So Cal Free Net.org

Unfortunately, being on a firewalled wireless network like those provided by SoCalFreeNet does not stop you from getting infected by virus and worms. Here are some steps to regain and keep control of your computer. These are free and work with machines running Windows software.

Run a Virus Scan

Although many computers come with a virus checker, usually it is a trial version that quickly expires. Use the following two free online virus checkers, yes both of them, one after the other, to first cleanup any viruses that may be on your computer:

Trend Micro Online Virus Scan
Panda Free Online Virus Scan

To stop re-infection, you should install anti-virus software. We're fans of a local San Diego company, Nod 32 because its light weight, effective and reasonably priced. A well regarded free anti-virus program is AVG.

A more complete free virus scanner called Avast can be helpful is AVG doesn't solve your problem, though it requires more computing power to run smoothly. We suggest a minimum of 512 MB of RAM with Windows XP, or a minimum of 256 MB with Windows 2000.

Remove Spyware and Adware

Many websites and 'free' programs put spyware and malware on your machine. Install and run these free programs sequentially to remove most problems. Chances are either of the first two (choose according to your operating system) will do the job completely.

Microsoft Spyware Remover - Beta Version (Win2k/XP only), or
Counterspy 15 day free trial - same as above, but works on Win98

Spywareblaster
Spybot's Search and Destroy
Ad-Aware Personal Edition

Two excellent tutorials on using both these programs are available at www.bleepingcomputer.com :

Using Spybot - Search & Destroy to remove Spyware and other Malware from Your Computer
Using Ad-aware to remove Spyware/Hijackers from Your Computer

Install Latest Windows Updates

Once your computer is virus and worm free, make sure it stays that way. Be sure to install the latest updates from www.windowsupdate.com. Installing Windows SP2 also has a lot of improvements to keep your computer safe.