Print - Microsoft Pushes Ahead with OneCare

In the wake of reports that its Windows Live OneCare security suite is inadequate, Microsoft announced plans this morning to release a OneCare Live 2.0 beta soon. OneCare Live 2.0 will push beyond the suite's security focus to provide continuous and holistic care of all the PCs in a household, Microsoft said.

"Windows Live OneCare continues to evolve by providing consumers with new features and unified integration between PCs," a Microsoft representative told me yesterday. "OneCare version 2 marks a significant step toward the support of a typical multi-PC household and home network as more and more consumers become a part of multi-PC households."

According to Microsoft, OneCare Live 2.0 will include all the security features of OneCare Live 1.5 and will be able to be licensed for as many as three PCs per household. OneCare Live 2.0 will also include wireless connection setup and security features, a boot-time optimizer, automated monthly computer usage and security reports, online photo backup functionality (for an additional charge), unified monitoring and maintenance of networked PCs, printer sharing, and automated PC tune-ups.

Meanwhile, OneCare Live 1.5 is performing poorly in security tests. According to online comparison Web site AV-comparatives.org, OneCare Live 1.5 received the worst score out of the seventeen products tested. As a result, OneCare Live 1.5 was the only security product not to be certified by the Web site. However, Microsoft said that OneCare Live 1.5 is certified by West Coast Lab's Checkmark certification system, "the de facto standard in Europe for security product certification and testing to real-world standards."

The OneCare Live 2.0 beta will begin in late April, and Microsoft plans to ship the final version of OneCare Live 2.0 in third quarter 2007. You can sign up for the beta at Microsoft's Web site.

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Disclaimer: I don't have it, don't use it, and don't plan to. But hot on the heels of Paul's story comes this (from--where else?--Slashdot): "Microsoft has launched a marketing campaign that lets any student at an Australian university buy the Ultimate edition of Office 2007, usual price $1,150, for only $75 — a discount of about 93%. But when students go to the promotion site, Microsoft Live OneCare pops up a warning that the site may be a phishing scam. The warning reads: 'Phishing filter has determined this might be a phishing website. We recommend that you do not give any of your information to such websites. Phishing websites impersonate trustworthy websites for the purpose of obtaining your personal or financial information.'" Come on...ya gotta see the irony in THAT!

Off topic but very important: iHateMicrosoft.com, one of the most trusted online technology news sources reports that Microsoft officials are working on a Mac virus causing the infected computer to automatically visit Windows news sites and post messages and comments that make them appear like fools. This is allegedly being done to stop people from switching. The virus is currently in a managed alpha phase and is said to affect a section of Mac owners who frequent sites such as windowsitpro.com. Oh, the company is EVIL!!! In other news, iHate Microsoft reports that the Pope has agreed to initiate proceedings for the canonization of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs is already known as a "living saint" in many circles.

sharky, did you know the website you typed in is an actual site? Actually, I am convinced there is a virus for Apple computers - it ships with every Mac. Beginning symptoms: excessive computer usage, commenting to friends on how wonderful the new Mac is. If an antidote is not taken, the virus gets progressively worse. Intermediate symptoms: Annoying your friends to no end on how Macs are the best computers, M$ Sucks, etc. Start to view Steve Jobs as more than human. Start posting comments online on how much you like Apple. Begin to buy more Apple products Severe symptoms: Posting ad-hominem, illogical attacks on Windows sites (like this one), claiming that Macs are all anyone needs, PCs are garbage, etc. Believe that Steve Jobs is God incarnate. Buy every single piece of Apple hardware on the market, even if it is twice as expensive and contains half the features of a competitor's product. When anyone posts anything good about Microsoft or bad about Apple, the victim feels the need to "correct" them. He makes sure to use obsolete arguments like BSODs, Microsoft is dying, etc. Obviously, the victim is so demented at this point that anything Apple does is good, anything that Microsoft does is bad. He will constantly brag to everyone on how he is "Micro$$$ucks free! However, do I know of a few who are responsible enough to use (and like) both platforms. They may prefer Apple, but they do not hate those who use Windows and other Microsoft products. I highly respect those (rare) individuals. The Apple virus is highly contagious.

Lets calm down, the idi0ts aren't even here yet... Considering Onecare is in its infancy, it could be considered a decent product. If anything, it forced stoopid Symantec and McAfee to up their offerings and lower their prices. I'm sure the next version will fair quite a bit better - for the average home user, this suite can't be beat for the the price. I'm not sure who would put any faith in free anti-v or a free o/s...

"However, do I know of a few who are responsible enough to use (and like) both platforms. They may prefer Apple, but they do not hate those who use Windows and other Microsoft products. I highly respect those (rare) individuals." Why, thank you! Sharky, why the hostility? Like sx said, the "idi0ts" aren't even here yet. My comment wasn't meant to be confrontational; if anything, it only backed up Paul's initial statement.

"sharky, did you know the website you typed in is an actual site?" Actually, I didn't know it. I just noticed it. It's pretty cool. :-) "Sharky, why the hostility?" Naah, I'm just joking. On topic, I beta tested One Care 1.5 and while I had some minor issues with it, it was pretty decent. On Paul's recommendation, I now use AVG.

@sx4sport Who would put faith in a free Anti-Virus or free OS? Millions of people do everyday. I've had no problems whatsoever with AVG, then again I don't open viagra e-mails/visit untrustworthy sites without an ad blocker so I don't get viruses/spyware.

"I'm sure the next version will fair quite a bit better - for the average home user, this suite can't be beat for the the price." Probablly. It definitely sounds interesting, though. I think they should rename the product "Windows OneCare" or "Microsoft OneCare".

Microsoft continues to embarrass itself with comments on copyright usage, poor products like Visat, One Care, and certain aspects of Office 2007. It's getting sad to see what was once a customer friendly company become so inept and childish...yes childish. That Paul keeps defending the foolish moves and other strange claims from this company isn't doing much for his opinions either. If Windows lovers want their company to stay on top they had better have some serious conversation with them via whatever media they can muster. bill Gates needs to get back to work and clean house.

I wonder where onecare and home server will collide. MS needs to sit the two groups down and have a nice long chat to make sure they work nicely together (for example, home server aspires to do all backups, analyzes health of network, etc).

@dugbug I am wondering the same thing. I have both Home Server and OneCare installed on our family's PCs (I tested the OneCare beta and got it for a discount), and I have to manually disable the backup part of the OneCare suite. It would be nice when OneCare detects a Home Server it turns the backup portion of itself off. Speaking of Home Server, Microsoft has done a stellar job with Beta 2. I can log in to my server from anywhere, upload or download files, and if I select multiple files to download, it zips them into a single package. I can log in to any of my computers remotely and check on the status of my home server remotely. Recently, I had to restore a file from a backup, and the only steps I had to take were this: Click "View Backups" from the Home Server console. It then opened Explorer showing my hard drive as it looked at the last backup. I simply navigated to the file (or I could search for it), and copied it over. It was incredibly easy. I back up 3 computers, one is 24 gigs, another is 60, and the other one is another 30 or so. It has compressed the backups into 68 gigs! This includes every backup that takes place every night. Also, if a computer crashes, all I have to do is burn a restore CD, boot from the CD, and it will restore the last image. Anything and everthing about the Home Server is incredibly painless (other than issues that don't relate to the Home Server software, like figuring out how to forward ports from my router to enable the remote access).

They way MS has been stealing key people from McAfee lately, the product can only get more mature. I signed up for the Beta for Home Server. I have been waiting for a product like this for some time.