Microsoft to Discontinue Windows Live One Care, Offer Free Service

Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue sales of its subscription security service, instead opting for a free version to help protect against computer threats like viruses and spyware. The sales halt won't be placed in effect until after the beginning of the third quarter, 2009.

Yet, given the well-publicized shortcomings of Windows Live One Care, can its free replacement be expected to perform any better? Or, will the new free security service be, as a McAfee spokesman claims, "a dressed-down free model that doesn't meet consumer security needs"?

I suppose only time will tell if the new security service will be an improvement upon Windows Live One Care or, what seems more likely to be the case, an even weaker, bare-bones iteration of its current form.

In the meantime, be sure and check out our antivirus software review site, complete with articles, resources and full reviews of the best security programs available.

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