I have been computer free for probably 15ish years until I recently bought and set up a RPi4 with Linux. It’s been fun but I’m not really a super user so I’m looking to back to Windows as my main OS.

  1. is antivirus a necessity? I will be gaming and streaming on my new setup.

If yes then

  1. what are some ideal options? Paid or free.

Thanks for your responses in advance.

  • BiggestBulb
    9•10 months ago

    Windows Defender should be more than good enough for most users. Just make sure to use an adblocker (such as UBlock Origin), only visit HTTPS sites as much as you can (you should see a lock in the corner of the URL bar on most browsers) and ensure you always virus-scan programs you downloaded before running them.

    Also, exercise caution on the Internet in general. Never just click “yes” when a program asks for admin permission - make sure you check exactly which program is trying to do it and that the publisher is reasonable. Never exit read-only mode on Office-suite documents unless you know the document is for-sure safe (exiting read-only mode allows macros to run).

    Doing all of this, Windows Defender should do fine. I’m assuming 99% of this is common sense for you though, since you’ve already found your way to the Fediverse!