Microsoft's Free Anti-virus Tool Now Available

[Spudz]

Posted at 2:12 PM ET, 09/29/2009
Microsoft's Free Anti-virus Tool Now Available

Windows users looking for a free anti-virus alternative can now take advantage of an offering from Microsoft, which today began offering its Security Essentials anti-virus program.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a real-time and on-demand anti-virus scanner that is free for personal use. It runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions).

Note that in order to use this software, Windows users will first need to pass Microsoft's Genuine Validation (anti-piracy) check, which checks to make sure that you're running a legitimate, licensed copy of Windows.

The version made available today didn't seem to differ too much from the beta I reviewed earlier this summer: The initial install and update were painless, and the default quick scan took about 10 minutes, while using limited resources on my test machine.

Only time will tell how this offering stacks up against other free AV choices out there, including Avira and AVAST!, as well as the various "cloud-based" free anti-virus products, such as those from Panda and Immunet Protect.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/

[Spudz]

And here is what PC Mag had to say about it.

Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0
REVIEW DATE:09.29.09
by Neil J. Rubenking

Microsoft pulled the plug on its Windows Live OneCare security suite before it reached version 3. The company promised to replace it (sort of) with a slim, free tool specifically aimed at malware protection. The just-released Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 offers consumers protection against malware, but in real-world testing it didn't impress.

The 8.5MB download installs in about a minute, but its mandatory update of anti-malware signatures can take 10 minutes or more. After updates, the full installation occupied over 170MB of disk space—more than I expected. The installer necessarily turns on automatic updates, which may pose a problem for advanced users who want to control exactly when Windows installs those updates.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353447,00.asp