There's really no question what the most popular, free antivirus program for Windows is here at Download Squad. You, our readers, make it pretty clear whenever we post about the topic that
Microsoft Security Essentials is at the top of the heap -- and we tend to agree. With detection rates every bit as good as some competing paid products (and better than many), MSE might just be the best piece of free software Microsoft has ever released.
And it's just gotten better, with the official arrival of Security Essentials 2. The upgrade adds several key improvements, not the least of which is a heuristic scanning engine. One of the big knocks against its predecessor was that MSE's protection relied too heavily upon definitions -- and in today's ever-changing threat landscape, definitions just aren't enough. Still, I never had a single machine at home become infected while running MSE 1, so now that version 2 includes heuristic kung-fu I'm even
less concerned about the safety of my Windows PCs.
MSE 2 also offers improved defense by better integrating with existing Windows features. The updated app adds muscle to the Windows Firewall and Internet Explorer to offer increased protection against network and Web-based threats. There's also a new network inspection feature which uses the Windows Filtering Platform in Vista and Windows 7 -- XP users won't benefit from this feature, obviously.
If you're already running MSE, check your update tab for an upgrade notification -- your system tray icon may also be orange if the update is available. You can also
download Security Essentials 2 manually from this page and install over the old version.
Microsoft Security Essentials 2 available for download, now an even better free antivirus for Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
EMC
ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING
ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS
ELECTRONIC ARTS
Oh, 2010. It was glorious, but thank the almighty�prancing�unicorn in the sky that it's over. It was the year of the iPad, really. Steve Jobs took to the stage of Moscone Center, sat down, and proceeded to show the world how he wanted us to interact with the Internet -- several million consumers followed suite immediately. But there was so much more, too! Of course not everyone had such a good year as Apple. Or Roku. Or Amazon. Some companies and products didn't fare so well and they're probably looking to the riches that will [hopefully] be made in 2011. Look at Android tablets, netbooks, cable companies and even Windows Home server, Google TV, and the TV show Lost. All losers in the game of Life, 2010 Edition. But no worries. 2011 is tomorrow and the Internet is a kind soul who's quick to forget past blunders as long as future ventures result positively. It's just too bad that what happened in 2010 will likely happen in 2011. It's going to be more of the same. Sorry if I'm the one to tell you this; that's the way it works 'round here.
As we 