Microsoft Adds Online PC Security Scanner to Windows Live

Filed in: Microsoft, Security, Technology, Web — November 4th, 2005

Just few days after the Windows Live announcement, Microsoft adds new online security scanner to Windows Live, called the “Windows Live Safety Center“.

Windows-Live-Safety-Center

The Windows Live Safety Center has three online services:

Protection: Online antivirus scanner. Remove virus and find vulnerabilities in your Internet connection.
Clean Up: Online scanner to clean up computer junk files (useless temporary files), free up space and possibility improve system performance.
Tune Up: Online tune up scan to see if you should defragment your hard disk to help improve performance.

Note: Currently, the Safety Center only works using Internet Explorer, in Windows 2000 and above. It uses ActiveX control to create online scanners.

My two cents

The online scanners are good, especially the online antivirus scanner. If my friend’s computer is infected by virus, I can use the online antivirus scanner to scan and clean the virus, without installing an anti-virus software on his conputer.

P/S: There are many free online virus scanners on the Internet.