When we first reviewed Windows Live OneCare in What's New: Software, Shopper June 2007, we were disappointed by its ability to detect viruses and spyware. Compared with the fully featured anti-virus software we've seen, its results were poor. However, in this round-up of software it is one of the strongest contenders. This shows that, in some respects, an anti-virus or anti-spyware program is only as good as its last set of updates.
The program detected most of the spyware as it was downloaded, and it picked up a few more files when we ran a manual scan afterwards. There is more to Windows Live OneCare than anti-spyware
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and anti-virus detection, though. The firewall included in the package is superior to the one that comes with Windows as standard, and it also provides a marginally better backup program.
Windows Live OneCare's interface is quite basic, and there are few settings to play with. This is partly because it integrates closely with Windows itself. For example, it uses the Windows Updates service to download virus and spyware updates. You can also check for updates manually.
Getting hold of this program involves creating a Microsoft Windows Live ID, which you'll already have if you use Hotmail, buying a code from Microsoft, downloading the software and then activating it. You can use the software as part of a 90-day free trial first.
The price of this product seems high, but bear in mind that this includes a licence to install it on three PCs at once. At around £13 per PC, this is reasonably good value, and our tests show that the anti-spyware part of the program is more effective than Spy Sweeper, Spyware Doctor and CounterSpy, all of which cost more to run per system. We'd still rather spend a little more and get better protection from Steganos AntiVirus 2007, though.
By Simon Edwards
SPECIFICATIONS:
Requires Windows XP, 300MHz processor, 256MB RAM
