Windows Live OneCare 2.5 beta ending, perpetual beta begins

According to a source of mine, following the official release of the final version of Windows Live OneCare 2.5, Microsoft sent out a flurry of e-mails to its testers. First off, the software giant reminded its testers that the 2.5 Beta will expire on July 31, 2008, after which OneCare will no longer keep itself up to date (both virus definitions and the actual software). Testers are urged to uninstall the beta and buy a full subscription, which is offered to them at a discounted $24.95 a year for up to three PCs, until July 31, 2008.

With the beta wrapping up, Microsoft quickly sent out another e-mail to certain testers asking if they wanted to continue to test new versions of the software. If the answer was yes, Microsoft responded with a confirmation and then the next day, e-mailed that tester the details of the Windows Live OneCare Perpetual Beta program, an invite-only group.

Source: arstechnica

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Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Now Available

Windows Live OneCare 2.5 is now available and I’ve got some information for both new and existing Windows Live OneCare subscribers regarding the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 release I’d like to share.

Beginning last week (July 1st to be exact) - existing Windows Live OneCare users (paid subscribers) began automatically receiving Windows Live OneCare 2.5. The Windows Live OneCare website also began offering Windows Live OneCare 2.5 for new users as well. If you are a Windows Live OneCare subscriber and have not yet been automatically updated, you can either wait until the update occurs or download the new version from the Windows Live OneCare website.

NOTE:  If you choose not to wait for the automatic update to occur and want to go ahead and “manually” update yourself via downloading the new version off the Windows Live OneCare website - you will need to uninstall the previous version first before Windows Live OneCare 2.5 will install. I had not been automatically upgraded so I chose to install manually on 1 of my PCs but the others were automatically updated soon after.

Source- WindowsVistaBlog

Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta Released

A beta release of Windows Live OneCare 2.5, Microsoft’s automated security suite for home users and small businesses, is available for testing from the Microsoft Connect Web site. Microsoft stated through its blog that there is little apparent difference between the beta and standard versions.
Windows Live OneCare delivers a service that includes overall security, antivirus and firewall protection, roughly priced at $49.95 per year. It can run on as many as three computers per license, according to Microsoft’s FAQ. It’s not meant for the enterprise as Microsoft has a whole suite of security solutions under its Forefront brand for that, including the recently released Stirling beta.
Servers, including Microsoft Small Business Server, currently aren’t protected by Window Live OneCare, Microsoft’s FAQ explained. However, server protection capability appears to be on the horizon. Blogger Paul Thurrott described a trial in which a small group of private beta testers have been invited to test a combination of Windows Live OneCare for Server and Microsoft Small Business Server 2008. 
Full story: ENT Magazine
Homepage: Microsoft Connect

Microsoft Windows Live OneCare 2.0.2284.28

This is the updated version of the previously released Windows Live one care Beta 2,so If U haven’t downloaded the previous version than be sure to download this to keep Ur windows safe from viruses.

This new version also establishes a foundation to better address the needs of small businesses.  Many small businesses need to protect and maintain a number of PCs but may not have the resources for extensive onsite IT support.  To help solve this problem, we added centralized backup to OneCare so local back up on a small business network is a simple step instead of a time consuming hassle. 

Here’s a quick overview of the new features we’ve added to OneCare version 2.0 to help keep users’ PCs and networks safe, reliable and performing well:

• Multi-PC and home network management.
• Printer sharing support.
• Start-time optimizer. 
• Proactive fixes and recommendations. 
• Monthly reports. 
• Centralized backup.
• Online photo backup.

Download Here

Windows Live OneCare 2.0 goes into public beta

Windows Live OneCare is an automatically self-updating PC care service that’s on whenever your PC is on, helping provide persistent protection against viruses, hackers, and other threats. It also performs regular tune-ups to help keep your PC running at top speed, and helps you back up important documents.

• Runs quietly in the background, providing anti-virus, anti-spyware, online identity and scam protection (anti-phishing) and firewall protection
• Updates itself to help you keep ahead of the latest threats
• Runs regular PC tune-ups, even checking for ways to shorten PC boot-up time
• Provides one-click solutions to most problems
• Makes backups a breeze
• Lets you see the status of all your computer systems at a glance

Download here-http://get.live.com/betas/onecare_betas

Windows Live OneCare 2.0 beta almost here

In an email sent to Windows Live OneCare testers, Microsoft confirmed the imminent start of the OneCare 2.0 beta program. Designated as a “pre-premiere”, OneCare 2.0 will not be available as a public beta initially.

New features we should be seeing include:

• Multi PC management - designate a hub PC and then add additional PCs to your OneCare circle using a common Windows Live ID. You can then see the status of the other PCs within the group.
• Printer Sharing - share your printer with all the PCs in your OneCare circle
• OneCare Online Photo Backup - paid storage is available online for photo backups (we’re hearing 10GB but that could change by the end of the beta)
• Securing wireless networks - if your router is supported OneCare 2.0 will allow you to secure your wireless network
• x64 support

The ability to backup online is a feature we’ve been talking about for a while, as a potentially key part of storage in the cloud. Windows Live Folders is currently set at 500MB, but if 10GB is what is being offered for OneCare Photo backups, a significant increase for the final version seems more than likely.

If you haven’t signed up for the beta already, here’s the link.

OneCare Activation Explained

Our customers have a lot of questions about OneCare activation and want to know exactly what it is all about. We commonly hear feedback from customers who say that activation is only for the purposes of adding a second PC, but it is much more than that.

So why do customers need to activate in the first place? You may have noticed that OneCare is not a traditional software package, it is a subscription based service. One way to think about it is to compare it to your cell phone service, where you pay a fee for a period, receive updates to your service during that period and have a phone number associated with your service. Similarly, it is necessary for OneCare customers to have a Windows Live ID account so that we can provide them with the proper level of service. Getting a Windows Live ID means you have one simple way to interact with your OneCare account whether that means Activating a 2nd PC or getting support.

source: Windows Live OneCare Blog

Microsoft’s antivirus deletes users’ e-mails

IMPORTANT FOR USERS OF MICROSOFT ONECARE.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE

Microsoft has admitted that its Live OneCare security suite has been accidentally deleting some users’ Outlook and Outlook Express e-mails.

According to postings on Microsoft’s OneCare forum, erasures have been caused when the antivirus programme finds a virus in an e-mail attachment. Instead of then quarantining that single e-mail, users have reported that entire .pst or .dbx files -— the personal folder where non-Exchange Server users’ messages and other details are kept -— have been quarantined or, in some cases, even deleted.

One user commented on the forum: “Is there a chance to recover it? If not, OneCare will have done more damage than any virus in my 30 years of active computing.” Forum postings indicate, however, that recovery is possible in some cases, where the .pst or .dbx file is still available in OneCare’s quarantine facility.

Stephen Boots, a forum administrator, commented that he was “very unhappy about this problem as it was reported over a year ago and fixed in the 1.0 release”, adding: “It never appeared throughout the beta, but suddenly appeared when 1.5 was released”.

In a statement reported on Computerworld, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the company was “working to address an issue where the antimalware engine for OneCare is erroneously quarantining Outlook .pst files or Outlook Express .dbx files, when the .pst file or .dbx file contains an infected attachment”. The spokesperson added that a fix would be included in the next OneCare update, which is due on 13 March.

OneCare has been hit this year by ongoing criticism, having only days ago failed to achieve certification in an independent test of security products. Shortly before that, it emerged that the product did not sufficiently protect users of Microsoft’s Vista operating system against malware.

source: bink.nu