Microsoft Security Essentials good but not enough to shake up rivals

According to Microsoft, the application (formerly called Morro) will only work on PCs running "genuine" copies of the Windows operating system viz. XP, Vista and the forthcoming Windows 7 that have been verified by Microsoft. In other words, MSE will run Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage tool before installation to check the PC user's copy of Windows is not counterfeit.

"By making Microsoft Security Essentials easy to get and easy to use, Microsoft hopes to encourage broader adoption of anti-virus protection across the consumer audience, which in turn will help increase security across the entire Windows ecosystem," the company said in a statement.

According to Cliff Evans, head of security and privacy at Microsoft, at least 50 percent of PC users do not have up-to-date anti-virus softwares installed in their computers and MSE is intended to help close that gap. "There are not enough people taking up anti-malware subscriptions," Evans said. "We want to make sure that across the world enough people have access to something."

MSE, however, will not be bundled with Windows as of now and Microsoft has left it up to PC manufacturers whether they wanted to install MSE on their machines. "It's not being included as part of the operating system or as an automatic update," Evans said. "There are not enough people taking up anti-malware subscription. We want to make sure that across the world enough people have access to something."

MSE, which is available in full version as a free download on the Microsoft homepage, does not require registration or subscription unlike others. However, PC users will still need to install a firewall, and ensure their operating system is patched with the latest software updates.

"The combination of Windows Firewall and Security Essentials provides you with pretty complete coverage," said Bob Muglia, the president of Microsoft's server and tools division.

MSE also replaces Windows Defender, which currently come bundled with Windows Vista, deactivating it on installation.

Also, though MSE is designed to co-exist with third-party personal firewalls it will not do so with other anti-malware scanners, a limitation common to other anti-virus apps.

The latest offering is Microsoft's second attempt to launch a security suite for its Windows operating system. Earlier, Microsoft launched Windows Live OneCare, which was a paid-for service, but it failed to poach on users of established security and anti-virus brands and was cancelled in June.

A beta version of MSE was released by Microsoft in the same month for users in the US, China, Brazil and Israel, but with demand far exceeding plans for limited trials, Microsoft shut off downloads after less than a day.

Though MSE does not include the non-security features, such as automated PC tuneups, provided by its subscription-based predecessor, Microsoft's Evans said it uses the same engine as Live OneCare and is, in fact, "better, in the sense that it's a later iteration of that engine." Microsoft said it would honour any outstanding subscriptions to the discontinued software.