Microsoft Security Essentials

Way back in 2006 Microsoft announced the introduction of Windows Live OneCare the be-all end-all in computer protection, back up, etc.  When it was released I gave it a try and gave it a "C" for an over-all  grade.  It interfered with many installed programs, and as for its "protection" it was pretty much average in detecting malware.  With all those less than positive attributes, I figured it wouldn't be long for this world if they didn't improve it a lot.  And, as with many projects that have come and gone from Microsoft over the years, last November Microsoft announced that they were going to discontinue their Windows Live OneCare service.  You would think that with all their resources Microsoft would be able to come up with a system that actually protects a computer better than third party developers... Not!  Well, I'm not going to beat them up anymore here.  They get trampled in lots of other places, so I'm going to get on with other things.

While OneCare is going to be around a while, taking care of those that bought subscriptions until the subscriptions expire, Microsoft announced something to take the place of the security scanning part of OneCare... they call it Microsoft Security Essentials (code name Morro).  It is currently in Beta test and you can't join as of this writing.  But, you can download it and I will provide a link further down so you can try it out yourself.  Here are a couple of screen shots.  The first one is monitoring, the second scanning:

One of the things I really like about this program is the simplicity.  I hate the complex hoops that many programs make you jump through just to set things up, or even install for that matter.  Once you install the program it will do a definitions update, then a quick scan.  It only took a few minutes to do a basic scan of my "C" drive.  So far it seems to be doing a good job, and it is quick to load and doesn't seem to be intrusive.  You will have to uninstall your current virus scanner, but so far I do like it.  After it has been installed for a while longer I'll post an update... sooner if I find something I don't like. 

Download Microsoft Security Essentials Beta

As with many things I post about, this software is absolutely free.  Another reason to like it!  If you don't want to install a program, you can go to this site and simply have Microsoft Scan your computer for free.  The Windows Live OneCare site is still active and has a free system scanner.

You can do everything from a Full Service Scan to any individual scan included in the Full Service Scan.  I was mostly interested in the "Tune up" myself.  This scans your system registry and cleans it up.  Anyway, it's FREE and you can use it as often as you want or need to.

Added Note:  A new study (May 2009) by the independent AV-Comparatives group gave Microsoft OneCare (which shares the same engine and signatures as MSE) its highest (Advanced+) rating. Only 3 of the 16 products in the test earned that rating. Microsoft’s technology scored second in the accuracy ratings, behind AVIRA but ahead of AVG, Symantec, McAfee, and a dozen other products.
 
 Larry Perry
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