system
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Abraxas,
You can use a harmless test-virus to see how Avast reacts: http://www.eicar.org/86-0-Intended-use.html
I had a real windows virus once or twice from ebooks I downloaded through bittorrent. The thing is, I share files between dual boot Win 7, Mint Linux and Win XP on a VM hosted by Mint. Of course, there’s the courtesy of not passing infected files to friends via email or thumbdrive, too. ;D