Antivirus Needed With Windows 10
Antivirus programs have become really important over the years, especially with the recent trends in ransomware and password attacks. Have you just got yourself a nice new computer? If you have chances are that it has Windows 10 installed on it. Now, do you need to install extra third party antivirus on it?
Well, Windows 10 comes with its own antivirus program called Windows Defender. ( This antivirus was included with windows 8 and up). Windows Defender is pretty good, it is basically the same program as Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). I have been using MSE on all my Windows 7 computers and have found it to be a very good general antivirus program. You can get the MSE free download here. So, is Windows Defender any good? Well, it’s got some great basic features. It will automatically scan any program that you open, it has an interface that is easy to figure out for running more complex scans and gets its updates from Windows Updates, and this means it regularly gets the latest antivirus definition updates. Some more great features of Windows Defender is that it’s included with the operating system, free, it works straight out of the box, It’s light weight, it doesn’t use popups to try and make you upgrade to a pro paid version.
But, it has been said on many posts that Microsoft is running behind some of the other antivirus developers according to software tests. However that doesn’t mean that it is a bad antivirus. Like a lot of things it depends on your computer habits. If you keep your operating system up to date and are using a modern browser. (If you can don’t use plugins like java). Windows Defender will give you a great basic level of protection.
Windows 10, (also Windows 8 and up), also has another little bit of protection installed as standard, Smart Screen Filter. Smart Screen Filter is designed to stop any malicious or unknown programs from running. Tis software works well, but, can sometime prevent legitimate programs from running. If this happens, there are more options to let you run the program if you are sure it isn’t a bad or malicious program.
So, do I need more? It depends on your usage. If you are just using your computer for general work, checking emails and running legitimate applications, then, the antivirus bundled with Windows 10 should work fine. If, however, you download pirated movies or programs, or visit high risk sites on your browser, ( porn, gambling and some online gaming sites ). Then, you are probably going to want to install something a little more heavy duty.
At the moment ( time of writing), Kaspersky is ranked at the top. It’s very good but, it will cost a little money. You can purchase it here . There are also many free options too. I have used AVG and Avast antivirus programs and have found that both are very good at catching issues. They can be downloaded from here. Another great program is Avira, you can get that here .
A great feature of Windows Defender is that, if you install another antivirus program, Defender will automatically disable itself. If you uninstall your third party antivirus, Defender will automatically enable itself again, so you are never left unprotected.
I have always found that whatever antivirus program I am running, I like to have another program just for the malware, there is always some junk such as adware that gets through. I use a great free program called Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes is a free program that I run every now and again, It cleans out a lot of unwanted junk. There is a paid pro program also, but I have found the free one does the job just fine. Download the free program from here. I have a Malwarebytes demo here
