Windows Live OneCare (one care.live.com) is Microsoft’s new security and health service. It’s an all-in-one program designed to handle your computer’s security and maintenance needs. Designed for consumers who are too busy to tackle protecting and maintaining their PCs, OneCare provides the tools, simplifies the setup process, and automates protection and maintenance for $49.95 per year for as many as three computers. Windows Live OneCare combines three types of PC utilities into a single suite.
Protection Plus: Security & Update Tools
The Protection Plus component features an antivirus scanner, an antispyware scanner, a two-way firewall, and automatic updates. Each feature works in the background to help protect your PC.
Antivirus scanner
The Windows Live OneCare antivirus scanner monitors files and applications as you use them and checks for viruses and other harmful software. To stay current with the latest threats, the tool updates its virus definition files. In addition to monitoring, it can scan files and folders, as well as attachments you receive from Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger. If it detects an infected file, the scanner tries to clean it or places it in quarantine
Antispyware scanner
Microsoft has been working on an antispyware utility to check your PC for programs that are monitoring and tracking your PC’s activity. The utility, known as Windows Defender, is provided as part of the Windows Live OneCare subscription. By default, it runs a daily scan at 2 a.m., and it also provides real-time monitoring in the background as you use your computer and the Internet.