No worries, I know how the holidays are.
First, you need a decent firewall. You're vulnerable without a firewall, so you should look into getting either
ZoneAlarm,
Kerio Personal Firewall, or
Comodo. They're all good free firewalls. Just be sure you only have
one installed at a time! Download the firewall of your choice, disconnect from the internet, disable Windows Firewall, and install your new firewall.
Download
OTCleanIt.exe and save it to your Desktop.
- Double-click OTCleanIt.exe.
- Click the CleanUp! button.
- Select Yes when the "Begin cleanup Process?" prompt appears.
- If you are prompted to Reboot during the cleanup, select Yes.
- The tool will delete itself once it finishes, if not delete it yourself.
.
Then you should clear out your restore points. This is to remove any infected files that have been backed up by Windows. Please follow these steps...
1. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
2. Click on System Restore Settings.
3. Check
Turn off System Restore and click OK.
4. Restart your computer.
5. Follow steps 1 and 2 to return to the settings,
uncheck Turn off System Restore, and click OK.
6. Create a new restore point and close the program.
System Restore will now be active again. If you would like to learn more about System Restore, go
here.
As for avoiding infection...you just have to use caution. If you download anything, scan it with AVG first. If you receive an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know, don't open it. Even if you do know the person, be careful; they could be infected without knowing it. And don't go to suspicious web sites.
I suggest using WOT - Web of Trust. WOT is a free Internet security addon for your browser. It will keep you safe from online scams, identity theft, spyware, spam, viruses and unreliable shopping sites. WOT warns you before you interact with a risky website. It's easy and it's free.