I've been fighting viruses all my life. As a kid, I got cold viruses. As a young man, friends died or got sick from the HIV virus. Now, my friends get computer viruses. These are good people, intelligent, creative types that have their computer taken away from them by a malicious trick played by lowlife scum. I hate viruses and I hate virus writers because of what I have seen happen to my friends and family.

To my knowledge, my computers are virus-free. I only say to my knowledge, because one never really knows. If a state government wanted to bug me or anyone for that matter, they could, and there's not much that could be done about that without spending a lot of time and effort on passwords, encryption and the like. I am too lazy to bother with any of that, and since I am not engaged in espionage, I imagine governments have better things to do with their time than spy on me. I am only really confident that my computers remain free of common, garden variety viruses. To experience my level of security should be easy. I will break my strategy down into five steps.

1. First of all, try to avoid downloading and running anything. This is a really basic principle. If Windows pops up a warning saying, "Do you want to allow / run / permit," then choose No. There are some things that are okay to run, but it's not easy for a non-technical person to determine what those things are. The default answer should be no. Also, if you are the admin setting security at your home or office, novice or minor users should not be granted access to install software. There is too much risk.

2. Use Firefox as the internet browser and install the add-on "NoScript." This add-on gives the user control over the scripts a web site can run. It pesters and annoys, but only the first time a new web site is accessed, because it will remember any permissions the user grants. This simple precaution of asking the user for permission first makes surfing to unknown sites safer. Only when a site is deemed trustworthy need a user permit scripts. An element of consent is introduced into the equation. Blindly accepting any and all scripts, the default behavior of web browsers, is not a particularly good idea. Keep the Flash player updated.

3. Do not download and run any pirated software, ever. That includes operating systems. Pirated software used to be safer about ten years ago, but now hackers are trying to make a living out of the scene. There is a reason that hackers make pirated software available, and it is not out of the goodness of their hearts. There are not many Robin Hoods out there. Just because software scans virus-free does not mean it is virus-free. Please. Running an .exe of unknown origin betrays a spectacular level of trust in strangers. Besides, software is not that expensive anyway. If you're on a budget, then use Linux and free software. Linux is far more secure than Windows. If in doubt as to which version of Linux to use, choose Xubuntu or Linux Mint XFCE. Look them up. Download today and replace Windows, if you're already infected.

4. If you don't have an anti-virus or can't afford one, then download and run Microsoft Security Essentials, a free anti-virus offered by Microsoft. I use it. It is efficient, effective, and stays out of the way. P.S. If you go the Linux route, you will not need an anti-virus. Ever. Just forget about anti-viruses in that case.

5. Don't continue using any email account that gets spammed to death. Either install filters to weed out or redirect into different folders incoming mail, or else create a new, virgin email address and only tell your close friends about it. If you receive 20 - 30 email messages per day and they all arrive in the same folder, chances are you will click on some phishing attack sooner or later and compromise your computer's security. Spam works because humans are careless and click on things by accident. So do whatever you have to do to avoid spam. Sometimes the simplest way is to discontinue using an email account and create a new one.

People tend to use web pages to check their mail these days, but this is not desirable, because it is slower, and one becomes dependent upon a specific mail provider for things like filters. I use the Thunderbird mail reader and have created a vast number of filters to delete or redirect incoming mail, so that the only things I see in my Inbox are vitally important messages from my friends or family. I seldom ever see spam, but if I do, a new filter will be installed that very day. I think about a year ago, I received a spam in my Inbox, but it was something to which I had inadvertently subscribed.

Remember, the three main vectors to virus infection are email--internet browser--downloaded software. It is also possible to get infected via the local network or by inserting an infected flash drive into the computer, but those scenarios are less common. I have seen both happen, but most people are infected through something they did on the Internet and because they had taken insufficient precautions. All of the above suggestions are precautions.

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Recommended Software List

Operating System: Windows 7+. I recommend using Xubuntu or Linux Mint Xfce as a free and secure alternative to Windows. The software below is available to Linux, with the exception of MPC-HC and Notepad++.

Internet Browser: Firefox, because it is a configurable and extendable browser. Install the Add-on "NoScript."

Internet Search Engine: DuckDuckGo claims to respect user privacy and can be easily configured, but Google remains king for finding obscure things.

Mail Reader: Thunderbird. With this powerful tool, you can check all your many email accounts with a single click, without using your browser at all.

Need a good, free word processor and complete office suite? Download the latest version of LibreOffice.

Text editor: Notepad++

Video Player: MPC-HC for Windows, Smplayer for Linux.