(1) Run a 2-way firewall - most malware these days attempt to contact the Internet to spread or participate in distributed malicious actions. A 2-way firewall can detect and even stop most of the malware attempts at spreading or causing harm.

(2) Turn off "auto-run" - another popular way for malware to spread is by using the auto-run feature for removeable media. For example, when a USB stick is inserted, by default, it will try to auto-run a file, which can spread malware. By turning off auto-run, you will be significantly limiting the ways in which malware can spread.

(3) Use a limited account for Web Browsing - these days the easiest way for malicious hackers to gain administrator privileges is through your web browser. By doing your web browsing through a limited account, it will make it much harder for the hackers to install malware.