Windows 7 antivirus?

I have a rather old laptop with numerous pictures, etc. Stored on it. Now I want to save the data to an external hard drive, but I'm not sure if there are any viruses or other malware on it, because I always only had free antivirus programs. Now my question, which antivirus program would you recommend to buy (for Windows 7)? I need one that is also fairly reliable in detecting spyware.

Would recommend Kaspersky to you, but in general I would recommend Win10 as this operating system is more secure.

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Is Kaspersky still available for Windows 7? Yes, I know, but will then no longer use the laptop, just want to make sure that if I connect the external hard drive to another device, no viruses will be transmitted and that my private files have not fallen into the wrong hands in recent years no one else had access to it.

If you do the data on an external, it is irrelevant at first.

Then you connect it to a more current computer and start the virus scan.

There's anti-virus software that protects local storage media. I don't know which ones, but Gdata has this.

If you connect the external hard drive to a computer that has installed the software, it can check the medium and it scans for viruses, Trojans, …

Now my question, which antivirus program would you recommend to buy (for Windows 7)?

If it is absolutely necessary to have a paid antivirus software, from your own experience can recommend https://www.bitdefender.com in particular. You can get the current version in the "Blödimarkt" for around 30 euro, runs for 18 months and can protect up to three devices.

However, I would rather think about a system upgrade and switch from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free. Alternatively, instead of Windows, install any derivative from the Linux world on your notebook - e.g. https://Debian.org, https://linuxmint.com/...uxmint.com or similar.

Regarding Windows 7, let me tell you that Microsoft has discontinued support this month. Your operating system will no longer receive security-related updates in the future. In the end, even the "best" snake oil (antivirus program) is of no use if security gaps are no longer "patched".

If you still want to use Windows 7, I would rather consider a combination of https://www.malwarebytes.com and https://www.glasswire.com. With Malwarebytes you can then temporarily scan your system for malicious code or do a paid upgrade and use the "authenticity protection".

With the monitoring tool GlassWire, on the other hand, you get a better overview of everything that calls home. Then you can easily block incoming and / or outgoing connections. In my opinion, a very practical program that the DAU can cope with.

I need one that is also fairly reliable in detecting spyware.

When it comes to "spyware", it's best to say goodbye to Windows and pretty much all commercial operating systems. In addition, you should also put your own usage and surfing behavior to the test.

Think carefully about when and where you enter and disclose personal information. While you're at it, question the connection to these platforms and services. Completely open like most Otto normal users or about https://www.torproject.org/de/download/ or a "clever" https://www.perfect-privacy.com/de/ without logs?

however, I'm not sure if there are any viruses or other malware on it because I always only had free antivirus programs.

Check the system again in advance for Malwarebytes for malicious code
Copy your own files and documents to an external hard drive
Scan again for malicious code with a Linux Live system

Last but not least: sooner or later you can't avoid a new operating system. In the future, more and more developers will no longer offer their software for older systems and will stop supporting them completely. In terms of hardware, it doesn't look much better either. There are some things that no longer work today.

Thanks for the detailed answer.