Do I need laptop security thingy?

[Akire]

Not had laptop for a few years but been given one few years old. Do people still buy security software programmes like Norton?

What’s the cheapest basic I can get? I know donkeys years ago they used to slow down the laptops but hoping they are better. Any recommendations or what to avoid would be very well accepted. Thanks

Windows defender works fine and is usually preinstalled.

Agree with pp, used to buy Norton or McAfee whatever every year but after our company , with 1000s of laptops and pcs, switched to the Windows Defender that comes with Windows 10 , I haven’t bothered.

Does it mean I’m 100% protected, no.
But part of being secure is acting sensibly too

(There endeth the sermon)

Windows 10 Security is fine for basic web use but if you're carrying out financial transactions online then I would have something a bit stronger such as Norton (about £15.00 from Amazon). Sophos and Kaspersky offer a free products which are quite good. Avoid Macafee and Avast though (IMO). Also available is Trusteer Rapportwhich is designed to secure personal details during online purchases (it's not an antivirus product though) and is recommended by some banks.

The most important thing security wise if you've been given a laptop is to make sure it's completely wiped and reinstalled before doing anything on it.

What version of windows is it running? If it's windows 10, its usually very easy to download a clean install of windows from microsoft and reinstall, or, go through the options on settings to 'restore my pc'.