I've noticed that a few people on these forums have problems with Virus, Malware, Trojans etc and I personally do not on either my Linux boxes or Windows Boxes and there must be a reason, so ive decided to share some of my favorite resources in the attempt to help people...

Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File:
The Hosts file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. This file is loaded into memory (cache) at startup, then Windows checks the Hosts file before it queries any DNS servers, which enables it to override addresses in the DNS. This prevents access to the listed sites by redirecting any connection attempts back to the local machine. Another feature of the HOSTS file is its ability to block other applications from connecting to the Internet, providing the entry exists.

You can use a HOSTS file to block ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and even most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the connection(s) that supplies these little gems.
More Information On Host files

Installing Preventive Security Programs

Spyware Blaster will block bad ActiveX and harmful cookies from getting on to your PC in the first place. Just download and install the program. Open SpywareBlaster, check for and download updates, then 'select all' to protect against all items checked. That's it! Just return to check for updates every couple of weeks.

IESpyads adds a long list of sites and domains associated with known advertisers, marketers,and hijackers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer. Doing this will block driveby downloads, cookies, homepage hijacks, and javascript based advertisements associated with these restricted sites. There are a few different versions, so please refer to the information contained at the developer's website.

Switching Browsers:
Lets face it, IE is full of security holes, and most hackers/malware writers code for IE, because such a majority of users still use it. I made the switch to Firefox three months ago, and haven't looked back. Great browser, very fast, and the best part - ALOT more secure than IE. Built in popup/adblockers, skinning, and plug-in support are a few other neat features. I suggest you take a look!

Malware Removal

Usefull Links :-
Malware Removal
Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
Spyware Removal Applications

Malware Removal Applications:

AdAware provides advanced protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components. The personal edition of this software is downloadable free of charge.

CWShredder at TrendMicro which is the premier tool to find and remove traces of CoolWebSearch – the name for a wide range of insidious browser hijackers– from your PC.

Windows Defender, which works on Windows 2000 & XP. This is still in its beta, but is based on an established Antispyware program known as Giant Antispyware. Windows Defender (previously Microsoft Antispyware) has an extremely effective realtime protection component which monitors 58 security checkpoints on your computer to prevent unauthorized changes.

Not Free Antivirus
AntiVir PersonalEdition Premium 7 - [URL=http://www.avira.com/en/products/avira_antivir_workstation.html]
AntiVirusKit
Arcavir 2006
Avast Professional Edition 4.7
Bit Defender Pro 9
BullGuard 6
Drweb
eScan Virus Control
Eset NOD32
Etrust EZantivirus
F-Prot
F-Secure Anti-Virus
Grisoft AVG Professional
Invircible
Kaspersky
McAfee VirusScan
Microsoft Live OneCare
MKS
Norman Virus Control
Panda Software
Prevx1
StopSign
Symantec Norton Anti-Virus
Trend Micro PC-cillin
Vexira
Virus Chaser

Free Antivirus Software
AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic 7 -
Avast Home Edition 4.7 - (L)
Bit Defender Free Edition -
Clamwin - (L)(M)
Grisoft AVG Free Edition - (L)


Online Virus Scanners:
Trend Micro Housecall
Symantec Security Response
Panda ActiveScan
BitDefender Online Scan
Computer Associates eTrust Online Scan




Other Useful Programs:
KazaaBegone A Kazaa uninstall which scans and removes all elements of all Kazaa versions, as well as all of the bundled software that comes with it.

LSP-Fix is a free utility to repair a specific type of problem associated with certain Internet software. This type of software is known as a Layered Service Provider or LSP, a piece of software that can be inserted into the Windows TCP/IP handler like a link in a chain. However, due to bugs in the LSP software or deletion of the software, this chain can get broken, rendering the user unable to access the Internet.

You can upload suspicious files to Jotti.org to have them scanned by multiple scanners here

Hope this helps some people