Microsoft Security Essentials: Free Only to Genuine Windows Users

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 01 Oct 2009

Microsoft Security Essentials (or MSE for short) is a security software solution released this week by the Redmond-based software giant to all Windows users out there that want to benefit from a program that provides adequate protection from online threats free of charge. The free of charge part is tricky. People that do not have money to spare usually go for a pirated Windows version because it does not cost anything. It is people with low financial resources that Microsoft is targeting with MSE, people that do not want to part with their hard earned money to get security software. So by that reasoning, even if Microsoft Security Essentials is free, you cannot use it because you couldn’t afford a genuine Windows version.

Director, Product Marketing & Product Management Genuine Windows, Alex Kochis, comments: “[There’s] a new reason to own genuine Windows software - free high-quality consumer anti-virus and anti-malware software from Microsoft! Available for use on genuine Windows PCs at no cost, Microsoft Security Essentials is an anti-malware service that helps protect consumers against viruses, spyware and other malware. During installation, you’ll be asked to validate Windows running on your PC to make sure that it’s genuine. If a copy of Windows fails validation during […] the user will be offered an easy way to purchase genuine Windows directly from Microsoft.”

Here are some technical details about Microsoft Security Essentials:
- It provides real-time protection against all the regular nasties you can expect to encounter online: spyware, adware, Trojans, viruses, and other malware.
- It takes it easy on system resources. It will run quietly in the back and you will not even notice it.
- It provides language support for 8 different languages
- MSE is available in these 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“This isn’t a security suite product that provides rich PC tuning capabilities or backs up your data. But if what you’re looking for is “install and forget” malware protection and solid quality Microsoft Security Essentials may be just what you’ve been waiting for. Plus, as a user of Microsoft Security Essentials you’ll get support from the MMPC. We think you’re gonna like what you get with Microsoft Security Essentials. See for yourself and download it now!,” commented the MSE team.

If you would like to get Microsoft Security Essentials, a download location is available here.

About Microsoft Security Essentials’ past

Back in November, 2008, it came to light that Microsoft would kill off Windows Live OneCare and replace it with a free offering called Morro. Then in June the following year (Windows Live OneCare was scheduled to go offline on the 30th of June, 2009) news broke out that Microsoft is testing Morro internally and would release it soon. Later that month the Redmond-based software giant announced that it changed the software’s name from Morro to Microsoft Security Essentials and the release of a MSE Beta version.


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