Questioning my Computer's Security. Need Suggestions.

[Pokeventurer]

Hi guys today i am writting this up to give you guys general info on my com's situation and what security measures should i take for it. so i have been using a Dell Laptop (idk specifically which) and i am super anxious about every tiny bit of details that are going wrong with it, and yes i am just ultra conscious about it's safety; i have not downloaded any anti-virus programs yet because either it turns out to be a virus or it slows down my PC and gives me more probs than solved (past experiences). all those weird things i downloaded led my laptop crippled as it won't shut down and when i sent it for repair the guy that my mum knew and had contact with for such stuff took out the original battery and putted in the one that runs like half the original, he tells my mother that it was a problem in the charging of my laptop, when actually i had noticed malfunctioning in the past two days ( this brute was caused by my sister who just to annoy me did something to my laptop the morning she left for college when i was asleep ) and over that stuff my mom won't believe me. i don't wanna end up feeling bad for myself and being frustrated or angry; therefore i felt like taking a step to properly get the job done.
So now again i have been seeing a iny-tiny bit of weirdness that doesn't do something bad to my system or it's functioning but it seems kinda somewhat infected. i have heard alot on MSE: Microsoft Security Essential being an excellent and free software designed for malware i have also heard that it is lite on your system and doesn't effects it's speed or regular functioning * features i want in one* so can i please get a bit more information on this program and where can i download it for windows 8.0 and keep my system safe; help will be appreciated alot!
On another side relating my computer a message pops up if i wanna update to windows 8.1 for free and it is available in my store; what is this message abut, it'll e good for me to know a bit more about it and what are the benifits of taking this free update oppurtunity and all the related pros and cons.
if you are wondering about my pokemon competitive side i am writting up a analyses which will soon be up, and i am currently feeling weak on teambuilding a strong team, but i'll soon be back with one! Bye for now!

[rizo67]

how old is your Laptop? Running a laptop for a couple years pretty much depletes its power and, unless you took great care of it and maintained it, it will run slower.

Have you put in alot of programs(games/editing software/other browsers/security software) onto your computer? That slows your processing power down even if you dont use them often it will still take up space.

Idk about that MSE program since Ive never heard of it, but I do recommend webroot.
It is $60 US a year but it is a fantastic investment on a computer you plan to use alot. It runs great and does check ups ever so often. If you download things you can immediately right-click on it and check it through webroot to check if its legit. (I also appreciate the emails webroot sends ever so often informing me of things we need to be aware of, such as cyber attacks and ways to secure your computer.)

I dont mean to be rude but Dell Laptops aren't the best in performance, they just dont really last. (if its your everyday use laptop). I would advise a HP laptop with an intel core processor (AMD processors are alright but intel is a bit better imo) if you would consider a new laptop.

These are all suggestions I'm not implying these ideas to be the best or most effective. Its just what works for me.

Is that windows update for windows 10? or just 8.1? I think there was an issue with windows 8 where you could easily manage to get into anyones laptop even if you didnt know the password. so they updated it (I think) but it also had other problems that in 8.1 they fixed i believe. Again I'm unsure, I had windows 7 and upgraded to windows 10, which was a very bad idea. I would not suggest to get windows 10 unless your fine with your computer updating itself without your consent. This isnt a serious issue it just bugs me that if I dont want a certain program I cant choose to deny its update. Also I hate that I have to be logged into my Microsoft account at all times, just feels like there's no privacy. I would say going to 8.1 would probably be ideal for you if you have windows 8 since its just an updated version.

[rizo67]

(Dec 1, 2015, 05:24 PM)naitre Wrote: I haven't run an antivirus on my computer for about ten years and haven't picked up anything. It's all about how you use your computer. As long as you aren't downloading files, you haven't picked up anything malicious. I find that antivirus software is bulky and annoying.

This is true you dont realy even need it if your not downloading anything. I on the other hand download up the wazoo! so I need it.

[Pokeventurer]

(Dec 1, 2015, 05:24 PM)naitre Wrote: I haven't run an antivirus on my computer for about ten years and haven't picked up anything. It's all about how you use your computer. As long as you aren't downloading files, you haven't picked up anything malicious. I find that antivirus software is bulky and annoying.

I don't use Windows, but according to Microsoft's website, Microsoft Security Essentials is only available for Windows 7 and Windows Vista: see here I have no advice about updating your Windows software.

When I used Windows, I used Ad-aware, Malwarebytes, and Hijack This to clean my system. They're all free to use, but don't go wild and start deleting files that aren't recommended or offer a warning prompt or you might damage your PC.

i myself have used Malwarebytes it worked amazingly for me, but then i saw a bunch of people slandering about it so i deleted it from my computer; now i want to get back to using it as it kept my system healthy and normal and is lite on it as well. can you get me a legit link where i can download it, because goOgling it leaves me with 100's of links to it's downloads and idk which one is the original one. my computer didn't shut down once properly; that i thought was Malwarebyte's fault but just found out today it was a common error found among Windows 8 users and are often caused by things like in-built Skype and Google Chrome. hope you can help me!

[Jdawg]

(Dec 1, 2015, 01:48 PM)Pokeventurer Wrote: Hi guys today i am writting this up to give you guys general info on my com's situation and what security measures should i take for it. so i have been using a Dell Laptop (idk specifically which) and i am super anxious about every tiny bit of details that are going wrong with it, and yes i am just ultra conscious about it's safety; i have not downloaded any anti-virus programs yet because either it turns out to be a virus or it slows down my PC and gives me more probs than solved (past experiences). all those weird things i downloaded led my laptop crippled as it won't shut down and when i sent it for repair the guy that my mum knew and had contact with for such stuff took out the original battery and putted in the one that runs like half the original, he tells my mother that it was a problem in the charging of my laptop, when actually i had noticed malfunctioning in the past two days ( this brute was caused by my sister who just to annoy me did something to my laptop the morning she left for college when i was asleep ) and over that stuff my mom won't believe me. i don't wanna end up feeling bad for myself and being frustrated or angry; therefore i felt like taking a step to properly get the job done.
So now again i have been seeing a iny-tiny bit of weirdness that doesn't do something bad to my system or it's functioning but it seems kinda somewhat infected. i have heard alot on MSE: Microsoft Security Essential being an excellent and free software designed for malware i have also heard that it is lite on your system and doesn't effects it's speed or regular functioning * features i want in one* so can i please get a bit more information on this program and where can i download it for windows 8.0 and keep my system safe; help will be appreciated alot!
On another side relating my computer a message pops up if i wanna update to windows 8.1 for free and it is available in my store; what is this message abut, it'll e good for me to know a bit more about it and what are the benifits of taking this free update oppurtunity and all the related pros and cons.
if you are wondering about my pokemon competitive side i am writting up a analyses which will soon be up, and i am currently feeling weak on teambuilding a strong team, but i'll soon be back with one! Bye for now!

I know om a bit late but you should download the free avg it works amazing for me