I want to load an antivirus on a laptop which has Windows 10. I have read that windows defender is very basic so would like another that is safer, but will it conflict with WD? I am only aware of Avast and AVG.
Any suggestions please?
Hummm take win10 off and put Linux on instead 
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Paid for or free? Lots of choice out there. I use Bitdefender on a Mac.
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In the past Windows Defender may have been pretty basic but now it has improved and can hold its own against many other AV products.
Having said that, I also use McAfee Total Protection which in addition to its AV functions has some useful features such as file shredding, blocking access to unsafe sites and stopping unwanted videos from playing. McAfee TP can also be installed on Android which is a bonus for me. My McAfee licence expires soon and the renewal cost has gone up, so I may replace this with Bitdefender Antivirus Plus.
Many users have reported problems with both Avast and AVG, so my advice is to steer clear of these.
I highly recommend supplementing whichever AV you choose with Malwarebytes Premium which gives protection against malware and ransomware.
I also use free versions of Spybot Search and Destroy and McAfee Stinger Portable as a last ditch defence.
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Stick with Windows Defender and add Ghostery and Addblock Plus which make the whole Internet thing actually bearable.
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I have nothing more than Windows Defender, though I run Malwarebytes occasionally. I also use various adblockers.
I’ve never had a problem, but if you’re worried there are plenty of options. Bitdefender seems to get good reviews.
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Thanks for your input, lots to digest over the weekend.
In my professional life I always used Norton and I’ve never found reason to change when it comes to my personal computers.
It was reported recently that there was a security issue with Avast and AVG, but in fairness the company (they’re the same group) says they’ve fixed it now.
Strongly recommend the use of Malware bites, either as a subscription or as a (free) occasional user.
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If you must run Windoz Lily why not cut out the middle man and install a virus yourself 
That way you get to choose from the vast array available for MS.
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@ChrisK does BitDefender on macOS not chew up ressources in the background?
All of the AV products I have tried so far on macOS over the years have tended to do that, causing the processor to run hot and the fan to kick in constantly.
I use the free version of Sophos on my MacBook, I know its also available for phones, Windows etc
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@RicePudding That’s a complaint often leveled at a lot of AVs but personally I’ve not had any problems like that. I did notice it a lot more when running windows on my previous dell though.
I’ve been using "“Norton 360"” for years, transfers between new laptops, simply de-activate the basic Windows antivirus and it runs perfectly.
There’s a point of view amongst the Linux aficionado that AV is not really of benefit when using the Linux platform as opposed to the very necessary need in Windoze…
That said, we use ClamTK in the background and (other than having signalling some legacy Windoze files as suspect in the past) we don’t have any issues being reported.
Windoze really is a dog 
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I’ve never found Clam to be terribly convincing - though still run it on incoming mail I have been considering not bothering. Most things are caught by Spamassassin and the few that Clam quarantines seem to be false positives.
For family Windows machines I don’t think we’ve ever had a positive hit (even back when I actually ran a separate AV package which would have been AVG and latterly Avast) - certainly not in the last 15-20 years but I try to install software only from reliable sources and, as I said, Ghostery and ABP stop a lot of questionable link traversal.
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As with anything virus related - the best advice is “if it’s suspect bin it without opening”. The spammers rely on people’s inquisitiveness to gain any headway and it’s rare that one of trillions of devices on the 'net will be targeted randomly.
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Gosh! A lot of what you are posting is going over my head, so many different options 
So far I have loaded ABP and Malwarebytes along with WD 
I used to use Norton until my techie people told me I did not need to pay for AV. Does this still apply?
As mentioned I have had AVG for the last 6/7 years without any problems, but now I’m not sure 
This is a SH laptop ready loaded with W10
Well, you pays your money and you takes your choice.
The best one is a free one (until it lets you down and your system is trashed with no recourse).
A bit like you are only as good as your last backup, in all honesty 
Sorry, can’t be more decisive than that… only you know how the risks might impact on your IT experience and what the harm might be might be if you lost everything and had to start from scratch again.
Not unlike insurance really. A pain the bum stomping up the cash but satisfyingly smug when you suffer a loss and it’s covered.
Anecdotally, it’s all about loss mitigation. I save critical files to a cloud based resource - Dropbox, Box and Google Drive, which gives me some comfort as the service provider is responsible for maintaining the integrity of their systems and I can retrieve any files from there if something untoward happens to them or they become otherwise inaccessible.
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I’ve been using Malwarebytes for a few years and haven’t had any problems.
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Lots of AV providers have 30 day trials available so you can see how it works, whether it’s right for you etc.
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