Manage updates with the Download AppMicrosoft Security Essentials beta Video
Microsoft Security Essentials beta Video Transcript
[ Music ] ^M00:00:03
>> As the countdown timer kicks off on Windows 7, Microsoft has also begun to fade out its Live OneCare Security Suite. In its place, users are being pointed to a new freeware antivirus and antispyware program designed to compete with AVG, Avira, and Avast. Hi, I'm Seth Rosenblatt for CNET Download.com. And in this First Look, we're focusing on Microsoft Security Essentials Beta. At the time that we're shooting this video, the program is only available as limited public beta, and all available slots have been taken. However, that doesn't mean that what I'm about to show you isn't a good road map for the future of Microsoft Security might hold. The main interface is uncluttered, easy to read, and easy to use. Status updates are in the central section with scan options available on the right. The quick scan only check system critical areas, and finished up for me in then minutes. The full scan checks everything, and took my PC nearly 90 minutes to finish. The custom scan lets you choose which folders and drives to examine, but this is where the program reveals a critical flaw. You can't actually scan for specific types of threats, yet, such as root kits, which the competition can do. The rest of the tabs are self-explanatory. Update let's you force a definition file update. And history shows you a list of any perceived threats detected, and the actions taken against them. It is not a full scan log, something else the competition has. It also shows you want, if any, files have been quarantined. The settings tab actually contains a lot of information. Here is where you can schedule a scan and somewhat configure scan behavior, tweak your real-time protection, exclude specific files and folders, file types, or processes, manage some basic advance settings, and adjust your Microsoft SpyNet membership. This isn't as scary as it sounds. It's a horrible name, but SpyNet is merely Microsoft's name for definition file monitoring. It's something that most, if not all, security suites do to make sure that new definitions were correctly implemented. Overall, Security Essentials marks a new path for security out of Redmond, a free path. Whether it's one that users will want to travel with Microsoft is another issue entirely, but if it makes Windows users, who otherwise wouldn't have malware protection, more secure, it can't be that bad, right? With a First Look at Microsoft Security Essentials, I'm Seth Rosenblatt for Download.com. ^M00:02:35 [ Music ]
Related Videos
The security and system maintenance bundle for consumers is a strong competitor to Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare, Robert Vamosi says.
Get a first look at Windows Live OneCare, one of the first of many managed online security services to debut this year.
Avira Free Antivirus - Detect and eliminate viruses and malware - Download Video Previews
Avira Free Antivirus eliminates many forms of malware including worms, rootkits, and costly dialers. Features include system scanner prevents infection from viruses, worms, and Trojans, blocks new viruses before they run and halts unknown code that looks suspicious, and click, run, and protect no awkward options express installation sets up your security system for you.
Security Bites: Microsoft's OneCare fails to impress
Microsoft's OneCare fails to impress, but McAfee, Symantec, and others respond. Also, Vista plays hide-and-seek with hackers, a limited Microsoft firewall, and Firefox patches.
Microsoft's OneCare fails to impress
Microsoft's OneCare fails to impress, but McAfee, Symantec and others respond. Also, Vista plays hide-and-seek with hackers, a limited Microsoft firewall and Firefox patches.
Avira 12 renews commitment to security
In its first major overhaul in years, Avira Free Antivirus 12 gets a sharp new interface, revamped detection and prevention engines, and drops"AntiVir" from its name. But it still has that annoying pop-up.
Impressive new features in Internet Explorer 9 beta
Microsoft has officially joined the latest battle in the browser wars, delivering a beta of Internet Explorer 9 that looks and feels modern, with a minimal interface, comprehensive search features, and smart security for Windows users.
Mozilla's first public beta for Firefox 4 debuts support for future-Web tech, lays the groundwork for better security features, and launches a brand-new look that should be eerily familiar to users of Opera and Chrome.
The popular free antivirus suite Avira AntiVir 10 updates to version 10, but there's surprisingly little new. Users will get a faster, easier installation and a refreshed skin, but feature-wise the latest from Avira holds its own instead of pushing ahead.
The 404 416: Where our stocks are on fire and Jill hoses us down
Jill Schlesinger of CBS' MoneyWatch joins the show today to talk about the economy. So it turns out that things aren't going to collapse, and we're not going to have to sell our bodies in a barter system. That doesn't mean, however, we're out of the woods, and Jill is here to show us the way out. Throw in a little bit of health care, a little bit of Social Security and a garlic smell? Only on The 404!
