| Andrew Walters | 21 Jul 2016 7:46 a.m. PST |
I'm normally a Mac guy, but I need to help my parents set up a new Windows 7 machine. There's a few things I could really use some help with… Is there a free antivirus package we should install? Is there a good free malware removal package we should run? We're buying the machine refurbished. It's supposed to come with legitimate Windows 7 Pro. How do we know if we actually have that? Is there a key or serial number we can find somewhere? I'll have to fight my way through the rest, but hopefully Chrome and WiFi and Quicken will setup without undo hassles. Thanks in advance! |
| Ed Mohrmann | 21 Jul 2016 9:42 a.m. PST |
'Free' AV s'ware is worth what you pay for it. Go with a good solid s'ware from reputable sources -
I use Geeksquad's and have NEVER had a problem. I don't advocate Norton – it has failed my wife
2-3 times (she will not switch from it). |
| RavenscraftCybernetics | 21 Jul 2016 2:29 p.m. PST |
start>control panel>system
there should be a tab for system info which identifies t=your chipset ans windows version with a valid key/serial# |
| sunderland | 21 Jul 2016 4:29 p.m. PST |
For antivirus, just use microsoft's, you can find it somewhere on their website. For malware, malwarebytes. |
| tkdguy | 21 Jul 2016 5:41 p.m. PST |
Avast is a good antivirus, and the basic download is free. |
| Andrew Walters | 21 Jul 2016 10:18 p.m. PST |
Thanks for the good info. Here's something else I found, for the record… link |
| CeruLucifus | 22 Jul 2016 11:07 p.m. PST |
Yes google "Free Antivirus Windows" is a good way to see what's out there. Unlike in the Mac world, there are multiple free antivirus programs and most cover the basics decently well. I've used Avast, Avira, and AVG in the past. All have a basic free version but keep prompting you to upgrade to the paid version with more features. At some point the prompts get unbearable and I uninstall and try something else. Willpower is key here. Someone else might cave and buy the paid version. |
| Last Hussar | 23 Jul 2016 4:12 a.m. PST |
I don't know if its backward compatible, but MS did a full suite for W10. |
| Schogun | 23 Jul 2016 5:01 a.m. PST |
I currently use, all free: AVG
Malwarebytes
Spybot Search & Destroy Stay away from Norton (not free anyway) |
| Andrew Walters | 29 Jul 2016 3:31 p.m. PST |
Thanks to all, this thread helped quite a bit. We had some trouble with the Win10 download. In case it helps anyone it turns out you need to turn off the Win7 Updates feature first, *then* do the download. Keep your Win7 product code handy. |
