Microsoft Security Essentials is a Free Antivirus Utility

Today we’ll take a look at how it performs and the protection it has to offer.

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is free Anti-Malware protection that replaces their previous pay for utility One Care.

It has left beta and version 1.0 was released to the public yesterday.

It actually runs a lot like the beta version and the user interface is the basically same.

Before installation verify there is no other Antivirus or spyware tool running on the machine.

You will have to validate your copy of Windows to be able to install and use Security Essentials.

The user interface is basic, simple, and easy to use.

After installation it will update the virus definitions right away.

After the database is updated the computer status turns green.

There are 4 tabs at the top that allow you to control different functions.

Under controls you could choose what actions it should take with malware based on its threat level.

By default Real-time protection is enabled but if you want to disable it you want.

The Real-time protection is light on system resources and doesn’t slow down other processes at all.

It shows a green icon in the notification area letting you know your system is protected.

Progress is displayed while a manual scan takes place and tells you the amount of time it takes.

Scan times will vary between systems based on amount of files and hardware performance.

It works like most other Antivirus apps and lets you scan a single file.

If you want more details, they actually provide a good amount of information on a threat.

It is light on system resources and runs quietly without constantly popping up messages and annoying you.

It does pop up a message when it matters though.

It’s nice to have a free anti-malware utility that is easy to use and effective.