Install antivirus after virus?

I'm a little afraid that there's a virus or malware on my laptop. I don't have an up-to-date antivirus system. Do you think it makes sense to buy one? Or could there be a risk that it will also get infected?

Everyone has an antivirus program, you have windows defender

At least every windows

Many antivirus programs are initially free.

It will probably not be infected, but it will be tricked.

Aldo yes: If you suspect viruses / malware, you should run a virus scanner. By the way, Windows 10 has a good built-in.

If you have Windows 10, you don't need to install an anti-virus program. The Windows Defender integrated in Windows 10 is on a level with other well-known manufacturers and therefore completely sufficient. You could run a search over it.

And if you are still using an older operating system, then personally I would gravitate towards Avast. For years I've only had good experiences with Avast. There's a free version, but there are also many paid ones. Basically, you are well equipped with the free version. The chargeable versions or chargeable anti-virus programs often offer additional functions that are not absolutely necessary. Ultimately, however, everyone has to decide for themselves whether a paid anti-virus program makes sense for them or not.

No anti-virus program will offer you one hundred percent protection. You should also always pay a little attention to which pages you visit and what files you download. Dubious mail attachments, for example, should also be avoided.

In addition, it is advisable to select the user-defined installation for software installations so that you can then remove ticks for certain offers, which can prevent the installation of further software, adware or the like. This saves you a lot of work to remove all of the stuff. The browser settings can also be manipulated if this is not observed.

And why do you even assume that there's a virus on your laptop? Are there any signs of this? Depending on the problem, they could give you more detailed help or recommend certain programs or procedures.

It is best to run the pre-installed microsoft virus scanner on the program where you suspect it is a virus. It's actually good enough that you don't need to buy one