Posted 09/29/09 at 07:59:15 AM by Paul Lilly

Microsoft confirmed on Monday that it would be releasing its free security suite to the public sometime this morning Pacific time, although no specific hour was given for the launch.

Formerly codenamed "Morro," Microsoft's Security Essentials is the company's replacement for Windows Live OneCare, the fee-based security suite that Microsoft axed back in June. Shortly after, Security Essentials was made available in beta form to a limited number of testers.

Not only will Security Essentials be free, but Microsoft said users will not have to register their copy, nor will a time limit be placed on the software.

"Consumers have told us that they want the protection of real-time security software, but that they are confused by trials and renewals and concerned about performance and as a result, too many are unprotected," said Amy Barzdukas, general manager for consumer security at Microsoft in a statement.

The Essentials software runs on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

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Posted 09/21/09 at 03:46:52 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft opened its gates to public beta testers for its free antivirus solution, Microsoft Security Essentials, on June 23, 2009. Within a day, it managed to get rid of the 75,000 public beta downloads it had made available on a first-come-first-serve basis in the United States, China, Israel and Brazil.

If you missed the bus then, probably due to an obstinate disposition to miss buses, you will soon be able to download the final version of the free antivirus software. The final version will be made available in the next few weeks, according to a note Microsoft sent to beta testers.

“The final version of Microsoft Security Essentials will be released to the public in the coming weeks. If you are running the older version of the beta (1.0.1407.0), we encourage you to upgrade to a newer version of the beta (1.0.1500.0),” Microsoft informed testers on Sunday.

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