Simple security anti-virus software that protects computers using different versions of Microsoft's Vista operating system
Alternative download from external server (availability not guaranteed):
Simple security anti-virus software that protects computers using different versions of Microsoft's Vista operating system
Microsoft Security Essentials download. Always available from trusted servers.
- Free & fast downloader (more info)
- Always available
- Tested virus-free
Alternative download from external server (availability not guaranteed):
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What is Microsoft Security Essentials
Security Essentials is an antivirus program from Microsoft. Security Essentials is free for all Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users. Windows 8 to Windows 10 users can use the inbuilt Windows Defender antivirus. Windows XP users are advised that Microsoft no longer provides updates for Security Essentials for Windows XP. Security Essentials provides protection against various malicious software such as spyware, Trojan programs, worms, viruses and other malicious software.
Security Essentials has two scanning modes, quick scan and full scan. Quick scan only checks the common locations where malware is found. A full scan, on the other hand, checks all folders on the system. There is also a custom scan option that allows a user to scan a specific folder or removable storage device.
The settings tab provides a user-friendly interface for customizing and configuring Security Essentials. You can set many options in Security Essentials. You can exclude specific locations and files from scans to speed up scans. You can also exempt specific processes and file types from scans. A useful advanced option is that of creating restore points before quarantining or removing detected malware. In the history tab, you can view all quarantined items or items that you allowed to run on your computer.
Pros
- All features are available free of charge
- The program is unobtrusive and only pops up when it detects malware
- Updates for security essentials are automatically obtained from Windows Update
- The interface is minimalistic and intuitive to use
- Security Essentials has low resource usage
- Scans are fast; a quick scan takes on average ten minutes and a full scan takes one hour
Cons
- Security Essentials is prone to identifying legitimate software as malware
- Security Essentials performs poorly on antivirus tests conducted by AV-TEST
- Security Essentials does not offer good protection if you want to clean up an infested system