Tip #1: Keep your firewall ON: Some software ask you to turn off your firewall in order for it to install properly. If you DO turn off your firewall, be sure to turn it back on as soon as possible. Leaving your firewall off leaves you virus-prone.
Tip #2: Use a free anti-virus: If you do not have an anti-virus on your computer, your best bet is to get a free one. Some of the popular ones include:
AVG Free
Microsoft Security Essentials
avast!
and many more.
I personally recommend AVG Free. AVG Free warns you if you are going to a potentially dangerous website, has a resident shield to stop viruses as soon as they are downloaded, and many other nice features, such as a daily scanner.
Tip #3: Run a daily computer scan for viruses: Viruses can sneak into your computer's files at any time. To avoid them from piling up in your files, slowing your computer down, run a daily scan on your computer using an anti-virus. This scan will search for viruses throughout your whole computer, and you choose which ones you want to delete (usually all of them.)
Tip #4: Use CCleaner: If you use the internet very frequently and do not delete your history/cookies, they can build up and take up a lot of computer memory. CCleaner is a free program that scans your computer for these cookies and temporary files that your computer keeps and removes them safely and completely.
Tip #5: Use some system tools: If you go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools, you will find a few nifty tools there to help save space on your computer, and back it up in case of an emergency.
Disk Cleanup will help you delete files and programs that are not in use and get some hard drive space back.
Disk Defragmenter defragments your hard drive to make your computer run faster and more efficiently.
Backup is a nice program that backs up your current files on your computer in case of an emergency.
That's my five tips to keep your computer virus-free and running fast. I hope you enjoyed this guide.
