is it safe to be on windows 8.1 ?

Is it safe to use Windows 8.1? Yes, it's safe as long as you don't expose it to the internet. Windows 8.1 is defenseless against today's threats from the internet, and antivirus software doesn't solve that. Your antivirus software can't make up for fundamental weaknesses in the operating system.

Support for Windows 8.1 ended more than a year ago (on January 10, 2023) so malware writers know that its weaknesses won't be fixed.

Use your Windows 8.1 computer as a game server, or as a media server. Use it for backing up, or for learning how to code. Just don't expose it to the internet.

I believe this discussion has run its course, and I don't want to prolong it, so I promise to keep quiet after this. I just want to echo an important point made earlier about PDF files. A PDF file can contain a script (a set of commands) that can infect your computer when you open the file, so always scan a PDF before you open it. My point here is that the script is not visible - you won't see it as you are reading the PDF.

so i can't use internet ? does it mean that i can't surf using browser to read articles, watch youtube, and twitch via browser ?

I post in these 8.1 forums, using a Windows 8.1 operating system on an Acer device..

That is the only fair way to answer poster's 8.1 Questions.

I use a good Anti-virus and a couple of other Security Programs.

What your computer gets infected with often depends on just what websites you go to.

My AV warns me of potentially "bad" websites and will block me from going to them.

And that comes very much in handy even here when I have to check website links that are posted even here.

Also how do i know if the website is dangerous or could infect my computer?

If the attacker is an amateur, you might see things that don't seem quite right, like wrong spelling or bad grammar. If the attacker is a professional, you might never realize that you have been attacked until it's too late to do anything about it ... and you may never realize at all.

I work in cybersecurity. We use a term called "dwell time" to describe the length of time a computer has been infected with malware until someone realized that something was wrong. In large organizations with professionally managed IT departments (and up-to-date software) dwell time is usually measured in months.

I don't mean to scare you. It's just that most people do not appreciate just how crafty and brilliant malware is. No matter whose software you use, it's a never ending battle, so you want to give yourself every possible advantage.

so i can't use internet ? does it mean that i can't surf using browser to read articles, watch youtube, and twitch via browser ?