Here is the Windows XP Security Check-off list.  If you are not using all of these and using email or the Internet the probability of Malware (A Software Virus) on the computer is nearly sure:

  1. A 3rd Party Firewall (the default Windows Firewall is not sufficient).
  2. An Anti-Malware Software with current Malware Signature.
  3. An Anti-Spyware Software with current detection Signature.
  4. Normally using an Administrator User Account when opening email or accessing the Internet.

Maybe the first 3 were covered but what about the 4th.  The top Anti-Malware software has detection rates at about 97% for known Malware and about 70% for new threats not on the current Malware Signature database.  This means there is a chance of Malware executing or being installed onto the computer!  With a Windows XP computer where the current user has Administrative Privileges the secondary protection is not existent.  The malware has access to the critical Registry and core system files.  A Root-Kit Malware is free to bury and hide itself in the computer.  To remedy this situation the Limited User Account is the key.  To access a series of articles that talks more about the benefits and how to implement a Limited User account follow me at Ezines.  As an analogy, if a locked and protected room has your important documents, you would not want to give the key to anybody.  So, when leaving the house you place the key to this room in an unknown location.  This way if pick-pocketed someone might get the key for the house but the documents in this room are safe.  Using a Limited User Account for Windows XP works like that.

[Stay tuned; for using Internet Browsers to increase safety on the Internet.]