How can I lower my risk of Adware?

Problem: "How can I lower my risk to adware?"

Unsolicited adware (pop-up ads) are becoming a major problem. Below are some tips on how to prevent your PC from being invaded by adware:

Avoid risky web sites. If you visit pages with a lot of advertising, or a site that hosts any kind of file-sharing, musical software, you put yourself at risk for spyware and adware downloads.
Never click anywhere on an advertisement popup. If you get a popup that you didn't specifically ask for, only click on the X in the upper, right-hand corner of the popup window to close it. (Yes, this includes pop-ups that claim to be the solution to your popup problem.) Even if the window includes a "Cancel", "Close" or "No Thanks" button, DO NOT click on them! Clicking any place inside the window will probably install the adware.
Do not install the free tool and search bars. While there are a few sites that provide tool and search bars without the aggravating pop-up adds most are using this as a means to install some form of adware or spyware to you PC. At best, they track your browsing habits and send the information back to the tracking company.