Earlier, I made a post in which I described the upcoming Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) and explained what all of the hype was about. Now, the Redmond company has released the 1.0 Beta, and anyone can download MSE directly from Microsoft. On Microsoft’s page for MSE, a link to Microsoft Connect is provided from which users can fill out a quick survey (seven questions) about security, and upon completion, users can download the Beta for Windows 7 (x86 and x64), Windows Vista (x86 and x64), or Windows XP (x86 only).
Microsoft provides a quick explanation on their official page:
You’re too busy to spend a lot of time worrying about protecting your PC. With Microsoft Security Essentials Beta, you get high-quality protection against viruses and spyware, including Trojans, worms and other malicious software. And best of all, there are no costs or annoying subscriptions to keep track of.
Security Essentials is easy to install and easy to use. Updates and upgrades are automatic, so there’s no need to worry about having the latest protection. It’s easy to tell if you’re protected – when the Security Essentials icon is green, your status is good. It’s as simple as that.
When you’re busy using your PC, you don’t want to be bothered by needless alerts. Security Essentials runs quietly in the background, only alerting you if there’s something you need to do. And it doesn’t use a lot of system resources, so it won’t get in the way of your work or fun.
Remember that you will need to meet the minimum requirements:
- For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU with clock speed of at least 500MHz and at least 256MB of RAM
- For Windows Vista and Windows 7, a PC with a CPU with clock speed of at least 1.0GHz and at least 1GB of RAM
- VGA (display): 800×600 or higher
- Storage: 140MB of available hard-disk space
- An Internet connection is required for installation and to download the latest virus and spyware definitions.
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher.
A second build will be released to the public later this summer, which will be either a Beta Refresh or a Release Candidate, and then the final build in the fall (either before or around the release of Windows 7). However, interestingly enough, the Beta build (1.0.1407.00) is lower than that of the leaked build (1.0.2140.0), so users of the leak could be advised to keep their current version and those who do not have MSE already may wish to obtain the leaked copy.
