Yes, using a virtual machine can be safe, but it's not practical. There are several ways to protect your privacy, and most of them are already listed on the previous posts. In addition to those: 1) Stay away from PORN SITES. (P2P also) 2) Use a proxy. 3) Scan files, emails, ZIP folders, etc. before opening. 4) Use a folder/drive security program so you can hide or password protect your folders or drives. (Folder Guard Pro is an example.) 5) Delete temp files, history and cookies regularly.