Microsoft Ends Security Essentials 4 Beta Program

April 30th, 2012, 09:12 GMT · By Ionut Arghire

[h=1]Microsoft Ends Security Essentials 4 Beta Program[/h]
The final flavor of the latest version of Microsoft’s popular Security Essentials antivirus was made available for download last week.

The software was made available in a beta version in the fourth quarter of the last year, when Microsoft also launched the beta testing program for it.

The final flavor of Microsoft Security Essentials 4 was released to the public on April 25th, while the beta program ended the next day, on April 26th.

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All those who beta tested the software and who have the automatic updates feature turned on on their computers will receive the new version via Windows Update.

However, they can also download and install the security product manually, as can all those who did not participate in the program.

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Hi there
For W8 Windows defender is the new security product - taking over the role of the old MSE and the old Windows defender.

Cheers
jimbo

The old Windows Defender was included in the first 3 SEs to begin with while not being that good to start with and why MS came up with the SE. In 8 however the SE was simply renamed by the looks of things to WD since it wasn't any Windows Defender that found a bug hidden on a second drive here!

The SE 4 which now comes included in 8 is now available for separate downloads for previous versions no longer in beta as the report is getting at here. This is version #4 of the MS SE now seeing it's final stage. Thats one thing many are not even aware of that the SE had different builds over the last 3yrs.

Night Hawk said:

The old Windows Defender was included in the first 3 SEs to begin with while not being that good to start with and why MS came up with the SE. In 8 however the SE was simply renamed by the looks of things to WD since it wasn't any Windows Defender that found a bug hidden on a second drive here!

The SE 4 which now comes included in 8 is now available for separate downloads for previous versions no longer in beta as the report is getting at here. This is version #4 of the MS SE now seeing it's final stage. Thats one thing many are not even aware of that the SE had different builds over the last 3yrs.

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Hi there

???

Any translation into plain English please.

I haven't a CLUE about understanding your reply and I usually (although not a Geek) can understand most of this stuff.

Cheers
jimbo

Night Hawk? How would you compare it to Norton 360 v6? How full flavor is it? is there a Trojan thrasher in it?
Lets hear a overview of it.

Look any other antivirus program that will tend to see a new build every so often. Just like you will see with IE 10 included in 8 that will also become available as a separate download for Vista and 7.

As for comparing it to Norton the same principle would apply for any other paid for av program. I haven't actually run anything by Symantec since the late 90s that old System Works replacing McA Failee!

The obvious improvements with the MS SE however were seen right after getting the CP on and watching it find a bug on a storage drive. The earlier releases would have simply not been able to detect the same as that had been stored and moved onto a few newer builds in the last 5-6yrs. AVG even had missed it.

It's a move up for the free MS program seeing that. Until that came about I have been running with VIPRE which has been tagging files missed by every other security program looked at.