FWIW. Part of my job requires me to research Linux vulnerabilities which often takes me to some sites that are unknown and potentially malicious. I was always dealing with malware of some type. I had been running a virtual machine just for browsing, but then I found a piece of software called Sandboxie and have been using it for some time now. Sandboxie is a piece of software that allows you to run your browser (or other programs) in a "sandbox". In theory the browser cannot write to your real system. I have been hit by some malware last week and it worked. I simply cleared out the sandbox and was all set. If you are interested check it out here.
http://www.sandboxie.com/index.php?FAQ_Virus