For many PC users the name Microsoft implies lack of security as far as their operating system is concerned. The company has tried to change that many times in the past, but it seems that since last summer a more focused and serious effort has been taking place. A major boost for this effort was also the acquisition of Sybari, a small computer security company based in New York. So, after Microsoft gained some more expertise in matters of security, it put together a combination of software and services for the security needs of home users, called Microsoft OneCare.



MS OneCare is not just an anti-virus and anti-spyware program. It is primarily a combination of services and software rather than a single piece of software itself. It provides protection from viruses and trojans and receives updates from Microsoft's servers for all new types of viruses. OneCare also includes a version of Windows XP firewall which protects PCs from incoming connection requests and also preventing spyware programs already installed on your PC from sending their data to their owners. Of course, if you don't want spyware to be installed in your PC at all, it's probably better to use an anti-spyware program along with MS OneCare.

Another important feature of MS OneCare is it's backup feature. Through this function, users can create frequent backups of their data in a CD or a DVD. The only thing weird about this feature is that it requires users to be subscribed to the service in order to use it. There is no apparent data exchange between the program and the company when doing the backup but it still requires users to be subscribed to the service.

The most important function MS OneCare has, however, is the tune-up function. Through this, OneCare promises to relieve our PCs of redundant files such as log files, files that are created when programs crash, unused DLL files and other temporary files. It also defrags your hard drive, which can help reduce the launch time required for an application to start. By including the tune-up feature, Microsoft really sets OneCare apart from the competition by providing a solution to an admittedly difficult situation. There are many programs out there claiming to be able to tune-up your PC but most of them provide only minor improvements and some of them even make matters worse! Microsoft OneCare, however, seems like a program that can finally get things right as far as system tune-up is concerned! And while the permanent deletion of files (no recycle bin) OneCare tune-up does, may seem a bit dangerous, the software makes sure to notify users of the files it is about to delete before taking any action.

Another strange feature of MS OneCare is that while users are able to select between performing only a virus check or only a backup, one can't select parts of the tune-up feature. So if you want a tune-up, you'll get the complete treatment whether you like that or not! This includes erasing redundant files, defraging your disk and checking for viruses, which can really be time-consuming!

While there is still room for improvement, Microsoft OneCare is a very practical solution for most users and it can increase the level of security of your PC to very satisfactory levels. Most importantly, system maintenance, which can be a challenging task even for experienced users, can now be done easily and properly.