmgr | OK
Let it scan your system for files to remove.
Make sure Temporary Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Recycle Bin are the only
things checked.
Click "OK" to remove them.
Click "Yes" to confirm the deletion.
Clean out System Restore points for Windows ME and Windows XP:
You need to reset and re-enable your System Restore to remove infected files that
have been backed up by Windows. The files in System Restore are protected to
prevent any programs changing those files. This is the only way to clean these
files (You will lose all previous restore points which are likely to be infected):

For Windows ME:

Right-click My Computer and then click Properties.
On the Performance tab, click File System
On the Troubleshooting tab, click to select Disable System Restore
Click OK twice.
Restart your computer.
Repeat steps 1-2.
Clear the check mark in Disable System Restore check box.
System Restore is now be active again.

For Windows XP:

On the Desktop, right-click My Computer.
Click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore".
Click Apply, and then click OK.
Reboot your PC.
Repeat steps 1-3.
UN-Check "Turn off System Restore".
Click Apply, and then click OK.

Remember to keep your PC up-to-date:

You Need to keep Windows and Internet Explorer up to date even if you are using
another browser for surfing the Internet. Internet Explorer is an integral part of
Windows and therefore if it is not updated, you are at a much greater risk of
infection from Malware.

To get all the Latest Security Patches to protect your computer from the Malware
and Spyware please go to: Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer Updates for the
critical updates.

If you are running Microsoft Office, or any portion thereof, go to the Microsoft
Office Update site and make sure you have all the cirtical updates installed

Microsoft responds with patches when it becomes aware of an insecurity in any

software it markets, so please check the Microsoft Update Site for patches that
have been posted for any Microsoft Software you have on your PC.

Do you have an anti-virus program? Is it up-to-date with this week's virus

definitions? If it isn't, then it is essentially useless. If you don't have an
anti-virus program, there are two anti-virus Programs available for free that give
good basic AV protection:
AVG Free with email protection.
avast! 4 Home Edition with email protection.
Avira AntiVir� PersonalEdition Classic
In this day and age having a Firewall is an absolute necessity. There are two free
Firewalls that are available:
ZoneAlarm Free - Easy to setup. A tutorial for ZoneAlarm Free can be found here.
Sygate Personal Firewall - A little more complicated Firewall to set up.
COMODO personal Firewall -Complete protection from Hackers, Spyware, Trojans and
Identity theft.
The following tools & programs should be installed after your computer is
completely clean. All of these tools and programs can interfere with the tools we
use to fix your computer. If installed, it may take much longer for your computer
to be repaired and these tools and programs will have to be disabled before your
computer is fixed.

Three free programs which we recommend for running on a weekly basis to find any
bad files or cookies that you may have downloaded inadvertently are:
Ad-Aware SE Personal by Lavasoft.
Install Ad-Aware SE Personal according to the instructions found here.
Windows Defender by Microsoft - One of the best new programs out there to kill
Spyware. (requires Genuine Windows Check).
Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4 by Patrick Kolla.
Install Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4 according to the instructions found here.

Note: There are many settings in the Advanced Section of Spybot S&D that, if
activated before your computer is fixed can prevent the fix from working, leaving
the Malware on your PC.

For More Real Time Protection You Can Install The Following Tools after your PC is
Clean ,What is Real Time?
Real Time protection means that the tool scans for spyware in every file you open
and then prevents Malware from being executed if it is detected on your computer.
Some also have download and Active X protection.Some of these tools make identical
entries in your Registry, but they do not conflict when run together.

Please consider using an alternate browser. Mozilla's Firefox browser is

fantastic; it is much more secure than Internet Explorer, immune to almost all
known browser hijackers, and also has the best built-in popup blocker (as an added
benefit!) . If you are interested, Firefox may be downloaded from here:
http://www.getfirefox.com/

The Google Toolbar blocks many unwanted pop-ups in Internet Explorer. (install in
non-sponsored mode to prevent tracking for statistical purposes)

Download Spyware Blaster to prevent the installation of Spyware in the first

place. A tutorial for Spyware Blaster can be found here.

Another excellent program is SpywareGuard. It provides a degree of real-time

protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster's
protection method. A tutorial for SpywareGuard can be found here.

IE-Spyad puts over 5000 sites in your restricted zone so you'll be protected when
you visit innocent-looking sites that aren't actually innocent at all and prefer
to download it.

Use the MVPS Hosts file which replaces your current HOSTS file with one that can
block ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and even
most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the Server that supplies these
little gems.

Use WinPatrol by BillP Studios for multiple Spyware file detection and deletion.

Also visit this useful links

So how do I get infected in the first place?
Help removing and preventing spyware.
Other Useful Links
Iespyads https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm#IESPYAD
Etrust http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft Antivirus and Firewall for a year free
EMC50 http://www.abreuretto.com/index.htm Filtering software to get rid of spam on
the server before you download it
Stinger http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ primary threat anti-viral tool
MRUBlaster http://www.wilderssecurity.net/mrublaster.html removes Most Recently
Used file tracklists
http://www.mlin.net/ StartupCPL and StartUp Monitor Control the Startups on your
computer easier
http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/?aff=19775 Trojan Hunter
http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/updating/ Manually update it after installing
Proxomitron http://www.proxomitron.info/
Filters for Proxomitron http://laudanski.com/ zx_20020105.zip is the one I use
Privoxy http://www.privoxy.org/