Microsoft Security Essentials Available For Download

Mercurial said:

lol I hope you didn't take that as an offense :P!

anyway so it stopped the installation? nice :P... mine just kept going till all the (malicious)files it copied got quarantined ;P!

No offense mate. :)
i see NOD32 has also quaranined it.

When it comes down to it MSE or Vipre or Eset or Whatever should only be considered as part of an overall security policy that you run on your machine.

In my case the toolbar would not be an issue other protection would ensure this (plus the fact that I would not download it or anything like it in the first place ).

To get onto why I think that MSE is a good thing potentially for the general non expert computer user.

• It is a reasonable AV product
• It is from Microsoft - will be trusted by the masses
• It is Free - so will be used
• The actual program updates are integrated into windows update - users need a fit and forget solution
• The scans and the Virus definitions updates are automatic - users need a fit and forget solution
• It is set-up well right out of the box and is unobtrusive - users will not switch it off because it's too complicated or "in your face"

I regularly visit non expert users with problems - to find that they are either running an expired 3 month trial AV or have never actually activated the trial - this may be two years after buying the PC

I would personally like to see MSE included in windows and switched on by default . I realise that due to commercial factors that this is not going to happen but it would help tremendously to curtail the spread of malware

The more unprotected systems that get infected the worse the situation is for everyone as the consequences can spread a lot further that just the machine concerned.

Very well stated Nigel.

The majority of my friends and neighbors are not computer savy - one asked me last week if Windows 7 was the "street name" of Microsoft's new operating system.

My neighbor has divided his screen into two sections: icons he uses, and icons he doesn't use because he doesn't know what they do. The number of icons is not even.

(For a small fee, the local Best Buy will scrape all the add-ins off of a new system. On the bright side, the fee is smaller than what they charge to install memory.)

The majority of users these days treat a computer like any other appliance. They don't want to have to learn how to do anything more than plug it in and turn it on.

Anything that takes no (or a mimimum) of effort and is even somewhat effective is better than something that takes any level of attention, and therefore is not used, even if that solution is more effective.

Microsoft Security Essentials Version: 1.0.1611.0
Antimalware Client Version: 2.0.6212.0
Engine Version: 1.1.5101.0
Antivirus definitions: 1.67.166.0
Antispyware definitions: 1.67.166.0

Updated to the final yesterday...got the Upgrade option from MS..so didn't have to uninstall the beta!..
MSE rocks!:)

My major test bed for anything "for the masses" is my partner .

She uses the computer, as do a lot of people, as a end to a means and not, as the majority of members here, as an end in itself, (the very fact that we are all running Windows 7 before it's release would take us into at least the enthusiast category :) ).

The less she has to do in order that she can check facebook or watch a movie or similar the better. We do, I believe, have to think in terms of the "silent majority" when considering applications such as MSE.

@TheShaft
Congrats on the 150 posts BTW

Antman said:

neoasr said:

MSE showing avast pro as a virus..

Cracks are often reported as viruses.

lmfao... lucky guess O.O?