Microsoft has finally released their free anti virus solution codenamed “Morro” and AKA Microsoft Security Essentials to limited public beta users.

The download is available to users of Microsoft Connect, so you will need to sign in using your Windows live id and then take part in a Microsoft Connect survey before you can download the software. But now you can download it from our website directly without registering

Installation package for Microsoft Security Essentials Beta to be installed on PCs running the 32-bit version of Windows XP
Click Here To Download
File Size: 7.51 MB

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Installation package for Microsoft Security Essentials Beta to be installed on PCs running the 32-bit version of either Windows Vista or Windows 7
Click Here To Download
File Size: 4.73 MB

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Installation package for Microsoft Security Essentials Beta to be installed on PCs running the 64-bit version of either Windows Vista or Windows 7
Click Here To Download
File Size: 3.72 MB

Please leave a comment if you need any help.

You’re too busy to spend a lot of time worrying about protecting your PC. With Microsoft Security Essentials Beta, you get high-quality protection against viruses and spyware, including Trojans, worms and other malicious software. And best of all, there are no costs or annoying subscriptions to keep track of.

Security Essentials is easy to install and easy to use. Updates and upgrades are automatic, so there’s no need to worry about having the latest protection. It’s easy to tell if you’re protected – when the Security Essentials icon is green, your status is good. It’s as simple as that.

When you’re busy using your PC, you don’t want to be bothered by needless alerts. Security Essentials runs quietly in the background, only alerting you if there’s something you need to do. And it doesn’t use a lot of system resources, so it won’t get in the way of your work or fun.

This beta is available only to customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel (English only), People’s Republic of China (Simplified Chinese only) and Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese only).

Download from this URL:

http://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=861 (You have to sign up to Microsoft Connect first)

Or you can download from our website directly from this URL:

http://www.morroantivirus.com/?p=44

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How do I install Microsoft Security Essentials Beta?

1. Confirm that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to install Security Essentials Beta.
2. Read the KB article to determine whether your computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit of the Windows operating system.
3. Click the appropriate MSE download link listed under Title column. Select the download link based on your Windows operating system (32-bit or 64 bit.)
4. Review the “Download location nearest you” drop down option. Select the appropriate value based on your geographic location.
5. Click Download link under Download single file column.
   Note: Depending on your Internet Explorer security settings, the download of the installation file may be blocked.Right click on the yellow bar (see image below) and the click on “Download File…” in order to allow the download to begin.
6. Click Run from the File Download –Security Warning pane.
7. Follow the installation wizard to install Microsoft Security Essentials Beta.

A Microsoft spokesman said on Wednesday that the world’s biggest software maker is testing an early version of the product with its own employees. Microsoft would “soon” make a trial version, or product beta, available via its website, he added, but declined to provide a specific date.

Investors are closely monitoring the free service, code-named Morro after Brazil’s Morro de Sao Paolo beach, amid concern it could hurt sales of products from Symantec and McAfee, which generate billions of dollars of revenue a year protecting Windows PCs from attacks by hackers.

“It’s a long-term competitive threat,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets, though he added that the near-term impact was minimal.

Microsoft has said that Morro will offer basic features for fighting a wide range of viruses, which would likely make it comparable to low-end consumer products from Symantec and McAfee that cost about $US40 per year.

Their top-selling products are security suites that come with features including encryption, firewalls, password protection, parental controls and data backup.

Three years ago, Microsoft entered that market with Live OneCare, which turned out to be a commercial flop. It announced plans in November to kill that product suite, saying it would launch the free Morro service by the end of 2009.

Analysts said they are looking forward to Morro’s beta to see exactly how its features compare to those in products from competitors.

Microsoft has said it will provide protection from several types of malicious software including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans.

Officials with Symantec and McAfee have said they do not see Morro as a threat.

“Microsoft’s free product is basically a stripped down version of the OneCare product Microsoft pulled from the shelves,” said Symantec Consumer division president Janice Chaffin. “A full Internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected.”

Joris Evers, a spokesman for No. 2 security software maker McAfee, said his company is already enjoying strong growth despite competition from free anti-virus products that are on the market.

“On a level playing field, we are confident in our ability to compete with anyone who might enter the marketplace,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Trend Micro, the No. 3 player, declined to comment.

Redmond, Washington

A Microsoft spokesman last week confirmed that the world’s biggest software maker is geared-up to release an early version of the product with its own employees. Microsoft would “soon” make a trial version, or product beta, available via its website, he added, but declined to provide a specific date.

According to Microsoft’s spokesperson, presently it is vague what Morro will be and speculations currently range from a very basic malware package that compares to other free offerings available from companies such as Grisoft to a full replacement for Microsoft’s commercial OneCare anti-malware solution, a product that never was as successful as Microsoft had hoped.

Codenamed “Morro,” the anti-malware application is promised to offer “basic protection” against common threats from malware on the Internet. The company has said Morro will be released by the end of the year.

Microsoft first announced Live OneCare in May 2005, and Morro is Microsoft’s second venture in the highly competitive security market. However, the Windows Live OneCare service has failed to make appealing impact on the many customers and turn them away from rivals such as Symantec and McAfee.

Then, in November, Microsoft said that it will discontinue selling the three-year-old Live OneCare service at the end of June 2009.

Now Micorosoft’s new software, Morro will focus on delevering consumer security, while Live OneCare offers maintenance, backup and performance tuning in addition to security functions like antivirus and malware detection and removal.

“In November 2008, Microsoft announced plans to deliver a new no-cost anti-malware solution to consumers in the second half of calendar year 2009. Code-named [Morro] the solution is designed to provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware and other malicious threats,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Among the categories of malware that Morro aims to protect against are viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojans.

OneCare was launched in 2006; the retail version of the software is now planned to be phased out by the end of this month. No replacement for OneCare has been announced so far.

“Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously,” said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft, in the original Morro announcement from November 2008. “This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”

The company said that Morro will function in conjunction with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 and with “the ongoing security and privacy enhancements of Windows and Internet Explorer.” Other than traditional anti-malware software, will use (Microsoft) servers across the Internet to scan PCs for viruses, “making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs,” the company said.

Microsoft stated that Morro will cater to “basic features” for fighting a wide range of viruses, which would likely make it comparable to low-end consumer products from Symantec and McAfee that cost about $40 per year.

Janice Chaffin, Symantec’s president of consumer products, said customers wanted more than just basic protection.

“A full internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected,” she said.

Morro will soon be available as a download and will support Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

Analysts said they are looking forward to Morro’s beta to see exactly how its features compare to those in products from competitors. Other companies, such as AVG and Alwil already produce and distribute free anti-virus products.

Joris Evers, a spokesman for No. 2 security software maker McAfee, said his company is already enjoying strong growth despite competition from free anti-virus products that are on the market.

“On a level playing field, we are confident in our ability to compete with anyone who might enter the marketplace,” he said.

Microsoft recently announced it was doing away with its subscription-based consumer security suite, Windows Live OneCare. In its place, Microsoft plans a free, standalone antivirus product, code-named ‘Morro’, which, the company says, will meet the needs of emerging markets. Countries cited by Microsoft as being in this category include Brazil, China and India.

Microsoft’s motives
Some have suggested poor market share is the driving force behind the decision. Others point to competitive motives, as Microsoft aims to put pressure on rival antivirus vendors Symantec and McAfee.

According to Microsoft, the move is much more altruistic. It is intended to “remove the barriers” that keep a large percentage of consumers from installing and using anti-malware protection. However, if protecting emerging markets really is the goal, the decision certainly doesn’t appear to be tied to infection rates.

Less than two weeks before the OneCare announcement, Microsoft released its Security Intelligence Report, which identified China and India as among the 25 countries with the lowest infection rates. Brazil, conversely, had one of the highest. This inconsistency gives some credence to the poor-market-share argument. But, if poor market share is the reason, why bother with a free version? After all, at $49 (£33) for up to three PCs, OneCare was already one of the cheapest security suites on the market and free, standalone antivirus solutions are already available from other vendors.

Since the Microsoft announcement specifically mentioned Brazil, China and India, it’s worth considering what these three countries have in common.

Counterfeit software
Each of the three has been identified as among the top countries for the trade in counterfeit software. And Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has repeatedly blamed counterfeit software for poor Vista sales, with Brazil, China and India having been mentioned on several occasions.

Attempts to curb the counterfeit-software trade via Windows Genuine Advantage appear to have backfired in each of the three countries, eventually resulting in lowered prices for Vista. Yet, despite concerns over counterfeit software, Brazil, China and India were identified in Microsoft’s 2007 annual letter to shareholders as countries with “impressive growth… which all delivered revenue growth that topped 40 percent”.

It seems unlikely that Morro would be used as a tool against counterfeit software. Adoption rates would probably be a challenge when two out of the three countries mentioned have very low infection rates, according to Microsoft’s data.

And building anti-counterfeiting functions into Morro would cause even more negative fallout than Windows Genuine Advantage. In any event, the entire emerging-market focus seems questionable.

Infection rates
The recent Microsoft Security Intelligence Report points out an inverse correlation between infection rates and internet use. According to Microsoft data, the higher the internet adoption rates, the lower the rate of infections; the lower the internet adoption rates, the higher the rate of infections.

One could safely assume that, in countries with high internet use, the level of computer knowledge and system-safety practices have increased, along with the adoption of antivirus software. If so, the emerging markets to which Microsoft refers should fall into the category of low internet use, high infection rates.

Yet the three countries specified in the OneCare announcement don’t support this argument. Brazil, China and India all have below-average internet use, and both China and India have rates of infection well below the norm.

Perhaps the real reason OneCare is being unexpectedly retired is that it simply costs too much to support, both from a monetary and public-relations standpoint, and thus there’s been no real return on the investment.

After all, most users view their antivirus software with some antipathy, and this could border on animosity where Microsoft is concerned.

Microsoft cutting losses?
Regardless of how invalid their argument may be, many might see Microsoft offering a paid antivirus solution as a form of extortion. In this time of belt-tightening, perhaps Microsoft simply decided to cut its losses on a product that hasn’t provided high returns, monetarily or otherwise.

Viewed from this angle, a free antivirus offering actually makes sense.

The Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), which has been offered free since inception, is limited to a much smaller set of malware than the full Microsoft antivirus engine — or any other antivirus engine, for that matter.

And the MSRT lacks a real-time component, reducing its effectiveness for removal of infections and rendering it incapable of prevention.

Despite these limitations, by virtue of being pushed through Windows updates, the MSRT enjoys relatively widespread adoption and the reports it generates form the basis of much of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report.

Providing a fully functioning antivirus scanner free of charge would eliminate the support, PR and adoption woes of Windows OneCare, while increasing Microsoft’s insight into users’ desktops.

The question then becomes: will it benefit users?

biography
Mary Landesman is the senior security researcher for ScanSafe.

By Mary Landesman, ScanSafe, Special from ZDNet UK

Microsoft is getting serious about global security, offering a free anti-malware package code-named Morro that has been specially designed for low cost PCs in developing nations.

The software will be available in the second half of 2009 and will provide ‘comprehensive protection’ from ‘the majority of online threats’, including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans.

Morro is based on – and will replace – the current Windows Live OneCare subscription service, although it has been architected to use fewer computing resources, making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs.

Also destined for the chop is Equipt, Microsoft’s shortlived excursion into consumer software-as-a-service, offering cloud storage of files, updates to Microsoft Office packages and Windows Live OneCare, for an annual cost of £59. Microsoft Equipt launched just one month ago.

Microsoft vs malware

Amy Barzdukas, Senior Director at Microsoft, said: “This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”

Morro will deliver the same core protection against malware as Microsoft’s enterprise solutions, but without the additional non-security features found in many consumer security suites, which probably means password managers, identity protection software and online secure storage.

“By offering basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment for PCs, service providers and e-commerce itself, since it is through unprotected PCs that the worst threats are introduced to the system as a whole,” said Roger Kay, Founder of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

Cross-platform support

Morro will be available as a stand-alone download for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Windows Live OneCare will continue to be sold until June 30, 2009, and all existing subscriptions to it will be honoured.

Microsoft will end retail sales of Equipt within the next 90 days and halt subscription services in the first half of 2009. The company says that customers who subscribed to this service continue ‘to get value from it’ until the end of their subscription period – October 2009 – and will provide detailed information about ‘customer options’ early next year.

If those ‘options’ are the same as US users of Equipt received, UK purchasers can expect a free license key to Microsoft Office Home and Student (worth about £70) and possibly even a pro-rated refund, which isn’t a bad deal.

If you want to take the risk, PC World is still selling Equipt as of this post.

Still busy looking for free anti-virus, anti-malware or anti-spyware security protection product? Most Windows users do not have such a worry by second half of 2009, as Microsoft has announced plan to offer a no-cost consumer security offering to “address the growing need for a PC security solution tailored to the demands of emerging markets, smaller PC form factors and rapid increases in the incidence of malware”.

The new security offering, code-named as “Morro” will feature streamlined solution with smaller footprint that focuses on core anti-malware protection and will provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojans, according to Microsoft press release. The security product won’t provide additional non-security features or advanced functions that comes with commercial consumer security suites from other third-party vendors. Possible exclusion includes firewall.

“Morro” will be built from the existing anti-malware technology that fuels the company’s current line of security products, highly possible is Windows Live OneCare, which have received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs and certification from the International Computer Security Association Labs. As such, Microsoft also announced that it will discontinue Windows Live OneCare from June 30, 2009, although paid subscription users can continue to receive up-to-date virus signatures through the whole subscription period, as explained in Windows Live OneCare blog.

The freeware “Morro” will be available as a stand-alone free download and support Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.

To address the growing need for a PC security solution tailored to the demands of emerging markets, smaller PC form factors and rapid increases in the incidence of malware, Microsoft Corp. plans to offer a new consumer security offering focused on core anti-malware protection.

Code-named “Morro,” this streamlined solution will be available in the second half of 2009 and will provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans. This new solution, to be offered at no charge to consumers, will be architected for a smaller footprint that will use fewer computing resources, making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs. As part of Microsoft’s move to focus on this simplified offering, the company also announced today that it will discontinue retail sales of its Windows Live OneCare subscription service effective June 30, 2009.

“Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously,” said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft. “This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”

Built on Microsoft’s award-winning malware protection engine, “Morro” will take advantage of the same core anti-malware technology that fuels the company’s current line of security products, which have received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs and certification from the International Computer Security Association Labs. The new solution will deliver the same core protection against malware as that offered through Microsoft’s enterprise solutions, but will not include many of the additional non-security features found in many consumer security suites.

Windows Live OneCare, one of the first all-in-one suites to be launched in the consumer market, includes a number of non-security features, such as printer sharing and automated PC tune-up. By shifting to focus on the core anti-malware features that most consumers still don’t keep up to date, “Morro” will be able to provide the essential protections that consumers need without overusing system resources, and will help more consumers have better protection against online threats.

“Because uptake of standard anti-malware is low around the world, particularly in developing nations, the availability of basic protection for anyone who wants it is all the more important,” said Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “By offering such basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment for PCs, service providers and e-commerce itself, since it is through unprotected PCs that the worst threats are introduced to the system as a whole.”

“Morro” will be available as a stand-alone download and offer malware protection for the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. When used in conjunction with the ongoing security and privacy enhancements of Windows and Internet Explorer, this new solution will offer consumers a robust, no-cost security solution to help protect against the majority of online threats.

Windows Live OneCare will continue to be sold for Windows XP and Windows Vista at retail through June 30, 2009. Direct sales of OneCare will be gradually phased out when “Morro” becomes available. Regardless of their method of purchase, Microsoft will ensure that all current customers remain protected through the life of their subscriptions.