I do have a little bit of a dilemma and what better place than asking the crowd here. For the past 15 years I never owned a personal laptop. I always used the one provided to me by my company. It has all sorts of firewall and virus protection and I always do my banking transactions on that computer. I also use it to store all of my passwords on Google Chrome.
But recently, my company stopped supporting Chrome. I can't sync my favorites anymore, I can't save my passwords anymore and I can't access to certain websites like Cowboyszone or ESPN anymore.
Hence, I am in the market for a personal laptop where I can do my banking without worrying about virus's or identity theft.
I have always used Microsoft products and other than my iPhone I never used an Apple product. My question is this. What is a safe laptop where I won't have to worry about virus's? Thanks in advance for all the answers.
PS: Please note I am a computer noob.
Okay a few things, but first things first. If you use the Office suite, the first question to ask is do you use the fat client (an application installed on the PC) or do / can you use Office 365's web based applications? (Word and Excel in a web browser)
If you use them extensively and many of the features. The web version may not be enough and you will need the fat client. If that is the case, you are looking at a Windows PC or a Mac. Given you have no experience with a Mac, I wouldn't push you in that direction. Just go with a Windows laptop.
Finally, virus and other types of attacks will always be a threat. To protect yourself, you need to educate yourself.
Windows now comes with it's own virus software. Like all others, it doesn't protect against everything so you have to be smart. (ie, educate yourself)
Second, install malwarebytes pay or free version. Until you really learn what to do and what not to do and how to predict when and where you may get attacked. Update and run a Malwarebytes scan once a week or so and any time you suspect something might be wrong.
Third, don't open emails from people you don't know. Even if you know them, don't open attachments unless you knew that attachment was coming before it arrived. If you get an email from a company you do know. Do not open an attachment unless you know exactly what it is and why you received it. If you get an email from a company you know and there is a link for you to click on. Look at the destination of that link to ensure it leads to the company's website.
For instance, if you get an email from say Paypal with a link to view / update / or something look at the link itself. If that link doesn't go to paypal.com, don't click it. It's a phishing email trying to trick you into given them your Paypal (or whatever) login credentials.
Stay away from websites you've never heard of before. (stick with reputable websites) Those are the sites that are most likely infested with malware.
As for the laptop. Pick a budget your comfortable with. Then go shopping for laptops you think would fit your requirements. Then take that model number and google for reviews of it. Most of the reviews need to come as "customer reviews" Most "review" websites like magazines or review websites. Those are compensated reviews, meaning you can't trust them.
Finally, when reading customer reviews. Take both highly positive and highly negative reviews with a grain of salt. Most highly negative reviews are just angry people and most highly positive reviews are hyperbole or false reviews. Take all the reviews as a whole to gauge how good the product is and look for areas where multiple reviewers mention the same detail. When specific details are mentioned by lots of different reviewers. That tends to give a very high credence to that detail. Heed it.
If all you do is web surf and email and you can use the Office 365 web base suite. A chrome book might be a good option.
As for managing passwords. I don't let Chrome do that for me. I tend to use services like Last Pass that work on multiple browsers and can even work on your phone for the web and applications.
Peace, Love, and DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS!
