First, download and install SpyBot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware: Make sure to bookmark this page or add it to your favorites.

Install them by running them. Click your Start icon, then Run, and find the approprate files and run them. Both should be updated occasionally -- SpyBot is updated weekly and Ad-Aware is due for an update in February 2003. They have built-in online updating tools which are safe to use. For SpyBot, select the menu item along the left called Online, then click Check for Updates along the top. Once it tells you what is available, check each one and Click Download Updates.

Turn off unsafe features:

1. Either start Internet Explorer (whether or not you use it as your preferred browser) or go into the Internet Settings option by clicking Start/Settings/Control Panel/Internet Settings.
2. Select the tab along the top called Security
3. Select Custom Settings
4. Click the Disable button on anything saying anything about ActiveX or Scripting. You also might want to Disable the option called Allow Permanent Cookies to be Set.
5. Click Apply and then Ok. Select the tab called Advanced. Uncheck the box called Enable Install-on-Demand. Click Apply then Ok.

Controlling misuse of Cookies:

For Mozilla or Netscape 6.x and above users

1. Click the Edit item on the top menu bar.
2. Scroll down and select Preferences.
3. Click the little plus (+) sign next to Privacy & Security to reveal more options
4. Select cookies.
5. Click the button that says Enable cookies for the originating website only.
6. Click the button called Disable cookies in Mail & Newgroups.
7. Click the button called Limit Maximum Lifetime of Cookies to: and also click Current Session.
8. You're done. Click Ok. Keep clicking Ok tabs to get out of all these menus.

For Netscape 4.79 and below (not as much control)

1. From the Edit menu at the top, select Preferences.
2. Click the little plus (+) sign next to Advanced to reveal more options.
3. Select cookies.
4. Click the button that says Enable cookies for the originating website only.
5. Click Ok when done.

For Opera

1. Click File on the menu bar at the top of the screen.
2. Scroll down and click Preferences.
3. Select the item called Privacy.
4. On the box called Cookies, set to the box to read Automatically Accept All Cookies.
5. In the second box, set it to read Do not accept third party cookies.
6. In the box below, check Throw away new cookies on exit. Make sure the other two options beneath this one are checked too.
7. Click Apply then Ok.

Finally, get rid of NetBios and file and print sharing:
Do not do this if your computer is connected to a LAN or is networked to computers near you. That is, if your computer is not a standalone.

   First, go into your Network panel. Click on Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, then Networks, just like you did in Step 2. You may or may not get a message asking if you want to continue; if so, just say "OK". You will see an item called File & Print Sharing. If it is grayed out, leave it. If not, click it. Uncheck everything that comes up in the next window and click Ok when done. You've just disabled the direct ability to share files with others. You need to do a few more things to better protect yourself next.
   Back in the Network panel, look on the list in the top half of the window for something called Microsoft Client or something to that effect. (It's called slightly different things on different versions of Windows). If it's there, click it to highlight it and click Remove.
   You will probably see one, perhaps two or more things with a green icon. One will probably say "Dial-Up Adapter" if your computer has a regular, dial-up modem installed in it. Click on this so it is highlighted and then click "Properties" on the middle right. It should display a box with some tabs on the top. Click on the tab that says "Bindings". Uncheck everything except "TCP/IP" by clicking off the checks (if you have AOL, it may also say AOL TCP/IP -- leave this too). If TCP/IP is the only thing there (or there is nothing there) then you don't have to change anything and you can just click "Ok". Repeat this step for any other adapters (green-iconed things).
   You should be back in the Networks screen. Look for anything called a TCP/IP -> something Adapter (just like you did in Step 2.) They have an icon that looks like a "Y"-it's supposed to look like a power cord with a plug). With these, repeat the above steps that you did with the green iconed things. In addition, look for a tab that says NetBIOS. Click it. Look for a box that says "I want to enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP." If it is checked, uncheck it. Hit Ok when done. Do this for any other TCP/IP something Adapters you may have, if there are any more.