How to Download Something Without Getting a Virus

Most of us have had to deal with some form of malware at one point or another, whether it be simple adware, spyware, or a more malicious trojan that severely affects operating system performance. Obviously, getting a virus is a huge annoyance, and aside form putting your computer's performance and stability at risk, it can also pose a serious security risk if the virus is used by a hacker to gain access to your files and sensitive personal data.

As a computer "expert," one question people often ask me is "How can I download stuff without getting a virus?" Presumably, most of you want to know how you can download anything you want without ever worrying about malware. Is there a way to download something that has a virus attached to it, yet prevent your computer from getting the virus? Well, in this guide we'll show you a number of ways you can download just about anything and visit almost any website without fearing the consequences of encountering malware:

1. Browse the Web and Download Files Using Sandboxie

Sandboxie (Download3k mirror) lets you run your web browser in an isolated environment on your machine. Any files that are downloaded by the browser are stored within a "sandbox" and cannot escape. When you're done with the browsing session and have no more use for the file/program, you can simply discard the current Sandbox and any downloaded viruses will be wiped from your machine without making their way to the rest of your file system. To learn more about how Sandboxie can be used to protect your operating system from viruses, see their FAQ page on the topic. You can also check out our Introduction to Browsing with Sandboxie, or see the useful video tutorial below:

Sandboxie Tutorial

(courtesy of DehHaxor4evr's YouTube channel)

2. Operate Inside a Virtual Machine or Emulator 

Another way to isolate files from the rest of your operating system is to use a program like VirtualBox or VMware to install a virtual machine (VM). This will give you an entirely separate operating system within your native OS, which is useful because most viruses that infect the virtual machine will not make it out to the host operating system. Still, there are some network vulnerabilities that can allow some rare exploits to access the host OS.

Thus, the best course of action is to use a virtual machine that is running a different operating system from your host OS. For example, if you're using Windows 10, you could use a MAC OS X virtual machine, since viruses that can infect the MAC OS X VM will not be designed to exploit Windows. Likewise, malware designed for iOS or Android would most likely not be harmful to a Windows machine, so browsing within an Android or iOS emulator is another option.

If you decide to use this method, be sure to research possible exploits and extra precautions that need to be taken to secure a virtual machine. The main steps you should take is to disable File Sharing between the VM and your host OS, or even run a VM within a VM. You could even run Sandboxie inside of a VM that is inside of another VM for multiple layers of protection. With all of that that said, it's highly unlikely that a virus that affects the virtual machine will somehow make it into the host OS, especially if they are two different operating systems as we've recommended.

A video of someone purposefully running 50 viruses inside of a virtual machine:

(courtesy of Greatie's YouTube channel)

3. Use an Anti-virus Program with Real-Time Protection and Malicious Site Detection

Even if you're using Sandboxie and/or a virtual machine, you'll still want to equip your computer with a strong anti-virus program that includes real-time scanning capabilities as a second line of defense. This will give you the ability to receive notifications as soon as a malicious file is detected. Most anti-malware programs will also automatically quarantine and/or remove the detected viruses without any action on your part. It's a good idea to use a program that will warn you when you're about to visit a potentially malicious website as well. Malwarebytes, Avast, AVG, Avira, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky are some of the most popular anti-virus software available.

Video comparison of the top 5 anti-virus suites of 2016:

 (Courtesy of Softonic's YouTube channel)

4. Scan Downloads Before Opening, Especially .exe Files

Most of the time the virus will not do anything until you actually run the program or file it is hidden in. Thus, a great way to avoid encountering malware is to scan all files before opening them, especially executables (.exe files). This can be done with just about any anti-virus suite by simply right-clicking the file you want to scan and selecting the appropriate option from the context menu. If your anti-virus software doesn't include this feature it would probably be best to switch to one that does, or you could just go with the alternative of scanning the file online using sites like VirusTotal and Metadefender.

5. Keep Your Firewall Active

Finally, as a basic precaution you should always make sure you have a reliable firewall enabled. A firewall keeps track of the incoming and outgoing network traffic on your machine, blocking and notifying you of any connections that seem to be malicious. Of course, most modern operating systems come with a built-in firewall, but there are some advantages to using third-party firewalls in certain scenarios. Anyone who is serious about their computer's security should research firewalls and process monitoring to improve their malware detection capabilities.

Don't Forget to Update and Scan Frequently

It's important to remember that malware creators are developing new code everyday, so it's a constant battle between the anti-virus developers and the unethical hackers looking to exploit any loopholes they can find. Thus, while the 5 tips above will work to keep you virus-free in most cases, there's always the tiny possibility that your machine could be infected with a "zero day threat" - a piece of malware that was literally just released within the past 24 hours and is therefore not yet detectable by most scanning tools. Therefore, it's imperative to schedule routine scans and keep your operating system and browser up-to-date to ensure an ideally secure computing environment.