security update problem

cosmowillie53

A little help needed please..
I have an old Toshiba laptop Windows Vista.. ( could be eight or nine years old )
Google chrome no longer receiving updates but computer working away fine.

I have Microsoft security essentials free installed for years now but today it has stopped working.

The question is what can I do now ? ( apart from buying a new computer)

Thanks

degsie

Try linux?

riclad

Uninstall ms essentials ,.
Download avg antivirus or avast antivirus .
Make sure your firewall is on.
uninstall ms essentials , make sure your firewall is on Reboot your laptop .go here ,

https://www.avast.com/en-us/free-antivirus-download

download avast and install it.

jca

Also download "patchmypc" and save it to the desktop, when you run it, it checks for outdated software and you can update everything in one go.

golfcaptain

cosmowillie53 wrote: »

A little help needed please..
I have an old Toshiba laptop Windows Vista.. ( could be eight or nine years old )
Google chrome no longer receiving updates but computer working away fine.

I have Microsoft security essentials free installed for years now but today it has stopped working.

The question is what can I do now ? ( apart from buying a new computer)

Thanks

Well there's 3 issues there really:
1) Security product support - MS Security Essentials no longer supported
Option: Switch to a different or combination of different supported products (e.g. AVG, Malwarebytes)
2) Browser support - Chrome no longer supported on Vista
Option: Switch to a different supported browser (e.g. Firefox)
3) Operating system support - Vista supported up until April 2017 AFAIK
Option: Upgrade to newer version of Windows (hardware dependent) or install another OS (Linux).
**You can completely replace Windows or run another/multiple OSs alongside it, this is called dual or multi-booting.

You can also look to see if its worthwhile upgrading the storage and adding more RAM.

PremiumCola

Golfcaptain has it summed up pretty nicely.

If you're worried about security: AVG and malwarebytes will keep you covered. AVG will keep out viruses and malwarebytes will detect and remove malware. You will need both as AVG (although very good) cant handle malware.

If browser support is the issue then just change to a different browser. Firefox also awesome, Opera is another browser that I'd trust.

You may want to look to upgrade your OS tho. I just reluctantly upgraded from windows 7 to windows 10 and to my surprise its not that bad. If you can work your way around vista you'll manage windows 10 easily as the layout and navigational tools are pretty much the same (but more efficient).

You could also move to a free OS like Ubuntu. Ubuntu is free and secure due to less hackers targeting the OS. It's a little different to windows though and might take a bit of time to get used to. You can use a Windows Installer to install Ubuntu. If you do this then when you start your computer you'll have to decide if you want to boot windows or ubuntu each time ( so you can keep both OS . . . no file loss ).


I can't post links but you can Google
"Upgrading from vista to windows 10"
or
"Ubuntu windows installer"

To find tutorials on how to do this

jca

I wouldn't use AVG in a vista machine tbh. Vista is a bit of a dog in its own right and adding a dog of an av like AVG could make things very slow indeed. You can pick up a paid Kaspersky on ebay for around a tenner, a great av I think. Pale Moon is a nice browser if you need something light on resources. I always found FF a bit of a memory hog.

riclad

Iron browser may work on vista ,it looks like chrome.


https://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php
do,nt use banking websites , online banking on that laptop.

cosmowillie53

Thanks to you all for your quick response and help.
Plenty there for me to work with. I only use the computer for general browsing, email and photos.
Thanks.