Microsoft Launches Free Antivirus Software

Microsoft’s latest security project, codenamed Morro, has been in beta for the last few months, but today the company has made it officially available to the public. This new antivirus program is called Microsoft Security Essentials and makes it possible for Windows users to have real-time protection from viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojans. While Microsoft Security Essentials has proven to be pretty effective at protecting your computer, the real attraction for using it is the price: free.

Microsoft has already implemented various levels of defense against malware in the operating systems of the last few years. Attempts at controlling installation privileges and system changes for programs led to a lot of frustration in Vista and was marginally improved in Windows 7. Microsoft Security Essentials, on the other hand, adds another layer of defense that more actively patrols your computer, identifying threats.

Microsoft Security Essentials is available for free from the MSE site, with a 32-bit version for Windows XP and 32- and 64-bit versions for Vista and Windows 7. Don’t expect to add MSE to your existing malware protection software though. The program can’t function alongside other antivirus programs without giving false positives. There’s another catch, though not a big one for the average user. In order to install Microsoft Security Essentials, you need to validate your copy of Windows to make sure it isn’t pirated. If you bought your computer from any major retailer, you’ll be just fine.

Early tests of Microsoft Security Essentials have shown positive results. The program has been praised for having such a simple interface. It’s not cluttered and the design team behind it has done a good job of making appear unintimidating. It also does a good job of giving the necessary alerts to the user when input is needed but remaining fairly unobtrusive otherwise. If the taskbar icon is green, you’re good to go.

That’s all nice, but of course the biggest question we have is “Does it work? Will it keep my computer clean?” The official tests by security experts are still pending, but we’ve been able to find a few tests done by various news outlets on the internet and they all seem optimistic. Microsoft Security Essentials seemed to perform at least as good as other security solutions at identifying and clearing out threats, including ones found in “the darker corners of the Web.”

We’ll have to wait for some more official tests to determine just how accurate and reliable Microsoft Security Essentials is at protecting your computer from malware. But with promising preliminary test results, a minimalist design, small installer size and an irresistible price, MSE appears poised to make quite an impact in the world of antivirus software.

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