What would you do if you are me

[MetaMii]

Is Antivirus still a good way to avoid some malware on my PC? I want to start working on my PC online but I don't have any Antivirus or security on the system since it's been year's since I work on PC last, also I have two to three crypto wallets on my PC.

[jackg]

Antivirus is generally good for spotting old threats. Stuff that's been well reported and around for a while is picked up quite well by antivirus. They also have simplistic models of ai for detecting new threats (such as using heuristics to try to work out what a program does/functions to see if it's malicious).

They'll likely either take a while to spot innovative threats or they'll overclean your pc (and they'll also find ways to do both of those things too at once).

If you're doing something you don't trust, it'd be better practice to use a VM as a secure VM won't be able to interact with your main system unless you allow it to.

[Charles-Tim]

The best is to get yourself a hardware wallet.

Antivirus can help to an extent, but you can try ublock origin for ads blocking.

Best not not make use of Google search engine, privacy search engine like Duckduckgo is better. Also better to make use of privacy broswers like Duckduckgo, Firefox and Tor.

Be careful of the sites you visit, avoid link ads. Visit the URL of a reputable site directly is even better.

But it is still better to get yourself a hardware wallet for the safety of your coins.

[BlackHatCoiner]

You shouldn't expect that an Antivirus will keep you safe from every malware out there. The safest option is probably to have an air-gapped machine that is only used to sign transactions, and that's the thing I'd do if I were you. Do you have any computers or laptops left over? Make them air-gapped. If you can't or don't want to, then the second best option is to buy a hardware wallet, although you might have to submit some personal data.

Ultimately, I think a good quote from Electrum's downloads page is needed here;

Finally, if you are really concerned about malware, you should not use an operating system that relies on anti-virus software.

[BitKongy]

Get a laptop for online jobs or whatever you plan to work online, leave the PC for a crypto wallet transactions only, I believe that the moment you start using your PC for online work, clicking on links and opening a new website you are already in possible danger of losing your key or getting your PC spied on.

[noorman0]

Antivirus should also work fine for you (as in my experience the last 3 years) as long as you always update to the latest version to detect the latest viruses. And you should also buy some browser protection packages that are offered such as antimalware, antiphishing, etc., before your PC is actually infected.

[Coyster]

If i were you i would definitely not leave my funds on that PC, hot wallets are pretty risky even with an antivirus, remember that even with an active antivirus, all it takes is one mistake/folly from you and the purpose why the antivirus is there becomes useless, causing you to lose your funds. Mind you also that the chances of this happening when you have your funds in a hot wallet is high. Just move your funds to a cold storage, then you can now use your PC for your work, plus with your antivirus and religiously following other safety measures too.

[Raflesia]

Most people of course save funds from PCs to make their transactions easier but still recommended is a hardware wallet with a lot of recommendations, there it is much safer for large funds when I want to save them except assets that are not too large so I always keep them in my PC.

In essence, we have to be careful with Antivirus, it is for the security of your PC, but if there is an error on our part, it will be a weapon for us, and avoid some suspicious ones and don't click or download them the unknown, more precisely, the advice above should be followed.

[Theones]

Most people of course save funds from PCs to make their transactions easier but still recommended is a hardware wallet with a lot of recommendations, there it is much safer for large funds when I want to save them except assets that are not too large so I always keep them in my PC.

In essence, we have to be careful with Antivirus, it is for the security of your PC, but if there is an error on our part, it will be a weapon for us, and avoid some suspicious ones and don't click or download them the unknown, more precisely, the advice above should be followed.

If you don't have an antivirus - keep yourself away from unnecessary download. avoid inserting a USB to your computer.
Try to find way to install an antivirus through video. You. might get some real help of a key which could save you from trouble.

[examplens]

Depending on your habit, whether you visit risk sites or install suspicious, cracked applications probably antivirus is not enough for sure. there are many other options to look out for.
Keylogger or some malwares will not necessarily be recognized by AV, but it can cost you a lot.
I am certainly a proponent of the idea of using a separate PC for wallets, and only for that. which will be online only for the purposes of the transaction and nothing more. Raspberry Pi can wear most wallets, a cheap and efficient solution.

[Taskford]

Is Antivirus still a good way to avoid some malware on my PC? I want to start working on my PC online but I don't have any Antivirus or security on the system since it's been year's since I work on PC last, also I have two to three crypto wallets on my PC.

It would be recommended to you and  to anyone to download antivirus on your pc because it could help you to avoid some malwares that can affect your pc if some of it penetrates. But what most important thing there is how you secure your own hardware so better also not to click any random link and if you cannot avoid to do this better grab your smartphone and check the link first before opening it to your pc so that you may know that the link you are curious with is safe and not stuffed with any harmful things.

[sheenshane]

You can choose a good AV software for your computer, this will help you to protect your important data against malware infection and cyberattacks.  It has many features that AV can do and I think it's usually recommended on PC that has an AV system to control that possible problem.

In this case, if you're afraid to get scammed, you can use a hardware wallet, this wallet has a built-in feature that can protect itself and won't have to leave any footprint for every transaction that you've made.  So I think, it's not ideal to leave a big fund on your computer if you've worried about this.

[Yamifoud]

Is Antivirus still a good way to avoid some malware on my PC? I want to start working on my PC online but I don't have any Antivirus or security on the system since it's been year's since I work on PC last, also I have two to three crypto wallets on my PC.

Perhaps, you can't just expect that Antivirus will keep your PC 100% safe, especially if you are using a free app. You'd rather acquire paid Antivirus system to enhance your protection but as I said, this won't guarantee that you are totally safe, it still needs your help like being careful in clicking links from strangers. And I don't advise using multiple AV as sometimes it contradicts each other that causing lags in the computer system. And I also advise you to move your other wallet to the other computer for security reasons and in the case that hack comes, they can take everything from you.

[tranthidung]

Is Antivirus still a good way to avoid some malware on my PC? I want to start working on my PC online but I don't have any Antivirus or security on the system since it's been year's since I work on PC last, also I have two to three crypto wallets on my PC.

Antivirus or Internet security softwares can not protect you completely from all threats on the Internet. You should be responsible to protect yourself first with your healthy web-surfing behavior.

It's bad idea to store your coins in wallets on a device that is used daily and with daily exposure to the Internet. Your coins, wallets should be store offline, air-gapped if possible. The best practice is only connect your wallet to the Internet when you have to broadcast transactions.

Remember, even after installing a wallet, when you create seed for a specific wallet, you should do it offline.

[Guide] Secure air-gapped crypto wallet storage method

[lovesmayfamilis]

Antivirus should not be free, because everything that is free always speaks of holes in the system. A year has passed, you say, but you did not say what system you have. If it's Windows, then update it, if Linux, even more so.
Regular updating of systems, antivirus databases, and of course, the separation of entertainment from finance, can promise more or less stable security.
Also, try working in a sandbox; it will also reduce the risk of getting some active malware.

[Israelgogo]

If your PC's serves of your means of making money ,it is advised to install anti-virus and regularly optimise ,maintain and clean your device to avoid you PC been corrupt with virus and it may affect your transaction ,especially your crypto wallet .be careful of sites you visit and what you plug in your PC's .
Same goes to your mobile devices ,if you maintain your crypto wallet account from your mobile, sane approach goes to it ,regularly maintain and clean your phone and be security conscious.

[sunsilk]

Is Antivirus still a good way to avoid some malware on my PC? I want to start working on my PC online but I don't have any Antivirus or security on the system since it's been year's since I work on PC last, also I have two to three crypto wallets on my PC.

Your OS is windows 10 or 11?

If that's so, no need for that as windows has its built-in, windows defender. Getting malware depends on your usage and the way you browse the web.

If you're a reckless user and just downloads any material on the web without knowing if the source is trustworthy or not, you're likely to get it even you've got a good antivirus.

[FatFork]

Is Antivirus still a good way to avoid some malware on my PC?

For most people, the odds of downloading malware on Windows computers have greatly reduced over the years as a result of a variety of different methods that were developed to help make PC users' lives safer.

Most modern anti-virus products are now very good at recognising malicious code and blocking it. Even default Microsoft Defender Antivirus can spot most threats in Windows. It's not perfect, of course, and there are still a few strains of malware that are not detected, but no antivirus product is perfect. You can never be sure that the product is 100% effective, so it's important to remember that it's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to viruses and malware. Update your software regularly and make sure you do regular security updates. Think twice before clicking a link or downloading anything, and be on the lookout for suspicious emails and other messages. Be careful when opening attachments or images from email. And keep in mind that these threats can show up on your mobile devices, too.

I want to start working on my PC online but I don't have any Antivirus or security on the system since it's been year's since I work on PC last, also I have two to three crypto wallets on my PC.

Many security-conscious people choose to use separate systems for work and everyday use. It is up to you to decide what you want to use and how you wish to work. Personally, I like to separate my personal life and work life. By segregating them , I find it easier to protect my data and I'm keeping my digital life as safe and secure as possible. There are some very good reasons why you might want to consider using a Virtual Machine (VM) to keep your main operating system secure and malware-free while you're working on your PC. This is not just a form of housekeeping; it's an effective way to prevent the spread of viruses and other malware by keeping the virus-infected part of your PC isolated from everything else.

[Lucius]

Antivirus is generally good for spotting old threats. Stuff that's been well reported and around for a while is picked up quite well by antivirus.

This is a rather strange explanation given that the AV database is updated at least once every 24 hours with the latest antivirus definitions, although these intervals may be more frequent. Of course, here I am talking about those AVs that have the best reputation and are not free software.

Anyone using Windows OS should have good AV, firewall, and antimalware, especially if your computer has crypto wallets or you trade cryptocurrencies. A good AV/antimalware will protect you (in most cases) from downloading a fake wallet or any malicious file, and a firewall is also a very important part of security for any personal computer.

The problem is that most people don't want to pay for premium security solutions that aren't really expensive, and they think that such security solutions will slow down their computers. If you use an old computer with 2 or 4 GB of RAM, everything will be slow anyway, so without at least 8 GB of RAM we can't talk about comfortable work on the computer.

[Ryker1]

Antivirus should not be free, because everything that is free always speaks of holes in the system.

Well this is right --always go premium AV service if you want a good security system.
A free version of AV has only basic protection which is not all malware infections will be detected --not like premium it has more comprehensive protection which is absolutely good when it comes to protecting your device.
Just watch this OP on how AV will work, ^{[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW626WMWNAE ]}, and thank me later.