[Chemnitz]

More RAM is always a good idea. There could be a boot sector virus.

If you are on the Internet, the Internet can see you. If you have cable modem or DSL, you are always on the Net, as long as the computer is turned on.

A good firewall and frequent updates to the virus protection are necessary.

I also advocate using a battery back up.

[tictoc]

Thanks, I use Zone Alarm Pro on a separate computer serving as gateway to the Internet (DSL link). Also anti-virus software, updated at least once every week. However, neither would have protected me against the under-reported VM exploit, if that's what it was.
I understand that battery backups are popular in the US because of frequent "brownouts" but here in Germany 220Hz power is extremely reliable so I've never wanted one.