At the ironmongery: Lock or limit access on doors to computer rooms. Lock PC cases. Enable Power On passwords (in BIOS) or HDD passwords.

Laptops: spurn a HDD watchword or encryption software (DON’T FORGET THAT PASSWORD).
At the OS: Windows 2000 SP4 (still supported until 7/13/2010), XP SP3, Vista SP2, + digest on all Important or High Priority Windows Updates. Turn on Automatic Updates.
Use no greater than authorize copies of Windows that WILL knock off conviction patches.
Use “Limited” or “User” literal accounts if conceivable as opposed to of “Administrator” literal accounts with STRONG passwords after those accounts (8-10 characters.

No lexicon words!).
Turn substandard CD/DVD, USB auto exhaust instruction sets; uncheck MS Client and File & Printer sharing after networked connections if this is not needed. XP services examples are here: http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
Get NEWEST drivers after your practice, at bottom communication drivers (NIC, WiFi, Modem) as they on numerous occasions arrange conviction fixes in them.
Disable unrequired Windows services (some of these break bread up Windows resources): Remote Registry, Remote Desktop Help Session Mgr, UPnP, SSDP, Telnet, Messenger, NetBIOS atop of TCP/IP, Computer Browser, Server.
Use dominant, up to times trap browsers: Internet Explorer 8, 7, Firefox 3.5 or latest, Chrome, Opera etc. Use browsers on HIGH conviction and no book if you can (can be bloody limiting however), on the other hand put forth to Medium-High.
If you spurn Adobe Flash, spurn ver 10.x or latest interpretation (Enable Update character in Flash Player settings in a general fashion http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager05.html ).

Use Adobe ShockWave Player 11.5.0.x or latest (Enable auto update in the preferences).
Use Adobe Reader 9.1.2x or latest (Enable auto update in Adobe Updater Preferences, put forth it to weekly).
MS Office Suites: Get the LATEST SERVICE PACKS after your attendants, and then exhaust “Office Update”, works like Windows update, but after Office Suites. Link is at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/maincatalog.aspx in a general fashion, or http://office.microsoft.com (this Office Update page/link has been flaky lately though; running? MS to break substandard this?).
If you arrange to opus with MS Office files and formats and you’re using the “borrowed”, unpatched emulate of MS Office (and you don’t call for to lurk a authorize copy; ‘ya be solid, cuz MS is flagitious & all, and all software programmers should all opus after unencumbered, cuz they don’t sine qua non to fork out rip or break bread, like you in your affairs.), brake completed the FREE (compatible with MS Office files/formats too) OpenOffice attendants: http://www.openoffice.org in a general fashion.

If you spurn Outlook/Outlook Express – TURN OFF the Message Preview Pane.
Update your JAVA - put forth it to Check after Updates Automatically (In Windows Control Panel, click Java, go around to “Update” tab).
If you spurn Webmail – TURN OFF the Message Preview Pane.
Do not exposed SPAM E-mail messages or messages from people that you do not be solid! It sounds uncluttered, but why is SPAM SO lucrative?
If you spurn MS Media Player, spurn ver. 11.x or latest (Set auto update to weekly, underneath Tools, Options, “Player” Tab). Use all dominant updates and patches after that software.

With ALL 3rd backer software: spurn no greater than authorize copies of that software that WILL knock off conviction patches. Set that software to automatically update if conceivable.
Use GOOD Anti-Virus if you can: Eset NOD32, Symantec, Kaspersky, Sophos. Free Anti-Virus: AVAST (Alwil), AVG (Grisoft), Avira AntiVir, PCTools.
Use a aid Anti-Malware or Anti-Spyware program: TrojanHunter, A2, SpyBot Search & Destroy, MalwareBytes, Lavasoft, Webroot etc.

Configure it to spurn heuristics.
Use a RootKit scanner every so on numerous occasions: RootKitRevealer, F-Secure BlackLight, Sophos Anti-Rootkit scanner, TrendMicro Rootkit Buster etc.
Use a elevated two-way SPI software firewall: ZoneAlarm, Norton, Outpost, Kerio, Commodo etc. Learn how it behaves and how to spurn it! Do not funding ALL software “Full-Time” access to the firewall (might be after geeks only).
Use an OS roving salesman: MS ForeFront, Symantec Endpoint Control, Cisco Security Agent, SpyBot S&D Tea Timer.