- Disable window updates, cuz they can mess up things even without virus
- Run web browsers inside sandbox to prevent autodownloaded autoexecuting files from tampering your computer files
You don't really need anti-virus running all the time, but something lightweight like HitManPro is good for scanning now and then...
Password manager can be replaced by scripting, make your own off-line scripts, for example via autohotkey, make crypto address insertion easier too...
Thanks for commenting. When you say "Disable window updates" what do you mean? Do you windows operating system updates? Though they can (rarely) have unintended consequences, it is important to keep your operating system fully patched with the latest updates as they come out. The most common way for hackers to get into systems is when those systems have been patched with the latest security updates for known exploits already in the wild.
By sandbox, do you mean a virtual machine? That's a good way to go, I think, but browsers themselves are, by design, sandboxes which do not allow privileged access to the computer. Problems usually come after a file is downloaded and run outside of the web browser.
The reason I think antivirus running constantly is important is that you will get the latest updates as they are available. Some people purchase antivirus software but don't keep it up-to-date which is almost worse than not having it at all because it creates a false sense of security. If the latest virus definitions aren't actively being scanned for, it's not offering much protection when a new file gets run.
I'm not sure I quite follow what you mean about scripting helping? How is the secure and what encryption is involved? Password managers were designed with encryption and security in mind. For a script to run, it has to be online, so I'm missing you a bit there. Thanks for clarifying.
As much as I know from experience that Windows Updates can mess things up... please don't turn them off. They do apply patches to protect against known exploits.
If you'd like to turn off Windows updates, it'd be much better for you to experiment with running Linux (which also has regular updates but has a better track record of them not messing up your system).
I'm very happy having run Linux for over 13 years as my primary operating system. I work with Windows everyday at work with customers' systems and see the frequent security problems that Windows has. Linux isn't perfect, but compared to Windows security Linux is like a vault safe to Window's "piggy bank".