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From:Microsoft , Microsoft Software ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#15 |
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48 of 63 customers found the following review helpful:
 MS HomeCare for the Non-technical, 2008-03-19
If you're reading this I'm guessing that you're not a techie. As far as I have been able to determine, no self-respecting techie will touch this programme with a ten foot pole, but it does have its uses as a self-updating cure-all for small home systems.
The thing is, Microsoft has enemies, and due to the dedication of this group, the company has developed its own security system to protect customers against viruses, Trojans, spyware, phishing and all the other bad stuff coming at you through the internet.
Live Onecare is actually a combination of lots of stuff that's already on your computer, plus a spyware detector and a firewall, all nicely set up in an idiot-proof interface. Basically, it's a simple way of protecting your computer and keeping junk off your hard drive, now in a self-cleaning and self-updating model.
Pros:
1. If you're not familiar with your computer's system tools, this programme makes things like Disk Defrag, Disk Clean-up and Backup easier to find.
2. Automatically updates once you're connected to the internet
3. Can be installed on three computers with one Windows Live ID
4. Works as your own personal IT Department, fixing some problems before you know that they're there.
Cons:
1. Seeing that this is a Microsoft programme that repackages and organizes existing Microsoft software to help Microsoft customers with Microsoft problems, it should be available as a free download for those who need it. The annual charge is nothing short of super-highway robbery.
2. Existing anti-virus and firewall programmes have to be removed before installation.
3. It doesn't pick up new viruses as fast as other programmes like McAfee and Symantec
4. It doesn't protect network servers, if you happen to have one at home, that is.
5. No anti-spam protection
6. The plastic packaging is like a firewall, resisting entry by intruders like yourself.
Conclusion:
1. If you're a techie you don't need this
2. If you're not a techie:
a. Ask someone to show you the Accessories - System tools menu
b. Keep your existing anti-virus software up to date
c. Don't download files attached to e-mails from untrustworthy sources (strangers aren't sending you greeting cards, and Jessica Biel probably isn't really nekkid either)
d. Stop frequenting those adult sites
e. Do all of the above and you don't need this.
3. If you're really not into computers and you just use yours for e-mail, writing letters, and shopping at Amazon, you might find this programme useful as a one-stop hassle-free service center.
Amanda Richards, March 19, 2008
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
$50 a year too much, 2008-03-19
Windows Live OneCare is designed specifically for Windows XP and Windows Vista-based operating systems. It is an all-in-one service designed to protect your home computer from viruses, worms, hackers, spyware and online identity scams. It automates disk defrag and cleaning, helping to improve your PC's performance.
All that said - there is a $50 yearly fee to use this service. I do a lot of work offline, and get `bothered' quite a bit by this service. I'm sure the job it does is wonderful, but I'm not sure I needed it. AVG Free and others that I had installed already seem to be adequate for my needs. Granted, with Windows Live OneCare, I didn't have to remember to do my disk defrag and clean up - and my own memory (not my computer's) is getting worse and worse these days - but I am not finding the $50 value in it when I can get most of these features FREE.
- 1smileycat :-)
functional, but not much else, 2008-03-19
Consumer Reports for 2007 rated Trend Micro Internet Security the best protection at the time. I bought it and used it for several months. I received regular alerts to many spyware/adware invasions and the occasional virus. There were a lot of features for customizing security and ensuring your system was safe. I liked it. 4 of 5 stars.
Then I get my hands on One Care 2.0:
- A lot less "features".
- Easy installation, but a bit confusing as Microsoft tries to tie it in with several other Windows Live services.
- No virus/spyware/adware alerts by default so I assume no news is good news.
- And I'm on Vista x64 = no issues with the product so I'm overall happy.
Peer-2-peer file sharing I had to disable Trend Micro, but in most cases I didn't have to disable One Care. That was a positive at first. At other times, even disabling the protection would hang my system when the peer-2-peer was launched. It was never consistent, whereas Trend always worked if disabled.
File & Photo Backup was a nice addition since Vista x64 Home Premium was missing the features the Ultimate edition had for file backup features. So without spending more money I received some features only available in an upgraded version of Vista. You can even back up your photos online to a Live account.
Also the product tries to help simplify network tasks like sharing out a printer to others in your "circle". Again, the Operating System Help explains how to use the OS to do this natively, but One Care tries to make an easier interface to accomplish the same task.
One Care has a Tune Up feature that checks for:
- Checks for updates.
- Defragments your hard disk
- Removes unnecessary files
- Checks for viruses
- Checks for files that need backup
None of these features seemed special since there are already features built into Vista that perform these actions. I guess it simply makes it convenient to have it in one place and scheduled to automatically run.
The $50/year subscription is the same as Trend Micro and covers 3 systems so no real advantage there. The only bonus is the first year is covered by the price of the product which I've heard runs anywhere from FREE to $20 for the initial purchase.
OVERALL:
It's not a bad product, but not great either. It does the job and I have yet to get infected.
If you want to have a product that doesn't slow your system down like Norton and provide you basic protection with a few features, then this will do the job.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Incomplete protection, but still good, 2008-03-17
This is Windows answer to Norton. I don't know what took them so long to create it, but they finally did. You have a firewall, parental protection, antivirus, and a spyware blocker all in one product. Yes, there is a yearly subscription involved (like Norton), but it's affordable (less than fifty dollars right now).
The installation is smooth under Windows XP. I haven't tried this in Vista yet, but a friend of mine did and has had no issues with it there either. It updates regularly and can be set to do everything with no user intervention. This is a good all-in-one suite for someone who wants to just set it and forget it. It does an adequate job of keeping your computer safe. The more technically inclined will have their own individual programs that they prefer over any suite, but the casual user will find this easy enough to use.
The only issue I've had is on the servers I have this set up on. Occasionally after an update the servers will lose connection with the internet and I'll have to adjust the firewall settings. It's a relatively quick fix and not a reason to skip this product, but I wanted to be complete in the review.
The bottom line is there are other alternatives that work just as well for less money (AVG Antivirus, Comodo Firewall Pro, etc), but if you're looking for something to put on your parents' computer or a friend's computer that you can set up and not have to constantly be their on-call tech support, this is the best choice.
Good for newer PCs, 2008-03-17
I installed this product on both my laptop and my desktop PCs. My laptop meets the minimum requirements for Windows Live OneCare, but the program still slowed the laptop down to a maddeningly slow pace. I uninstalled it, and immediately the laptop sped up again.
If your computer exceeds the minimum requirements (OneCare requires at least 256 MB of RAM; I wouldn't try it unless you have 512 MB or more), this is a pretty good anti-virus program. So far it hasn't found any viruses or other problems on my desktop PC, so I can't evaluate how well it deals with them. It is easy to use, though, with an attractive, friendly user interface.
I'm not crazy about the fact that after the first year, this program requires a paid monthly subscription. I probably won't keep it once it starts costing me money every month.
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