On-line security: McAfee?

[John Roberts]

I've been told to go for McAfee, is it good? Any other suggestions?

 

[10tenmen]

What's the operating system you are running windows 7,8 or 10.
If it's 8 or 10 they come with Windows Security essentials already installed which is enough for most people.

 

[John Roberts]

That was quick! How can I find out which I'm running? Ah! Hang on, just found it: Windows 7 Professional, so I'm not protected now, right? Should I go for the new OS 10 they were offering a few weeks ago if that is still an option, or if not just pay for it, or go for McAfee?

 

[Gossy]

I wouldnt bother upgrading to Windows 10, your machine may cough and splutter - go with McAfee and tick the box so there's no recurring payment.

 

[littleade]

I usually buy either Norton or Mcafee each year depending on the price and either will do a better job than the free stuff IMO

 

[Sleepy]

I've never paid for on-line security.. and have never had any problems at all.

 

[10tenmen]

John, the only problem with McAfee or Norton is they are rescource hungry and can slow the comp down, you can down load Security essentials from Microsoft for free and it runs in the background, use this in conjunction with malewarbytes free and check for viruses weekly.

As for upgrading to Windows 10 if you have 3gb or more of Ram you will be fine upgrading from Windows 7, as for paying for anti virus why would windows provide a free antivirus thats not as good as the ones you can buy. A lot depends on the probability of getting a virus from the sites you visit or downloads you obtain.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Wouldn't touch Norton or Mcafee, they typically grind everything to a halt particularly on an older machine. MS security essential as said is probably all you need. If you have a hatred of Microsoft the bit defender is also nice and light.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I used to use Security Essentials but found it has a tendency to hog processor time.
I've binned it and installed Panda instead.
Just as free but much quicker, and gets good write ups.

 

[John Roberts]

A couple of interesting posts from a thread in the B&B, re Windows 10:

After running windows 7 for a few years I became pissed off with the Win 10 pop ups.. I was totally against it as in many ways it seemed a forced upgrade.
I use my laptop at work for high demand cad/cam design. The problem I had was win 7 seemed to be always wanting to auto up date even after turning the auto update option off (when shutting down)
Sometime later another win 7 update seized my laptop it became almost useless i.e missing files slow performance etc. My only route was to take punt to upgrade to Win 10!
Best OS Iv'e used to date So it's not all bad with Win 10 imo.

And:

Just gone from W7 to W10 at work and, once you've cleared the clutter out of the way, it works very well and is definitely faster.

Worth considering perhaps?

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Had some terrible port driver problem on my machine and was forced to upgrade to w10.
Must say, I'm quite pleased with it.
Takes a little bit of getting used to but I think it'll go down alongside w95 and xp as being actually quite good.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

I would agree with upgrading to win 10. As someone who works in the it industry I am upgrading the 700 odd machines at work and have done everything at home. The only thing I would say is if it bothers you read up on how to turn all the Microsoft "features" off if your concerned about privacy. Most of it is in the setup wizard so long as you don't accept the stock install. That said one persons problem is another's useful feature.

 

[UturnTony]

Another here that wouldn't touch McAfee or Norton. I use Bitdefender which is free and does the job very well.

 

[John Roberts]

Just a quick courtesy call...

... to let you know that I'm going for the Windows 10 option, i.e. no McAfee/Norton/whatever. It's actually downloading as I speak/as I write, it's 2,032MB total. It does seem slow though, it's downloaded 30% in three quarters of an hour so it looks like it will take a total of about three hours, can I keep on using the computer while this is going on or will that upset the process and I will have to start from the beginning again? Oh, I'm writing this on my iPad not the pc.

And thanks for your help.

 

[Redboots]

I've binned it and installed Panda instead.

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