How do I install ESET. I keep having an error "Activation helper v2.1 not responding.

Greetings @Soleis

You can download the ESET installer directly from ESET here: https://www.eset.com/us/home/internet-security/download/

During the installation it'll prompt you for your license key from the purchase email. Paste that in and you should be good to go.

ESET will offer you some features that Windows Defender won't. They both offer real-time scanning, but every AV company uses their own heuristic analysis and this is an rea where ESET tends to be pretty solid. It's going to offer you a few other feature as well. Webcam protection, the banking and payment protection which is essentially a driver that blocks key loggers. Think of it as layered protection. You can read more about the features here: https://www.eset.com/us/home/internet-security/#whats-inside

I would say the best defense is to be careful about what you're doing. Generally speaking unless a serious exploit comes to light, the attacker has to find a way to deliver a payload to infect your PC. That requires some cooperation on your part. Check those hyperlinks. If you really feel you need to open a link you're skeptical of, check it with a url expander.

@rjoaq341

If the payment went through you should of gotten a confirmation email with activation instructions. If that didn't come trough, I'd try it one more time. If it still doesn't work or you need any help I'd contact our Tech Support by phone and they can handle the renewal and activation over the phone.