>Hi everybody,
>
>What are the Windows 7 recommended malware and virus protection tools? I installed MS Security Essentials and also ran MS Security Scanner (the one you have to re-download every 10 days).
>
>Basically, what happened is yesterday when I was installing stuff I decided to also install Skype. I got to the very first link after searching by Google (don't remember what it was) and when I was installing it, I remember it asked me to accept lots of times. I didn't pay much attention (!) and accepted all of this.
>
>At the end I got Skype and a bunch of other crap. Through Programs and Features I uninstalled all of these extra stuff, but now I am not certain that my new PC is OK.

Skype is now owned by Microsoft. I don't use it, but my guess is MS would not allow a default Skype installation to include any other 3rd party products and certainly not any grayware or malware.

Your next step is to find out if you downloaded a legitimate Skype installer. If you did, by uninstalling the crapware you're probably at the state you want and you don't need to worry further - although it would have been better to opt out of the crap while you were installing.

If you are not certain you used a legitimate installer, you must assume your computer is compromised. Trojaned repackagers of legitimate applications usually include stealth rootkits; it's usually easier to rebuild your system from scratch than to try to detect and remove these rootkits. If this is the case hopefully you have an image backup from a point not too far before you installed "Skype". Otherwise you'll need to rebuild your system.