Starting next week, customers will receive an update to Windows Live OneCare which will correct an issue affecting users of Windows Vista SP1 that causes Security Center to display the following warning: “Windows Live OneCare is on but is reporting its status to Windows Security Center in a format that is no longer supported.”  There is no need for customers to take any action at this time, as this issue does not represent a decreased level of security or protection provided by OneCare. Customers who would like to resolve this issue immediately can visit the OneCare support forum for instructions on how remove this warning from Security Center.

OneCare subscribers currently enjoy the benefits of always-on virus, spyware and malware protection, centralized backup to keep personal information safe, and management features to keep PC’s optimized and running smoothly. But a majority of consumers around the world do not have up-to-date antivirus, antispyware and antimalware protection.

In hopes of getting more consumers protected, this week, Microsoft announced that it will offer a new security solution to consumers at no cost beginning in the second half of calendar year 2009. This new offering will focus on getting the majority of consumers the essential protection they need by providing comprehensive, real-time anti-malware protection, covering such threats as viruses, spyware, rootkits, trojans, and other emerging threats, in a single, focused solution.

In order for us to focus on delivering this new security solution to millions of customers around the world, we have decided to phase out Windows Live OneCare and will discontinue retail sales of Windows Live OneCare subscription service beginning June 30, 2009.

If you are a current OneCare subscriber, there is no action that you need to take at this time. 

OneCare will continue to be available online at http://onecare.live.com to new and renewing subscribers at least until the new solution is available, for use on Windows XP and Windows Vista PCs.  And Microsoft has committed to making sure you are protected for the life of your subscription.  We'll provide more information and details as we get closer to June and the availability of the new solution.  But again, there is no action that you need to take at this time.

Ultimately, we believe the decision to offer a security solution at no additional cost to consumers and phase out Windows Live OneCare is the right step to broaden PC protection and improve the Windows experience for more users around the world.  Microsoft will continue to deliver on its commitment to provide consumers around the world with a world-class security solution.

We anticipate you may have some questions about these changes and so we have addressed some of the commonly asked questions below. 

Q: Will I continue to receive up-to-date virus signatures through the end of my paid subscription?

A: Yes! Microsoft will ensure all current customers remain protected through the life of their subscriptions.

Q: Will my subscription automatically be converted to the new no-cost offering?

A: You will be given the opportunity to opt in to using our new offering when the new solution is available.

Q: What do you recommend if my OneCare subscription ends before the free solution is available?

A: Having current anti-virus and anti-spyware protection is important. You can renew your Windows Live OneCare subscription until the new solution is available. We will ensure you remain protected through the life of your subscriptions.

Q: What do you recommend I do at the end of my OneCare subscription if I am running Windows XP?

A: You can renew your OneCare subscription until the new solution is available. After that, you can choose our new offering for core antimalware protection. A variety of third-party consumer security offerings are also available.

Q: Will the new solution be available in my country?

A: At a minimum, the new solution will initially be available to consumers in all markets where Windows Live OneCare is currently available.

Q. Will I still be able to store my photos with OneCare online backup?
a.  Yes.  If you are current online backup subscriber, you can continue to back up copies of your photos using the Online Backup feature. 

Should you still have additional questions about this announcement, please visit the OneCare help center for free online support.

We are getting the word out that Microsoft has released a security update to help protect Windows PCs against a recently identified security risk (Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067). If your OneCare status is Good (green) then Windows Live OneCare is helping to protect your computer against this threat by automatically applying the latest security patches and virus signature updates. If your OneCare status is At Risk (red or yellow) then your computer is potentially vulnerable. Please follow the OneCare Actions items to help protect your computer.

To verify that you have all the latest Windows security updates, launch Internet Explorer, then click on Tools --> Windows Update.

For more information on this latest security update, check out the Microsoft Threat Research and Response blog.

As this is a blog about OneCare for those interested in OneCare, we will refrain from discussing our viewpoints on the current global economic crisis.  However, in light of such uncertainty, we would be re-missed if we did not acknowledge that in a very fundamental way, everyone’s sense of “security” (as defined as freedom from risk, danger, worries, etc.) is being challenged on a day-to-day basis. For the OneCare team, we focus on a relatively narrow area of “security” – as in how to keep Windows PC users safer, more secure, and more protected in a connected world – using technology services as the means. 

In the midst of all this global turmoil, cyber criminals are still preying on the public with even more vigor, using ever more nefarious ways to trick unsuspecting people into providing their personal information or stealing passwords for financial gain.  At Microsoft, we have made significant investments in hiring world-class researchers to figure out how we can stay on top of cyber criminals, and working on using technology to track them down and protect users out there. 

Recently, there has been a particularly nasty scam that I wanted call to your attention – one that is impacting many unsuspecting people.  It masks itself as a Windows messenger dialog box that warns you that you have spyware detected on your computer and presents an action that supposedly will help you clean up your machine.  However, it is tricking people into downloading additional spyware that actually steal the passwords from the machine.  This scam is vicious because it turns a well-intentioned action of getting safer into an action that increases risks and compromises the security of personal information.   Even more disturbing is that it constantly changes form, making it even more difficult to educate users to be on the lookout for a particular message/dialog box.   For the detailed description of how this malware perpetuates itself and infects machines, check out the Malware Protection Center blog. 

So, if you or your friends and family come across these types of notifications about getting spyware or cleaning it with free AV – don’t click on it!  

To combat these threats, Microsoft is constantly pushing out virus definitions and technology to clean and protect users from this malware, and we’ve also engaged the legal system to file lawsuits against the possible entities that are perpetuating and developing these scams.  At a minimum, if you believe your machine is affected by viruses, spyware and or any other forms of malicious software, we recommend you run our freely available online scanner at http://safety.live.com. 

Lastly, for on-going protection, we have to encourage everyone to stay protected with an antivirus and security service from a reputable company.  OneCare is a great choice (of course we’ll say that!), but if not our service, get one from a trusted company.

Until next time, be well –

Gina

It’s been a while since we updated you on what’s been happening with OneCare, but rest assured, it’s because we’ve been busy working on servicing our customers and developing new features and enhancements for the future.  Going forward, we will be using this blog to give more regular updates on what’s going on, and to really drill deep into some specific features and experiences with the OneCare service.  As much as we can, if it’s related to OneCare, you’ll find about it here first!

Since the last entry, we wanted to highlight that there is now a version of OneCare that works with the Small Business Server 2008 offering– based on the Windows 2008 Server architecture.  Yes, we’ve heard from many small business owners that OneCare really helps to simplify the protection and maintenance of their PCs, but they wanted coverage for their servers AND desktop computers under one subscription. To that end, we worked with the Small Business Server team to come up with an option to provide out-of-the-box protection for the server, and give small business owners the flexibility to continue that coverage for the server or all the PCs in their environment.  To learn more about that service, check out this link to OneCare for Server:

In the future, you’ll see us continually innovate with new enhancements on the core service, but also along with different offers that match the needs of our home and small business customers.

As a reminder, there are a variety of ways to get support for OneCare:

·         OneCare Online Help Center

If you run into any problems or issues using OneCare, this is the best place to start.  In addition to seeing the most common troubleshooting information, you have access to contact the OneCare support team.

·         OneCare Forums

A very active and extremely well-informed set of users that post questions and answers on OneCare - great for the technically inclined and self-helpers

Until next time, be well –

Gina

Hello OneCare customers,

If you’ve used our Help and Support in the past, you may have noticed some changes last week. Along with the latest release of OneCare, we’ve made some changes to our online flow for getting help and contacting support. If you’re using the OneCare client click on “Get Help with Windows Live OneCare.”  If you have already been auto-upgraded to the new version of OneCare 2.0, then you will notice that we now have some easy to run repairs on your PC. We’ll be updating these repairs on a regular basis in the coming months and hope that they will serve to solve common issues with your PC.

To see our online help topics click on “Visit Online Help Center,” or the “Go Online” button.

In addition, based on all your feedback, we’ve modified the on-line support and help experience to help make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for:

Step 1) Once you get to our online help topics you will notice our Instant Help tool in the middle of the page. You can enter a question and get a response, or you can also use our more traditional search in the upper left hand corner of the window. If you find the answer you’re looking for, great!

If not, for further assistance you will need to click on “Get more help” in the bottom right hand corner of the window, followed by clicking on “Get Support”

Step 2) To make sure we put in touch with the right agents to respond to your questions, you will need to fill out a short form regarding the nature of your issue.

Step 3) Next, you will need to provide your Windows Live ID or Product ID used to purchase and activate OneCare. These field(s) should be pre-populated if you are an existing subscriber and have the latest version of OneCare installed and activated. If you are using the product as a free trial or have not been able to install or activate the product you will need to select the “I have a trial/beta version of OneCare” radio button and continue.

Step 4) Finally, you will arrive at a form that displays your support options and allows you to create a support incident. Additionally, you will have the option to upload “Diagnostics” that can be used by the support agents to analyze the problem on your PC. If you are an existing OneCare customer and have installed and activated your client you should see all your support options, including phone. For free trial or beta users or those who have not yet activated their OneCare subscription, you will only have access email support until you purchase or active your service.

P.S. Curious about how to find your Windows Live Id and Product ID for OneCare?

To find your Product ID or Windows Live ID open the OneCare Client, click on the Help drop down in the right hand corner of the main screen and select “About Windows Live OneCare.” If you have activated the client you should see your Windows Live ID member name and the Product ID.

That’s it. By going through our new help flow you will have continued access to automated repairs for your PC, the most current help topics, and tracking of your support incidents with your OneCare subscription so that OneCare support professionals can have access to your support history. As always we love to hear your feedback, so please let us know how this new experience works for you!

Best Regards,

Marisela Cerda

Windows Live OneCare Support Experience Program Manager and Guest Blogger

We’ve just released significant enhancements to the Windows Live OneCare service, designed to help you to more easily care for all of the PCs covered by your subscription.

Here are just a few of the new features that you’ll see:

·         The new OneCare Circle provides a single view that you can use to monitor the security and maintenance of your networked PCs. The OneCare circle also enables one-click actions to resolve issues among computers within a home PC network

·         Printer sharing support helps you easily share the printers that are connected to your networked PCs —now the whole family can use the same printer.

·         Speedier PC start times via removal of rarely used applications from the Start menu. Look for this on the enhanced Monthly Report.

·         Configuration monitoring that makes fixes and recommendations designed to help you get the most out of your computing experience.

These enhancements and more will be automatically delivered to all subscribers over the next several weeks. Windows Live OneCare will tell you when the update is starting and ask you to restart when it’s complete. Then you’ll be ready to start enjoying all of the new features that are now included in OneCare.

If you’d like to learn more about this update or would like to try Windows Live OneCare for 90 days, please visit http://onecare.live.com.

We have recently been hearing some concerns that Windows Live OneCare has changed settings in Windows Update to allow for automatic installation of important updates, and that some PCs are rebooting as a result. 

In the first OneCare boot experience we have gone to great lengths to disclose that OneCare may automatically effect changes to user settings in order to help best protect the user. When you first install Windows Live OneCare, setup informs you that if you choose to proceed your computer settings will be changed to automatically download and install important updates from Microsoft Update (a Microsoft service that provides software updates for Windows components and other Microsoft programs). You may still choose whether or not to install recommended and optional updates. 

OneCare is built for people who don't want to worry about protecting and maintaining their PC. This behavior is by design and is not unique to the latest version of OneCare.  It helps ensure that your computer continues to receive important updates as soon as possible after they are released. As extra protection, Windows Live OneCare also checks your computer for missing software updates during Tune-up. If any missing updates are found, or if your computer's Automatic Updates settings get changed, you receive an “Action to Take”, helping you to correct the problem. 

We are evaluating user feedback and will be revisiting how we communicate the installation details of Windows Live OneCare as we are continually working to improve that experience. Windows Live OneCare simplifies PC care, making it easy to manage performance, backup and security for your home or small office PCs. In addition, OneCare was built with privacy in mind, and Microsoft takes that very seriously – every new feature or setting change is reviewed and approved by Microsoft’s privacy experts. 
 

As always, we appreciate your feedback.
The Windows Live OneCare team

We’re pleased to report that Windows Live OneCare just received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin.  This award comes on the heels of OneCare’s recent re-certification from West Coast Labs and the ICSA Labs.  Together, these accolades are a strong endorsement of OneCare’s powerful anti-malware tools and mean that OneCare protects customers from known threats on the market today.

We’ll continue our ongoing work to keep PCs safe and secure.  In the meantime, we’re honored that top testing bodies endorse the powerful protection that OneCare provides as a part of an all-in-one PC care offering.

Thanks for your continued feedback,
Gina (OneCare guest blogger)

We’re happy to report that the top independent certification authorities in the security industry, West Coast Labs and the ICSA, just re-certified OneCare.  These ongoing certifications are an important validation of our work and mean that OneCare’s anti-malware tools are strong enough to protect customers from known threats in the market today.

For those of you that don’t follow the security industry closely, one of the reasons certification from West Coast Labs and the ICSA is considered significant is that their testing methodologies reflect malware threats “out in the wild.”  Testing in this manner provides an accurate indication of how security products perform against real world threats.  We’re pleased OneCare passed these rigorous tests and will continue our work to keep your PCs safe and secure.

For additional information on Microsoft’s anti-malware efforts in general, Security Research and Response GM Vinny Gullotto recently posted a summary on the anti-malware engineering team blog.  Check it out.

Thanks for your continued feedback,
Gina (OneCare guest blogger)

Today is “Update Tuesday”, the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft regularly releases software updates to help address vulnerabilities in Microsoft products and alerts PC users to steps they should take to update the security on their PCs.  As part of this routine, monthly security update cycle, Microsoft released seven security bulletins today.  You can check out a full list of the vulnerabilities that were addressed by heading to the Microsoft’s Security Response Center’s blog at: http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/

Why is this important?  Many OneCare customers may not have heard of Update Tuesday for one simple reason: aside from a few instances, OneCare and Windows take care of downloading all the new updates to your PC automatically, saving you time and energy.  In keeping with the OneCare philosophy, you do not need to take any action to ensure these updates are installed to your PC as OneCare configures your Windows PC so you’re automatically protected.  All you need to do is make sure you are connected to the internet and you are good to go! 

 These security updates are part of the normal process Microsoft takes to help make sure your system stays safe and secure.  OneCare will continue handle this and other tasks like disk defragmentation and automatic file backup so you never need to worry about it.

Thanks for your continued feedback,
Gina (OneCare guest blogger)

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted – time just flies when you’re working on OneCare!

OneCare Launched Around the World
Okay, some updates since the last time we posted.  Thanks to all of you, the international launch of OneCare v1.5 has been a solid success.  Customers around the world are now using the service and telling us how much they like the simplicity, ease-of-use and great price of OneCare.  And for those of you that don’t already have OneCare in your countries, we hear you and appreciate your patience – rest assured we are looking at continuing to expand the service to new markets.

Since the launch, we’ve also heard some great suggestions around functionality improvements and features.  As you know, OneCare is an evolving service and we’re taking those suggestions to heart as we look toward future releases.  And, as always, as new functionality and updates to the service are available, you – as existing OneCare customers – will automatically get those new things when they are available as a part of your service subscription.

OneCare’s Dedication to Our Customers
I wanted to address the recent reports of the anti-malware protection in OneCare performing poorly in test results from various anti-virus testing organizations.  The team at Microsoft that runs the anti-malware engine that is part of the OneCare service has also posted today some specific thoughts on the issue here http://blogs.technet.com/antimalware/, but I wanted to share some thoughts on behalf of the OneCare team.

OneCare is tested by numerous organizations around the world and is certified anti-virus protection by two of the industry’s leading independent certification authorities: International Computer Security Association (ICSA) Labs and West Coast Labs.  These labs are widely recognized as key authorities within the industry for research, intelligence, and certification testing of anti-malware products.  Both ICSA and West Coast Labs employ testing methodologies that reflect malware threats that are “out in the wild” and we believe these tests serve as important measures of OneCare’s performance against real world threats.  Beyond these particular certification authorities, though, we are also definitely looking closely at the methodology and results of other recently reported tests from other organizations around the globe for any insights that may help our ongoing work to enhance OneCare and to help ensure the most effective level of protection and service that we can provide our customers.   

It is important for OneCare customers to know that we remain committed to the security and maintenance of their PCs.  As you know, OneCare provides PC care and security using a holistic and layered approach, focusing on multi-layer and multi-point protection.  This means that in addition to integrated anti-virus and antispyware real-time checks of all executed files and regular complete scans, OneCare also helps protect your PC with a two-way managed firewall to stop unwanted network traffic.  OneCare also ensures that your data is backed up properly so that in the event of computer failure due to malware issues or other unexpected circumstances, data can be restored quickly and easily.  And OneCare works to help ensure that you are getting the benefits of anti-phishing technology in Internet Explorer 7 to help protect from suspicious websites when browsing the Internet.  OneCare will continue to treat the care of your PC in a holistic way and will work to continue making PC care and maintenance a simple and hassle-free experience for our customers.

We truly appreciate your business and are committed to earning it every day.   If you have questions, concerns or comments, please continue to reach out and let us know.

All the best,
Gina Narkunas, Lead Product Manager and OneCare team guest blogger

P.S. OneCare and .PST and .DBX Bug -- Fixed
In the last few days, there has been a lot of confusion about a bug we had in the service that was causing Windows Live OneCare to erroneously quarantine some customers’ Outlook .pst and Outlook Express .dbx files when infections were found within the .pst and .dbx files.  We released a new anti-malware engine to all customers on Sunday (March 11) that fixed the issue and anyone whose PCs have been connected to the Internet should have automatically gotten this fix.  Overall, we know that only a very small number of customers had files that were ultimately affected by this issue, and we apologize for any inconvenience this caused.

Again, no action is necessary to get the fix – OneCare will self-update for it – but if anyone still wants to manually confirm that they have received the most recent anti-malware engine, you can do so via the following steps:

1.            Click “Change OneCare Settings” in the Main OneCare user interface
2.            Click the “Logging” Tab
3.            Click the “Create support log” button
4.            Scroll down to the “Virus and Spyware Versions:” section and check your AM Engine version number.  If the text says the numbers “2306” after the 1.1. number – such as AM Engine:(1.1.2306.0) – your engine has been updated already.  If a number smaller than “2306” appears, your engine may still need updating.  To update, ensure your computer is connected to the Internet, then click the “Check for updates” link in the main OneCare user interface and OneCare will download and install the fix.

For customers whose Outlook .pst and Outlook Express .dbx files had been quarantined prior to this fix and engine update, you should take the following steps to recover your email:

1.            Close Outlook or Outlook Express
2.            Click Change OneCare Settings in the Main OneCare user interface
3.            Click on the Viruses & Spyware Tab
4.            And then click on the Quarantine button and then select the .pst or .dbx file and then click on Restore.

Recent reports about this bug conveyed that OneCare actually deleted Outlook files, which is not accurate and has caused some confusion in the community.  It is important to clarify that although in certain cases OneCare might automatically delete a piece of malware, OneCare does not delete archive files such as .pst or .dbx files, nor does the design of the service allow users to set OneCare to automatically delete such files when quarantined.  To delete whole archive files, such as those .pst and .dbx files that were erroneously being quarantined by OneCare prior to the fix issued this weekend, the design of the service is such that it would require someone manually deleting these files from the quarantine dialog in order for them to actually be deleted.  And if a customer is facing a rare situation where their full .pst or .dbx files had somehow been manually deleted, they may be able to use the backup and restore functionality offered by OneCare to restore files from the last time they were backed up.  We have also seen some instances where customers attempted to do a system restore after their .pst or .dbx files were quarantined and then could no longer find the files in their quarantine list – not that the files are deleted, just that they can’t find them.  For any customers who are still having problems recovering your lost files – or if you just want to talk to someone to figure out what’s going on – please, please contact our support team… we can help.