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From:Microsoft , Microsoft Software ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#29 |
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3 of 5 customers found the following review helpful:
 Gets a second star for ease of network setup; otherwise, this program is a bust, 2008-03-31
EDIT 4/7/08: In December 2007, OneCare version 2.0.2392.4 (not the current version, granted, which is 2.0.2500.22) failed ICSA (icsa labs dot com) testing for Desktop/Server Monthly Cleaning, though it did pass the Desktop/Server Monthly Detection test. Even with a newer version available, this really takes the program back to one star for me. No version of an anti-virus software package should be failing these basic tests. Pathetic, really.
There seems to be one good thing, and only one good thing, about using Windows Live OneCare as opposed to other solutions, such as McAfee, Norton, and others: It makes home networking for Vista extremely simple. When OneCare was installed on both PCs in my house, they immediately saw each other and without prompting set up print sharing. That was pretty impressive.
Then OneCare started to remind me, constantly, that I needed a backup plan. One of its functionalities is performing automated backups. My roommate's PC can backup important information on an external hard drive attached to my PC. That's pretty cool, right? So I ordered a Western Digital Passport. When I set up the WD Passport, and tried to start my "backup plan", OneCare wanted to initialize the Passport with NTFS. That was a problem, because the Passport can't be reformatted for FAT, FAT32 or NTFS, but I didn't learn that until much later. I searched through all of OneCare's help files, trying to find anything on what to do if the drive can't be reformatted, and there was nothing but information on how to reformat. After trying to reformat the drive a dozen different ways, I went to Western Digital's website, where a few searches finally gave me the information I needed: the Passport uses its own proprietary file system, and can't be reformatted.
I went back to OneCare's help screens, and looked again for supported backup devices. Just as I had seen prior to buying the Passport, OneCare listed an "external hard drive" as a compatible device, but said nothing about the requirement of reformatting to NTFS. I looked again, trying every search I could think of, but could find absolutely nothing about OneCare needing the external hard drive formatted to NTFS. All I could find was that Microsoft "recommended" (that was the exact word they used) that the file system be NTFS because it is a more secure system.
With that, I contacted OneCare support, where I was told that OneCare *required*, not "recommended", NTFS on the external hard drive. I asked the OneCare tech to show me where, in the help screens or anywhere in Microsoft's Knowledge Base, it says that OneCare requires NTFS to function. He could not.
Obviously, I returned that drive.
There are a few other things that OneCare doesn't do. It has zero spam protection, and doesn't scan incoming e-mails or attachments. Given that Microsoft knows Outlook inside and out, I found that latter omission to be extremely odd. Thirty five minutes later, after an excruciatingly slow chat session with a OneCare tech support, I was told that I would need to use Norton, McAfee, or something else provided by my ISP if I wanted spam and e-mail protection. But wait - OneCare requires that you delete any and all antivirus programs! Norton and OneCare can't co-exist; neither can OneCare and McAfee.
I asked OneCare tech support what, then, was the benefit of using OneCare as opposed to these other programs that did more, and for the same or similar price (or, for me, as a Comcast customer, McAfee is free). His answer was, and this is a direct quote, "OneCare is an antispyware, and an anti virus at the same it helps you protect your computer".
Huh?
When you put that all of that together, with the fact that OneCare is a bundle of System Tools bundled into Vista for free, using OneCare makes no sense whatsoever. So, I asked for info on how to obtain a refund. The link he provided me with didn't work, so he gave me a phone number. I haven't called them yet, but I will, and wonder how easy this will be. In both of my conversations with OneCare tech support, I didn't get the feeling that they really understood their product. Perhaps I *can* use McAfee for e-mail scanning, virus scanning, etc., and just use OneCare to manage my network, or "OneCare circle", as they call it.
This program is a bust. Don't waste your money.
 Managed services for the home, 2008-03-29
Windows Live OneCare 2.0 introduces the managed services concept to home PC users. The software optimizes your PC with three closely related sets of programs:
1. 'Protection Plus' includes virus and spyware monitoring, anti-phishing filters and firewall to help keep the bad stuff away from you.
2. 'Performance Plus' optimizes your hard drive and repairs it in case something unwanted manages to get through or whenever you want to fine-tune your system; the set of utilities includes disk defragmentation, unnecessary file cleanup, scandisk for spyware/malware/viruses etc., and a check for security updates from Microsoft.
3. 'Backup and Restore' helps you configure your home network of up to 3 PCs and backup to either CD/DVD or an external device located on your network.
The software is intended to be used with the Live OneCare service where the latest software such as anti-virus definitions are downloaded. Activating the service was easy, and running all three of the services takes only a few minutes. Since the initial install, I have found the minimal time spent maintaining the service to be worthwhile; for example, I set the protection and performance functions to run at night when the computer is not in use.
While one might argue that is is possible to do some of the things that Windows Live OneCare does manually, the point is that you benefit from the software's automation of routine tasks which allows you to spend more time doing the things that you want to do. Additionally, it simply makes sense to be as proactive as possible and there is no better way to do that than to subscribe to a service that is continuously refreshed with the latest patches and security updates. By putting all these services together in a convenient package, Windows Live OneCare saves time and gives you the peace of mind knowing that your computing investment is protected.
I highly recommend this product to everyone.
 Working and Timely shipping, 2008-03-29
Windows Live One Care was a great decision for me since I am a Windows type. It is easily understood and works without hesitation on my speed.
Very underrated, 2008-03-22
This program works great for me. I have been using Onecare for two years now and have never had a problem. It detects everything and cleans my PC of all junk files without ever losing anything important. It never slows down my PC unless its running a tune up. The one thing everyone seems to hate about this is the price for a year subscription. I have never paid $50 for this. Its on sale right here on amazon all the time for just $20. That is just $20 for a whole year to protect your computer. Not bad in my opinion. Many people give Microsoft products bad reviews because its made by Microsoft. That is unfair. Just because a company is successful does not mean they make bad products. That would not make sense. Don't believe the haters!
 Gets the job done with a minimum of hassle, 2008-03-21
I have both a PC and a Mac, so I rarely worry about virus protection. The PC is a necessity. The Mac is a godsend. So I bought OneCare for my PC not really thinking about what I'd need it to do. Someone else had recommended that I try AVGFree, which worked just as well. Well OneCare lived up to my expectations, which were low. You can put this program on up to 3 PCs for virus, adware/spyware, and firewall protection. The software is easy to use, with a color coded bar that tells you your computer's overall health (green = good, red = better go buy a new computer). I have Windows XP and had no connectivity issues. This program seemed to detect things well enough, with no annoying pop-ups, and I haven't really had any problems. I'm not much of a PC guru, but I'd recommend this product to a friend. It comes with 24-hour customer phone support, which in my opinion is worth the price in itself.
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