This week we have another guest columnist – Abhishek Singh – who has some very good news about OneCare and Defender…

As you have probably read in this blog many times, the OneCare team tries to be very focused on our customers, and listening to your input. One of the big pieces of feedback we’ve gotten from you is that we should further integrate Windows Defender antispyware functionality into OneCare. We took a great step in that direction last week, when we updated the install process for OneCare to include installation of Defender.  OneCare will now download and install Windows Defender automatically, simplifying the process for OneCare subscribers.  We are very passionate about making all aspects of our service easy and intuitive for you; that includes the first interaction with OneCare, and we are excited to improve that aspect of the experience for you.

For those interested in the technical details, now, when you install OneCare, as long as you accept the default prompts, the Windows Defender install itself goes on behind the scenes, and the Windows Genuine Advantage check goes on behind the scenes. During the Windows Live OneCare install process, the default setting is to automatically install Windows Defender with automatic updates turned on. However you will be given the option to turn off automatic updates of Defender signatures or forego the Windows Defender installation altogether if you wish.  That said, spyware is a serious problem that can bog down a PC and hog system resources. We are committed to protecting our customers from this type of malware and although you can opt-out, we would strongly encourage you to install Defender. It is often rated as one of the better anti-spyware applications on the market, and we feel strongly that robust antispyware protection is essential for you.

Another question that you might have is whether this affects existing customers.  The short answer is no. As this current update impacts the installation process only, if you are a current Windows Live OneCare subscriber you will not be affected by this change.  However, we do look forward to continuously improving the service for both our new and existing customers. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog, and as always, we welcome your comments.

Many thanks,

Abhishek