How to Avoid Getting a Computer Virus

First and foremost take your time: 

I know this is hard to do. But take your time and pay attention when installing any program on your computer. Look in the terms and conditions for third party app installs or similar. A lot of free applications are not really free they are paid for by advertisers who then install there malicious software along with the software you were intending to get for free.

Beware of misleading Pop-Ups: 

Some of the most nefarious popups on the internet are designed to mimic the look of legitimate anti-virus software. These popups attempt to trick the user into thinking their antivirus software has found an infection. When you click the popup, however, the adware is actually installed. Instead of clicking the warning, close the popup window and open the antivirus program on your computer. You most likely will not see any warnings. If you are still worried, run a scan using your installed software. Don't try clicking the "X" to close the popup window, as this will usually lead to more popups. Instead, use the Task Manager to get rid of it. (ctrl+alt+delete) Other popups may warn of an infection that only their software can fix. No legitimate antivirus company will advertise their product this way, so avoid clicking on any of these popups.

Check to ensure that your browser is configured to block popups.

Avoid clicking on everything: 

There are thousands of banner ads and popups on the internet that are designed to get your attention and make you click. Due to the way most modern browsers work, there are very few ways for you to get infected with something online UNLESS you click on it yourself. This means you should avoid clicking on banners for offers that are too good to be true.

Fake Torrents or websites That Need a Specific Video Player: 

Upon entering a website clicking a link or playing a video file you'll see a message that you need to download a new video player because it’s encoded specially or words to that effect. Don’t do it! There are great legitimate video players with every codec you'll ever need to play a video file. (EX: VLC Media player or Media Player Classic)

Create a guest or non Admin account: 

for the younger or non tech savvy it’s a good idea to have a guest account for them to use while on the web etc… It will limit their ability to do any major harm to your computer.

Email Trouble: 

Avoid emails that you don't recognize or that have been forwarded to you (especially with attachments). Email viruses can come from friends or family as it looks through there contact list and then forwards the emails out to all the users and then does the same to you and so on.

Hang Up on Cold-Calling Technical Support Agents: 

there has been a dramatic increase in the number of scam telephone calls from supposed Windows technical support agents. Here’s how it starts: A: Hi there, I’m from (indecipherable) and we've registered an error from your Windows Computer – have you been experiencing any issues with it lately? At this point, 90% of people will be thinking their Windows is broken and yes, of course they have been experiencing issues. You’ll then be walked through how to give this caller complete remote control access to your PC, where they perform some fake technical checks and try to get you to purchase a support contract.

Install an antivirus program if you don't have one already: 

An antivirus program will actively protect your computer from virus infections by scanning active programs and performing scheduled full-system scans. There are free antivirus programs that come with basic virus protection, such as AVG, Bitdefender, and Avast. You should only have one antivirus installed at a time in order to avoid conflicts between them. Make sure that your antivirus gets updated at least every week. Scan your computer at least weekly, more often if you are heavy internet user.

An antivirus program is not a foolproof system, and should not replace good browsing habits and common sense.