Ah, XKCD. I remember getting Blaster or as it was known back then in 2003 - MSBlast.exe on the then new family PC and amazing my parents by repairing it (It was our first computer besides the ancient 3.1 we had for tinkering) in a matter of minutes.
They then trotted me around to EVERY SINGLE FAMILY MEMBER to get rid of Blaster on their computers too. Norton Stinger came in real handy until my Aunt's computer was found to not only have Blaster, but the Doom virus and innumerable spyware. I stretched my then limited knowledge and came back with a tiny little program called Spybot S+D which was then just starting off... and repaired her computer to near perfect condition. Except for Hotbar. That thing never went away until i reformatted the computer.
I was viewed as a hero and a medic by the family for about three days afterwards.
:D:D:D
As for viruses, java exploits aren't anything to worry about provided you get rid of them quicksmart. Invest in a good firewall- As you're a B12er i'd assume you have better than Windows Firewall, hehehehe.
Our now ancient family PC has had just Blaster, way back in 2003, and a hijacker in 2004, and nothing since.
My laptop has had a fair few PUPs but due to my firewall sandboxing most programs they've not done anything. Comodo Defense+ ftw.