Am I Still protected?

Hello, I need some help.

For Christmas, my dad got me a brand new AlienWare Gaming Computer. It's been an absolute dream. After much research and scanning of reddit, I've seen many people say that Windows Defender is more than enough to keep your computer protected against virus', malware, ect. But, as I am paranoid to somehow still get a virus while browsing, I would like to have my computer scanned and scrubbed if needed. So, in order to run a scan, I went to where Windows Defender is. On there, it tells me Mcafee is still active. However, I'm confused by this because when I click it, it tells me that the free trial is over. Does that mean I am no longer protected? Should I look for someone else? I heard Avast Antivirus was a good alternative, but again, my concern is whether or not my computer is still being protected.

Thank you for any help!

Uninstall McAfee and just use Defender. You'll be ffine.

I agree with @allan 100%!!!

I concur with the other two. Get rid of McAfee and just use Defender. They have an uninstall tool as well.

allan said:

Uninstall McAfee and just use Defender. You'll be ffine.

Click to expand...

Does it also fight off spyware and malware? Thank you so much for your help!

Prettystarz4eve said:

Does it also fight off spyware and malware? Thank you so much for your help!

Click to expand...

Prettystarz4eve said:

I am paranoid to somehow still get a virus while browsing

Click to expand...

No Antivirus program works 100%. Most of the threats these days are malware/adware and the threats are developed faster than the AV companies can address them. That said, As far as protection goes, quite a few of us here use Microsoft Defender. It updates its definitions every day.

But we users here take another step to protect our systems by making regular system images that can be restored in case of infection or system failure. I highly recomment having a backup plan to everyone. There are a number of available applications that can do this. Some paid, some free. If you choose to have a backup plan, be sure you create recovery media (usb) for whichever app you choose to use.

Hasleo Backup Suite is a good free one that is easy to use. Hasleo provides Windows Backup & Clone, Data Recovery, Windows To Go Creator, and more.
IMO the best paid imaging app is Macrium. I've used it for many years. Macrium Reflect Home | The complete backup solution for personal use.

At the end of the day, The best protection is the user and his/her internet habits.
Don't click on ads.
Beware of links on social media sites.
Don't click on links in emails unless you are sure of their validity.
Do NOT go to the top sites in your search results unless they are official company sites or using well known domains.
Pay attention when installing software that it is from a reputable source, not some sketchy site.. Make sure that you uncheck any additional software that companies pack into their installers. Read each step during installing.
Do not ever give anyone remote access to your device unless you are 100% positive who they are. Hackers are known to identify themselves as being from Microsoft, Google, McAfee, etc. These companies will NEVER contact you and ask for access or give you a phone number to call them. I repeat NEVER.
Any popup you might get giving you a number to call is a scam.

Regarding Avast. Many years ago I highly recommended it, but not anymore. It's complete bloatware now.

New Dell computers come with a free trial of McAfee installed. The first thing I advice is to Uninstall McAfee using McAfeer uninstaller tool (MCPR)
If you uninstall it using normal uninstall method it leaves a bunch of registry entries behind. Using the tool is best. https://www.mcafee.com/support/s/article/000001616?language=en_US

After uninstall, restart the computer. Windows Defender should have turned on and be active. You can check by opening Search and typing "windows security". Then open Windows Security from the search results. It it did not automatically enable, manually turn it on.

I know you will enjoy your new computer. You dad bought a really good one. I commend you for wanting to be vigilant while using it.

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If you want to add some low-impact protection to your web browser(s), you might try this.

Firefox by default blocks suspect web sites so in conjunction with Windows Defender your covered and do a malware-bytes scan a few times a year out of curiosity to see if it finds anything. Keep good company if you want to be safe.

I agree with others...,
Prudent computer/surfing habits and Windows Security (Defender),
you'll be fine.

(Take the aforementioned suggestions and purge your PC of McAfee, if you decide to go that route)

Microsoft also have Microsoft Safety Scanner which you can use to scan your computer as a backup option.
Microsoft Safety Scanner is a non memory resident application, stand alone app that is regularly updated you download each time to use the latest version, runs from the download and does not install anything on your computer.
If you decide to use Microsoft Safety Scanner as a second option, don't be alarmed if you initially see a lot of Files Infected during the scan wait until the scan has finished to see if there are any infected files.