Free Microsoft Antivirus Software

Antivirus IconRecently, Microsoft made news by announcing that they will be releasing a free antivirus solution. This software is called Microsoft Security Essentials and is based on a for-pay product called Windows Live OneCare. Windows Live OneCare continually ranks among the best in virus detection rates and since MSE shares the same engine and virus definitions as OneCare, it should be just as good.  So If you have been thinking about purchasing antivirus software then I would encourage you to try this free solution first. In the following article I will guide you through installing and using this product.

Step 1: Uninstall any previous versions of antivirus software you might have installed. You can do this by going into your “Control Panel” and opening “Add or Remove Programs.”

Step 2:  Download Microsoft Security Essentials and run it.

Step 3:  You will be prompted with a welcome screen.  Click “Next.”

MSE Screenshot

Step 4:  Click “I accept” to accept the license agreement.

MSE Screenshot

Step 5:  You will now be prompted to validate your copy of Windows.  Click “Validate.”  If your version of Windows is not legal then you will not be able to install MSE.

MSE Screenshot

Step 6:  You are now ready to install MSE.  Click “Install.”

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Step 7:  After the installation wizard has completed, leave the check box checked to scan your computer for viruses and click “Finish.”  MSE will now update.  Once it has finished, MSE will scan your computer.

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MSE automatically protects your computer while running in the background but you can also scan your computer manually if desired.  To do this just click either the “Quick,” “Full,” or “Custom” radio button and click “Scan Now” on the “Home” tab.

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MSE will also automatically update itself with the latest virus signatures but if you want to force an update just click the “Update” button on the “Update” tab.

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You can also look back through your virus history by clicking on the “History” tab.

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And finally, you can change settings such as scheduled scans by clicking on the “Settings” tab.

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If you need help installing or using Microsoft Security Essentials, please feel free to comment.

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2 Comments

  1. Nice Article. Have bookmarked your site! Keep it up!

    [Reply]

    Casey Reply:

    Thanks!

    [Reply]

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