What is this Windows Care beta?

[Guest]

I sent a sibling to the MS web page at
-- http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/default.mspx
When you click the antispyware icon there it doesn't take you to our good
old antispyware beta, but something else named "windows One Care Beta" or
something like that. I read the specs on it which look good. It does
spyware, antivirus, firewall, feed the dog, etc. However, you first have to
unload all of your present firewall, virus, spyware, etc. software in order
to load this beta. That is a big commitment to make for a beta.

1. Is the antispyware in this product the same in the antispyware beta, or
something different?

2. Is one better than the other?

3. When is One Care likely to get off beta status and into production status?

4. What does Symantec, et al., think about MS telling their client base to
unload non-MS products now used to get a modicum of security? MS is getting
into the game rather late, isn't it anti-competitive to require throwing out
the OP (other people's) software that has kept us alive this long?

Thuse in LA

 

[Texas Handly]

I sent a sibling to the MS web page at
-- http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/default.mspx
When you click the antispyware icon there it doesn't take you to our good
old antispyware beta, but something else named "windows One Care Beta" or
something like that. I read the specs on it which look good. It does
spyware, antivirus, firewall, feed the dog, etc. However, you first have to
unload all of your present firewall, virus, spyware, etc. software in order
to load this beta. That is a big commitment to make for a beta.

1. Is the antispyware in this product the same in the antispyware beta, or
something different?

2. Is one better than the other?

3. When is One Care likely to get off beta status and into production status?

4. What does Symantec, et al., think about MS telling their client base to
unload non-MS products now used to get a modicum of security? MS is getting
into the game rather late, isn't it anti-competitive to require throwing out
the OP (other people's) software that has kept us alive this long?

Thuse in LA

I am using MS Anti Spyware and MS One Care. At this time, MS One Care
does NOT have anti-spyware according to the One Care customer support.
One Care's customer support recommends MS Anti Spyware.

Texas Handly

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Answers, such as I have, interspersed below:

I sent a sibling to the MS web page at
-- http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/default.mspx

That page has a control in the upper right portion which is unusual--it has
pages which change--if you click on the graphic when Antispyware is
depicted--you'll get to Microsoft Antispyware. The following ad is for
OneCare, which is a different product--however, see below.

1. Is the antispyware in this product the same in the antispyware beta,
or
something different?

It has not yet been integrated into the builds that public beta testers have
seen, but I expect it to be the same product as beta2 of Microsoft
Antispyware, which will be called Windows Defender. So--same product, I
believe.

If you are located in the United States, there is a public beta involving a
free year of Windows OneCare Live: http://windowsonecare.com

2. Is one better than the other?

(see above)

3. When is One Care likely to get off beta status and into production
status?

Don't know--perhaps late this year, after Vista is released.

4. What does Symantec, et al., think about MS telling their client base
to
unload non-MS products now used to get a modicum of security? MS is
getting
into the game rather late, isn't it anti-competitive to require throwing
out
the OP (other people's) software that has kept us alive this long?

Symantec makes similar recommendations about Microsoft's security
mechanisms--they recommend turning off monitoring of their firewall or
antivirus by the Security Center, for example.

There are some difficulties in running multiple real-time scanners for
malware. I don't believe Microsoft is being so much anti-competitve as
trying to make sure that users will have a good experience on machines
covering the whole range of specs for OneCare--but this could certainly be
debated.

 

[Guest]

I read that in April Windows OneCare is going LIVE! At that time or before,
I prefer before, they WILL have anti-spyware AND anti-adware incuded in the
product.

So far the product does seem to work. NOW my big caveat, I have never
encountered a virus and am very much against introducing one to my network
just test the software. My system consists of a Win2003 Server and 5
workstations.

As for the issue of asking you to remove all other firewalls, AV software,
etc., have any of you ever tried running a system with multiple AV and
firewalls? I have NEVER seen one that was stable and/or speedy. Now the
thought of having multiple levels of AV security is very appealing; I do it
by having my hardware firewall/router check for viruses before anything even
gets to my workstation. I use a FortiNet Fortigate 60; a bit pricey but you
do get what you pay for.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

OneCare won't be out of beta in April. They have now announced pricing, and
I believe the prediction was June for release.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1921310,00.asp

The public beta is already available:

http://windowsonecarelive.com

I believe you are correct that it will, by April, include antispyware in the
package.

In terms of testing whether real-time virus protection is functional on a
given machine or network, there is a safe and effective test mechanism
available, which works with OneCare.

The Eicar test string:

http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm

This is an absolutely safe ascii test string which should set off an alarm
from any antivirus in place on a machine.

Instructions for using it are at the above site--you may need to use a web
mail client, or temporarily turn off real-time scanning to make use of
it--but it should give you the assurance you need that your antivirus is
functional, and allow users to have some idea what kinds of alerts they
might see should a real virus arrive.