Advice Request Is antivirus software necessary in 2020?

[South Park]

I have a Samsung laptop and it is almost 8 years old.

Thanks for the info, I will never buy from HP, sounds like they make their laptops to last only 3-4 years (if you're lucky).

Not to go too far off-topic, but I've never had a cheap laptop fail before 7 years. Most name brands are all made from the same generic parts (such as Compal) anyway. As far as protecting your data, backing up is essential, but so is antimalware protection. Even if your personal files are backed up to external drives, if your computer gets compromised, criminals may be stealing your bank logins in real time and could empty your account or steal your identity before you knew what happened.

 

[roger_m]

Thanks for the info, I will never buy from HP, sounds like they make their laptops to last only 3-4 years (if you're lucky).

They don't. However, they want people to buy new laptops so they make money. The HP laptop I was using daily until a few months ago was 9 years old and was still working fine. My oldest HP laptop is 13 years old, is also still working and runs Windows 10.

Just bear in mind that with any major brand of laptop, with cheaper models they sacrifice quality in order to keep the price as low as possible. If you want an excellent quality laptop then it's best to spend more money. I use business laptops from Lenovo, HP and Dell, and they are all of excellent quality.

Sorry for the off topic post.

 

[Ludvig Y]

Yeah, I think Antivirus is necessary for us. Because an antivirus protects our PC from harmful software or virus.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

For 98% of people of course its necessary. People need protection on the internet, what else is there for them?

 

[Minimalist]

For most people using Windows OS, it's necessary.

 

[Ink]

Windows, yes.
Android, no.
ChromeOS, no.
iOS, not applicable.
macOS, no.
Linux, don't know.
Linux server, yes.

Just as Antivirus =/= 100% protection, No Antivirus =/= No security.

 

[FireHammer]

Hey, I was not here without BTS, it has saved me countless times

 

[FireHammer]

I have BTS but I have WD updated & to do quick scans randomly.
sorry for the double posting.