Tap to Read ➤

Is Microsoft Security Essentials any Good?

Omkar Phatak
If you are thinking of installing Microsoft Security Essentials, but aren't sure if it would be the best choice, then you have come the right webpage? Here, we shall help you decide whether this free antivirus program from Microsoft is good enough for protecting your computer, or not.
Being connected to the Internet makes your personal computer extremely vulnerable to infections due to virus, malware, and other malicious software programs.
Having an antivirus software installed on your computer is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity for every computer user today. Microsoft Security Essentials is one of the newest entries among the many free antivirus programs available in the market at present.
The novel thing about this program is that it has been developed by Microsoft and distributed for 'free'. In the following lines we shall find out whether this antivirus is any good.

How Good is Microsoft Security Essentials?

When it was launched, people didn't expect a lot from Microsoft's free anti virus software program . This was perhaps due their earlier unsuccessful attempts at creating a worth free antivirus program.
However, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) surprised most with its simple GUI and impressive overall features. What's more, is that it fared well in terms of performance too, giving a number of its competitors a run for their money. Today it enjoys a wide user-base as one of the best free antivirus programs in the market.
While MSE is available as a free download from the Microsoft website, it can only be installed on licensed copies of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The installation doesn't proceed without first verifying the license of your Windows operating system. In my experience, it works best with Windows 7.
What I particularly liked about this program, was its clear and simple GUI. Like most other programs, it has a real-time scanning and scheduled scanning option. Performance wise, it ranks right up there with the best, when it comes to detecting malware, and also scores well in virus detection tests.
MSE gets regular updates, sometimes even three times in a day, and is quite up-to-date when it comes to virus definitions. Through the quick scanning option, you can run a complete scan of the most vulnerable areas of your installed operating system. Custom scans are slower, but they can sped up, by selecting the areas which you don't require to be scanned.
MSE has a high malware detection rate, and can easily compete with the best free antivirus software programs in the market. However, if you are looking for all round Internet security, Microsoft Security Essentials may not be your best bet.
For heavy Internet usage involving lots of downloads, Avast antivirus or AVG antivirus programs are definitely better choices. Still, for people who can't afford paid antivirus programs and have multiple machines to take care of, MSE is certainly a good option having the inherent advantage of being a Microsoft product.