Microsoft Security Essentials
Article by Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience)
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) (previously codenamed Morro) is an antivirus software created by Microsoft that provides protection against viruses, spyware, root kits, and Trojans for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, free of charge.
It replaces Windows Live OneCare, a commercial subscription-based antivirus service and Windows Defender, which only protects users from adware and spyware. MSE is geared for the home user marketplace.
On Windows Vista and Windows 7, MSE requires a 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a security suite designed for consumers. It is based on the Forefront Client Security desktop agent, but solely provides malware detection and removal and lacks centralized management features.
It includes the same anti-malware engine (dubbed "Microsoft Malware Protection Engine", or MSMPENG for short), and virus definitions that all other Microsoft desktop antimalware products share, including Forefront Client Security, Windows Live OneCare, and Windows Defender (Defender excludes the antivirus definitions which are separate from the antispyware definitions).
Fig 1.0 - Microsoft Security Essentials - Main Windows
Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.
Download Link:
You can download the software for free here: Microsoft Security Essentials
(This video demos the utility on Windows XP).
