I’ve been a very happy user of the limited beta for Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft’s free antivirus and anti-malware software. It has been the best antivirus that I have ever used, free or paid. Well, since Microsoft Security Essentials is free, I’m sure it’ll knock out the bloated competition *cough* Norton, Mcafee, Kaspersky *cough*. An email has been sent out to beta participants today with the news of an eminent final version public release in a few weeks.  Read more...

Permalink: Final version of Microsoft Security Essentials releasing soon

AV-Test GmbH did a thorough test of Microsoft Security Essentials, with almost 3200 viruses, Trojans and worms. All files were detected by the AV, even those ones that aren’t yet detected and cleaned by other paid AV software. They also tested it for false positives, where an AV points out legitimate software as a virus, and even then MSE passed the test with flying colors. None of the clean files were marked as malicious by it.  Read more...

Permalink: The results are out, Microsoft Security Essentials beats the competition

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Permalink: Microsoft Security Essentials Beta to be available for download today

Microsoft has recently released a free anti-virus solution that proves out to be better than almost all paid solutions available for consumers out there. We did a detailed review of the AV earlier and you can read it at the link given in the post. But during extended usage, we came across the following. Turns out that it’s true, there’s no such thing as a free meal. The Microsoft SpyNet membership is a part of Microsoft Security Essentials ( Read Review), which you can’t disable or walk out off, and has 2 types — Basic and Advanced. Both of them have one thing in common though, which says  Read more...

Permalink: Microsoft Security Essentials will send your personal information back to Microsoft

Microsoft Security Essentials, codenamed ‘Morro’ is the free antivirus solution by Microsoft expected to  launch with Windows 7. Recently a few screenshots were leaked, and just after that the whole application is available of the Internet to download. Microsoft Security Essentials is available for Windows XP (32 bit only), Vista and 7 (32 and 64 bit).

It is built off the core of Microsoft’s previous subscription only security suite, Windows Live OneCare. Although I have been unable to test if for any virus detection due to my lost virus filled USB drive, the performance is amazing. It almost feels as if you’ve got no antivirus installed. Unlike OneCare, it doesn’t have a Firewall. Windows 7’s built in Firewall already provides good enough protection for both ingoing and outgoing traffic so that shouldn’t be an issue. Although I wonder if the bundling of a Firewall could take Microsoft to the EU court again.

The interface of MSE is very simple and straight forward. Installation requires a genuine validation check, so if you’re pirating, Microsoft thinks you deserve viruses. It also comes with Microsoft antimalware, although in my experience it didn’t turn off the default Windows Defender automatically. Also, one would question why Microsoft would work on another free antimalware solution, rather than improve Windows Defender which comes bundled with Windows. An important missing feature is the capability of being able to monitor other computer’s antivirus software in your home network, through MSE, which was a feature I really liked in OneCare.

So far I’m really impressed with MSE. It’s small ( setup just under 5MB), fast, stays out of your way and doesn’t hog your resources. Only detailed lab tests would show whether MSE will put up a fight with the likes of Norton, McAfee, NOD32, Kaspersky, Avira and so on. If you want to give it a try, head on over to JCXP, where they have the download links for both 32 and 64 bit versions of Microsoft Security Essentials.

Check out the screenshots of MSE below.  Read more...

Permalink: Review of Microsoft Security Essentials, free Antivirus by Microsoft