Why I Never Had a Virus/Malware In My Windows Computer In 12 Years

Published in: Microsoft, Security

I can safely say in the last 12 years or so I never had a computer virus (or malware) on my Windows computer. It’s not because I have some über anti-virus or setup that prevents viruses from being installed. It’s mostly due to how I modified my behavior as a computer user that prevented doing things that will allow viruses from being installed.

Since my first introduction to computer virus, I have always been interested in them. I think the best way to prepare for or defend against getting viruses is to understand them. Know your enemy, how computers get infected, and how they spread. Not only did I not have any viruses on my computer for about ~12 years, but I also didn’t have any anti-virus installed for the majority of that period. So how do I know if I had a virus or not if I never even checked to see if I had any viruses on my computer? Before I finally started using windows Free Security Essentials about four years ago, I would occasionally download (once or twice a year) free antiviruses like AVG and do a quick scan to see if everything is in order. Most modern viruses work in the background and stay there for all its life if you don’t actively do a scan. And even the best anti-virus doesn’t have 100% detection rate. Something else that made my life easier is that modern Windows OS are relatively safer and updated frequently, and the most common virus attack vector, web browsers are also much safer than they used to be.

So what did I do to minimize my chances of getting malware or viruses on my windows computer?

Final Thought:

You don’t need to be a security consultant or a computer geek to be safe from viruses and malware. Common sense plays a big role. Follow my tips and you should be safe. Do you have any unique strategy or tips (that doesn’t involve using another OS) that you use to stay virus-free on a windows computer? Do share in comments.




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