Sunday, June 28, 2009

Microsoft to release free anti-virus

Windows Security Essentials - New free antivirus software

Windows Security Essentials, the replacement for Windows Live OneCare, the for-a-fee security package that Microsoft is ditching on June 30, will be available for download at approximately noon, Eastern time. The free download will be posted on a new Microsoft site dedicated to Security Essentials (the page will go live Tuesday).

Microsoft has pitched the software as a basic antivirus, antispyware product that consumes less memory and disk space than commercial security suites like those from vendors such as Symantec and McAfee, and so is suitable for even low-powered PCs such as netbooks.

Microsoft has already repeatedly shown a particular incompetence when it comes to identifying and preventing malware, and I personally think this will be a new challenge from Microsoft in this domain.

Microsoft has had bad luck in the past when it has limited the number of downloads for previews of its software. Last January, the company had to restart the launch of Windows 7 Beta after its servers were overwhelmed because users, who had been told Microsoft would cap the downloads, rushed to grab a copy.

In May, when Microsoft offered Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC), it made it clear to users that it wouldn't restrict the number of copies downloaded from its site.

2 comments:

Clod said...

Fully sucks that they have chosen to beta to US China etc and not AU.

Shoaib Yousuf said...

Yeah it's strange but yeah they will be releasing to AU users around about in September - October, no fixed date yet though!