Microsoft Security Essentials review

If you thought that anti-virus software was something that got in the way of doing what you wanted to do, then it's time to think again.

Microsoft's long promised free anti-virus tool has finally arrived, and there's no longer any excuse for not protecting your PC. Microsoft Security Essentials is free, unobtrusive, and it works.

When Microsoft closed down its OneCare service, and announced that it was going to be releasing a free security tool, it was easy to make jokes. OneCare hadn't been a success, and its anti-virus component wasn't as effective as many of the free alternatives.

But Microsoft rarely gives up, and it hired several well-respected antivirus researchers to give its security practice a much needed boost – initially for its enterprise ForeFront solution, and then to work on a consumer version, codenamed Morro.

If you've ever driven from Los Angeles to San Francisco up the coast, you'll probably have passed through the little fishing town of Morro Bay.

You certainly won't have missed the Morro, a towering granite pillar at the edge of the harbour. It's an apt codename for a security product, one of the biggest and most solid rocks around.

The Morro has been watching Morro Bay for millions of years – and Microsoft wants MSE to do the same for your PCs.