As far as virus protection, etc., if I was running Windows I would go in and turn off most of the crap that MS leaves on by default such as unnecessary TCP/UDP services, etc.
Then I would configure my router to disable/stealth most of the inbound traffic except for ports 80/443/etc.
Then I would download Firefox, activate/download the pop-up/flash/etc. blockers, and use it as my default browser.
Then I would download Spybot S&D and Lavasoft AdAware spyware checking software from downloads.com and run them once a day.
Yeah, I work in information security and I'm always preaching this, but my laptop just got owned and I'm really careful about where I browse, etc. There are just too many people hacking as a profession instead of joyriding these days, and the odds are starting to really lean against Internet users.
