Microsoft finally released its free anti-virus tool called Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials or MSE will give you real-time protection against malware. It is replacing Windows Live One Care and Windows Defender. You can read Emil Protalinski’s post on ars technica to find out more.

I tried MSE on my pc and it’s not bad at all. How To Geek gave their official endorsement and recommended it. I can also share a few good things about it.

•    It’s Free.
•    No registration or sign-up required to download and install.
•    Very straight forward install.
•    No reboot required after installation.
•    Simple and clear interface.
•    Very light program. Not resource-hungry like other security products.
•    Perfect solution for not so technical users.

However, there is couple of things you should know. You can run MSE only on a valid or genuine windows system. Also, I couldn’t find any option to shut down the program by right-clicking on the MSE icon in system tray. I had to stop the service or end process to stop MSE.

MSE scan snapshot

MSE allows you to exclude files, file types and processes

MSE warning after service is stopped

Even though Microsoft’s track record in security related products isn’t all that great, MSE might change some of that. It’s true that not all users are all that impressed with it. Not everyone is going to dump their current security suite and get this tool anytime soon. According to Gregg Keizer of ComputerWorld, some big players even mocked MSE and dismissed it by saying it doesn’t even come close to their product. However, overall most people gave positive reviews on MSE. It may not be as powerful as some of the leading security products but I think it’s a step forward in the right direction on Microsoft’s part. People who do not or will not use any security products because they are expensive or too technical for them will find it very easy to adopt. Some security is better than no security.

Be sure to download MSE from a trusted source though. Martin from ghacks explained why you should be careful about where you download it from.

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