Ok, I have been getting some “error messages” that are laughably obvious hacks. Again. So I reinstalled Windows 10, and got most of my backups restored, but am considering a few options.
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What web browser to use?** I think the last time I used Internet Explorer the year still started with “19”. I’ve usually gone with Firefox, although I seem to remember Google being in there somewhere. What’s decent and reliable now? I just go on some news/information sites, some humor sites, and some forums like this one. I don’t really do much else on the internet, don’t do any type of hacking, downloading, etc, just some light basic browsing. Is Firefox still ok or is it the new IE? And if that’s a yes, what would be a good browser to use? I’m entering this through the default program, Microsoft Edge. Is Edge the new IE?
What about defense? Is Windows defender that came with Windows 10 ok for my defense, or should I go back with Zone Alarm or another protection utility?
Chrome is a bit more popular these days, but Firefox is still fine to use. Microsoft ranks high in the usage statistics (2nd only to Chrome) just because their browsers comes with Windows and some folks don’t change to anything else, but Microsoft doesn’t usually rate all that highly on reviewing sites.
If you like Firefox there’s no compelling reason to switch to Chrome. Both browsers work very well these days.
Windows Defender used to be fairly decent, but it has slipped a fair amount in recent years. One of the best reviews I’ve heard of it lately said it was “less awful” than it used to be, so it’s making some progress, but I personally still wouldn’t rely on it.
Of the freebies, Avast ranks highest, followed closely by AVG. I personally use Avast, and I can tell you that it is EXTREMELY ANNOYING if you don’t put it into silent gaming mode (my opinion). As long as it’s in silent mode it’s great.
I used to use AVG but I switched when it started to become a bit of a resource hog.
BitDefender, Norton, and Kaspery also do well in independent rankings.
I use Windows Defender, but I beef it up with MalwareBytes Anti-Exploit and now MalwareBytes Anti-Ransomware. And also uBlock Origin with both advertisement and malware lists to block malware-giving sites.
The reason I fell back on WD is that every other free antivirus I tried would eventually nag about getting the pro version. This used to just be what Avira did (and there was a way to fix it). But now they all seem to do it. And paying as much as they want just to get rid of an ad seems ridiculous.
As for web browsers: I’m using Chrome as my primary due to the upcoming changes in Firefox 57. Extensions will break like crazy, and it does not seem that there is any way to be prepared ahead of time (unlike with Firefox 4, the last time this happened). The idea is that you can use Chrome addons to replace the ones Firefox loses, but they still just don’t work. And the changeover is in less than 6 months.
If all you use are the basic, most popular addons (adblock, Tab Mix Plus, GreaseMonkey, Ghostery, etc) then you’d probably be fine with Firefox. (Though do note the UI is going to drastically change again soon.) But, even then, I’d try Chrome first and see if you like it. You can trust Chrome not to radically change ever. They actually understand what “rapid release cycle” means.