Coming Soon: Microsoft’s Free Anti-virus Software

By Sunshine on June 11, 2009 11:03 AM

8 comments

Back in November Microsoft announced that they will offer free anti virus software, codenamed “Morro”, to replace Windows Live OneCare. As you know Windows Live OneCare will be discontinued. Subscriptions will stop being sold via retail channels from 30 June 2009, though direct sales via Microsoft will stop only when “Morro” is available. Well, it looks like “Morro” is here since Microsoft has been removing OneCare from the channel for the past couple of months.

Reuters got the scoop:

A Microsoft spokesman said on Wednesday that the world’s biggest software maker is testing an early version of the product with its own employees. Microsoft would "soon" make a trial version, or product beta, available via its website, he added, but declined to provide a specific date.

Morro will only include basic features for fighting viruses, which would likely make it comparable to the least-expensive products sold by Symantec and McAfee. So far officials with Symantec and McAfee have said they do not see Morro as a threat. Let’s see about that eh?

Now we don’t know how soon soon is, though some bloggers apparently got more information. However they are under NDA so they won’t tell…it might even be in the next few days. Guess we’ll just have to keep our eyes open…

Posted in News | Tags: Microsoft Security Essentials

Comments

http://yertblog.blogspot.com yertthedestroyer

They will claim not to see it as a threat as they peddle their bloatware, then they will claim Microsoft is abusing monopoly position or something if their marketshare takes too big a hit.
http://www.liveside.net/members/calum_2D00_cook/default.aspx calum-cook

Yes, exactly. Let’s just see about that. It may only contain anti-virus software, while other suites contain anti-spyware software etc, but what Symantec and McAfee seem to be forgetting is that all that extra stuff is already built into Windows. Morro will see these companies become irrelevant, and about time, too. Like yertthedestroyer said, I can’t wait to be rid of their bloatware.
http://www.liveside.net/members/Sunshine/default.aspx Sunshine

Under only basic features Microsoft understands: protection from several types of malicious software including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans. It’s an Anti Virus program and not a security suite, so no firewall, encryption etc. Most, if not all, of these features can be found in Windows already anyway, just as you said calum-cook. To me it sounds complete, I never liked security suites anyway (too much potential clashes with built in Windows security stuff).
@yertthedestroyer: possibly
http://www.liveside.net/members/MenthiX/default.aspx MenthiX

They whole monopoly issues are only because they bundle products with Windows. I think Microsoft has learned from that.

Hope Morro will turn out to be a good product: Simple UI, but great quality detecting all the active malware in vrii in realtime. Daily signature updates an no large number of false positives.

If it is all that it will be great to recommend to family and other normal users.
http://www.liveside.net/members/paperlock/default.aspx paperlock

Morro will turn out to be a good product.Next question can i use it two scan my ny network and other computer.Plus can i use two scan my xbox and zune.
http://www.liveside.net/members/empirestatebuddy/default.aspx empirestatebuddy

Free anti-virus software from Microsoft? Awesome! How could anyone be upset by this (aside from Norton, McAfee, etc)? It’s great news.
http://www.liveside.net/members/efjay/default.aspx efjay

I hope there is a version that runs on Windows Home Server that will monitor the installs on clients in the network.
http://www.liveside.net/members/MenthiX/default.aspx MenthiX

@paperlock: I don’t think any virus exists for the Xbox, and probably none for the Zune either. If there would be a virus on your Xbox or Zune it is probably a PC virus, which won’t be able to do anything until it’s actually executed on a PC. As long as that PC has antivirus installed it will be detected before it gets a chance to do damage.

Scanning over the network might be interesting, but very slow. Since the product is free it is easier to just install it on every machine in the network.

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