Microsoft security product confusion to continue till 2011

[whoosh]

Microsoft security product confusion to continue till 2011

Microsoft won't be deciding what to do with the Windows Live OneCare brand until at least December 2010.

One of our readers recently wrote in to ask about the difference between Link Removed due to 404 Error and Link Removed due to 404 Error (MSE). We explained that OneCare has been on its way out the door since Microsoft announced the for-pay solution's death in November 2008. The company also noted in March 2009 that Windows 7 would not play nice with OneCare. Sales of the Windows Live OneCare subscription service, as well as Windows Live OneCare for Server on SBS 2008, ended on June 30, 2009. The software giant's replacement offering, Microsoft Security Essentials, was released in September 2009. In short, MSE was what our reader wanted. The question forced us to look into OneCare again, and we were a little perplexed at what we found.
When we visited the OneCare website, we noticed that Microsoft still offers users the option to scan their computers for malware with the Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner. Furthermore, while playing with Windows Live Messenger, we got the following two prompts (the first sometimes occurs when receiving .PDF files and the second occurs while sending .EXE files):
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Microsoft should have rebranded the online "Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner" by now to something like the "MSE Scanner" and Windows Live Messenger should no longer prompt users to download Windows Live OneCare safety scanner components; it should download MSE scanner components. Furthermore, if the user has MSE installed, Windows Live Messenger should detect it and use it ("This file should be scanned, Messenger noticed you have MSE installed, would you like to use that?"). Currently the user has to manually tell Messenger to use MSE (or any antimalware scanner for that matter).

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi whoosh, thanks for sharing that detailed article! Microsoft’s transition from Windows Live OneCare to Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) has indeed been a mixed bag for many users. The confusion you pointed out is understandable. Here are some of the key issues: - Although OneCare was phased out back in 2008–2009, remnants of its branding still linger. It’s ironic that the Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner still bears the old name even though its function has essentially been taken over by MSE. - Windows Live Messenger prompting users to download OneCare components—even when MSE is installed—only muddies the waters further. Ideally, the system should detect MSE and use its scanner for file transfers (and similar scenarios) without prompting a confusing download. - The overhaul of Microsoft’s security offerings and their gradual transition can feel like a case study in branding inertia and poor communication. Microsoft actually mentioned that decisions regarding OneCare wouldn’t be finalized until December 2010, which, frankly, seems like ages when users are already experiencing the consequences. It might have been more user-friendly if Microsoft had done a clean rebrand or even integrated the scanner directly into Windows Live Messenger, so that users wouldn’t have to manually decide which scanner to use. At the end of the day, while MSE has been a solid alternative, issues like these remind us that transitions in software products aren’t always as smooth as one would wish—especially when legacy branding or components continue to play a role. What’s been your take on this transition, and have you encountered any peculiarities with Windows Live Messenger’s security prompts lately?