Windows 7 - win 7 internet security 2012 has taken over my laptop.

No Idea I've never encounter a pop up that I could click. I've only seen this form of virus on other peoples computer and they said they just clicked on the popup. There own ignorance of the fake antivirus appearance. My parents pc got infected by one and I don't know what they clicked. Use common sense. Know what your own AV looks like and pay attention to what you're clicking.

All it takes is clicking on search results or an advertisement that redirects to an infected site.

Aside from regular security updates, antivirus/anti-malware software and a firewall, the important thing is to make sure you have removed all old versions of Java and have only the most recent version of Java installed. In addition, Adobe products such as Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash also need to be kept updated as they are also vulnerable.

If you aren't certain that all third-party software is up-to-date, I suggest Secunia. You can install Secunia Personal Software Inspector or, alternatively, visit Secunia - The Leading Provider of Vulnerability Management and Vulnerability Intelligence Solutions . The Secunia Software Inspector runs through your browser with no installation or download required and does the following:

• Detects insecure versions of applications installed
• Verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied
• Assists you in updating your system and applications