For those on a tight budget or those who run unprotected systems, this successor to Microsoft Live One Care  is as an obvious consideration for antivirus and antispyware. But does it actually work?

So far, the answer is yes.

The system requirements are pretty easy to meet. You need to be running Windows XP 32-bit, Vista or Windows 7 and you need 1GB of RAM. So, if your PC is from the last five years, Security Essentials is likely to run. Obviously, you’ll need to check your system first.

First, some great news. The download was ridiculously fast, the installation procedure was extremely simple and the definitions updated more quickly than Antivir. The interface is sparse, which threw me for a loop. You don’t normally see this kind of “stripped-down” software in the security world, where bloated code and feature touting reign.

One install caveat: you need to submit to Microsoft’s Genuine Advantage validation during the install. Not a serious concern for most, but still a bit “Big Brothery” for our tastes.

Memory usage fluctuated, but averaged around 65MB. The initial scan barely affected system performance; I let it run while I continued working on other tasks.  The time to complete the scan was very good too (about 2/3 of the time of the other major freeware AV vendors). Realtime protection caused minimal delays and were quite livable. We wish that Microsoft would offer an option on the system tray icon to temporarily disable it, but it can be done from within the program settings.

My big question? Is this software actually doing anything to protect my system? It’s way too early to expect accurate results from our real-world usage, but AV-Comparatives recently rated it as one of the best for protection and a low number of false positives. Of the five infected systems we’ve thrown it on, all have cleaned up nicely.

Conclusion: I’ve run without antivirus software for years and I just may keep this one. It’s that seamless.

Some quick ideas:

1. Get a new hard drive first. This may sound a bit radical, but it has a number of advantages. You start with a clean slate, your content is guaranteed to be preserved on your old drive, you get a drive with less mileage on it and you can choose a faster, larger drive.
2. Run backups before anything. Things happen. It’s best to try to backup what you can before making any changes. A large, external drive is the best option for this. If you haven’t got one, then Tip #1 above is even more critical.
3. Know your applications. You’ll need to reinstall every application (except for the ones that are bundles with Windows 7). If you’re missing key discs or your software is outdated, you may need to resolve this issue first. Again, with Tip #1 is helpful here – if you forget an app, you can go back to the old drive in an emergency.
4. Check your hardware. Not every device has a Windows 7 driver. In general, native support for devices has been excellent, but it’s worth checking.
5. Run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This tool is useful if you have concerns about whether your PC is suited for the upgrade. The results aren’t perfect, but they are insightful.

Still with the idea? Microsoft has a good walkthrough on how to get Windows 7 installed. Make sure that you document the steps that will require your PC to be unable to access the web (print out the steps if needed).

See the Microsoft tutorial.

The best way to deal with these threats is to prevent them. Here are some quick fixes:

1. Stop using Internet Explorer — even version 8. Load up Firefox, Chrome or Safari and use that as your primary browser. You’re far less likely to run into issues. It’s been said many times, but it’s true.

2. Free software often has a price. You’re courting disaster with every poker and online game you install. Be very careful this. Kids are frequent targets too. If you’re not sure, just Google it and add the keyword “spyware.” See if anyone else is losing their mind about it.

2. Bolster your filtering. Suites such as Kaspersky Internet Security are more effective than old, basic antivirus programs. Microsoft’s new Security Essentials is a good choice on the free side. Avira’s Antivir is a great free antivirus program, but you’ll end up with malware if you hit the wrong site…it’s spyware filtering is not very good.

3. Make sure you’re up to date. While not a sure thing, Microsoft’s updates are often related to security issues with web browsing. Run your updates if you don’t have automatic updating turned on. Obviously, this requires a bit more thought for corporate users.

4. Stop using the Internet so much. Phonebooks and encyclopedias are virus-free. It sounds radical and we’re  kidding…sort of…but it’s guaranteed to keep your system safer.

If you do get hit (or preferable before you’re infected), install the free program Malwarebytes and use that to scan your systems. It’s detection and cleanup tools are easy to use and quite effective.

If you’re wondering why, given Google’s dominant web search, the answer is easy: performance. No desktop search tool can index your system without slowing you down. It may not be a massive drag, but it’s there. And when you combine it with antivirus software and other apps, the effect can be quite noticeable.

A number of the major search vendors offer a free desktop client that indexes your drive and allows you to search your email and document content. The content indexing is important. It’s an improvement over older OS-integrated search tool which were designed to just find files.

If you have a significant number of local documents or email, you may want need help finding things. Luckily, Windows 7 and Mac users have integrated search tools that are quite effective (Vista did too albeit in a slightly clunkier form). If you are a PC users, say with Windows XP, and you think you need desktop search software, read on. If you’re a Mac user, Mac’s built-in Spotlight is your best option (unless you really need Google Desktop for Mac’s extra tools).

One thing to note are the security concerns. You may end up with one big searchable database of everything you do, depending on what you index.

Here are some results from our testing:

Exalead one:desktop
After several weeks of use, this tool from the French search engine maker proved quite solid. It’s search results are informative and customizable. It’s also proved to be light enough that you could leave it on without much impact on system resources. If you have a slower system, things could bog down a bit while it’s indexing though. One thing we didn’t like: the results are displayed in your web browser. It was distracting and the lag was mildly annoying.

Windows Search 4.0
Believe it or not, Microsoft did OK with this one. It’s odd when “OK” puts a product in the runner-up position. It can suck up your system’s resources even when not indexing, but it’s speedy enough in use. It’s results are decent and its integration is useful for Microsoft Office 2007/2010 users. I contemplated keeping it, but preferred the ability to easily quit out of Exalead. Also, it did not find some text with certain file types (even though it was supposed to have indexed them).

Copernic Desktop Search
A long-time favorite of many, this software is quick to launch and has some strong design features. It’s relatively easy on resources and customizable, however, its indexing results sometimes inexplicably missed certain content. One more drawback, it now displays ads in its results window. Not huge, but creepy. A decent tool if you are mostly concerned with speed and ease of use.

X1 Professional Desktop
A really strong, established product. It worked very well. It’s just hard to part with $50 for desktop search (put that money towards a Windows 7 Upgrade). After buying X1, Yahoo has gone back and forth from a free to a paid model. They seem to be focusing more on enterprise network search products now. It’s a 30-day trial. I mention them because of the strength of the software. If it was free, it would easily be my first choice. Their enterprise search tools may appeal to you if you’re a corporate user.

Google Desktop

It’s results are decent and if you use GMail, it’s integration is absolutely essential. Three problem: it does not fare well when it comes to resource usage, it’s insistent on searching everything and it doesn’t appear to uninstall well. I’ve read reviews where they don’t even mention the performance issue, which is sad. It will slow your system down–sometimes unmercifully–and that’s why it’s last on our list.

Of course, others like the search tool from Ask, didn’t make the cut.

There are four popular browsers that hold the majority of the web browser market: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Opera. Apple’s Safari, the standard browser on Macs, is less common but showing up on more systems due to its bundling with iTunes.

The problem with PCs is that you can switch to another browser, but you will still need Internet Explorer on your system. Some sites will require it and although there are ways to remove it, it’s not easy.

Internet Explorer 8
Good: Faster than 7, more standardized, more secure.
Bad: Slower than others and still a sitting duck for hackers.
This browser is touted as being faster and safer than previous versions. This holds up pretty well, but other than its launch speed, it’s still a mixed bag. Update to 8 if you haven’t for the supposed security benefits.

Firefox 3
Good: Add-ons can be a godsend, themes are useful and its known for its security.
Bad: Can suck up RAM with multiple tabs, slower to launch, add-ons can weigh it down.
My daily browser of choice. Fast enough for daily tasks and more customizable than any other browser. It’s also become quite stable after some earlier glitches.

Google Chrome
Good: Really fast, clean interface and safe.
Bad: Not easy to tweak, pages don’t always render as they should and Google can be creepy.
I think Chrome is a great tool. I just wish that Google’s information usage wasn’t suspect.

Opera 9
Good: Unique features, safe, and well supported.
Bad: Slow on launch and certain functions, page rendering sometimes off.
This is a geek favorite. I use it on my smartphone. Its competition is catching up though, especially Firefox.

What do you do? In general, backing up an email program is fairly easy to do. The hard part is knowing what to backup. Some automatic backup software, like the ones included with external USB hard-drives, can help by automatically selecting what needs to be copied (or simply copying everything on your system). If you’re not sure, here are some ways you can make sure that your email is protected.

Outlook
Outlook stores everything in one file. Finding that file is hard for a novice. Luckily, there is a free add-in from Microsoft that reminds you and then does it for you too. It’s not very beautiful, but it works. On exiting Outlook, it will regularly remind you according to a schedule you set. All you need is a server or an external drive to store it on.

Outlook Express
This one is a bit trickier since Outlook Express stores your mail in arcane, buried folders. Microsoft’s procedure for this is preposterous for the average user. A better solution is the freeware MailStore Home by deepinvent. It does most of the heavy lifting for you. Write yourself a reminder though, because the software doesn’t schedule backups automatically.

Eudora
Though it’s fallen out of favor, we still have some users who couldn’t live without Eudora. This one is relatively easy. You just need to copy the entire Eudora folder to your backup drive. You can even more your program to a new computer this way! Here is the official write-up.

Here are the facts:

1. The infection tries to block security vendors’ sites. A quick and easy test, while not 100% foolproof, is to surf to their site. If it doesn’t come up, jump down to #5 here. If you’re not sure, try F-Secure’s site. They’re on the blocked sites list.
2. Mac OS systems cannot run the virus natively but Parallels and Boot Camp installs can. Users with Windows on their Macs are at risk.
2. Linux PCs and servers…same thing…cannot run it. Neither can your handheld devices.
3. If you have all of your Windows Updates as well as a good, up-to-date antivirus program that is running normally, you are protected. Keep in mind that this virus, like many others, is designed to knock-out your antivirus though. If you can’t get into your AV software or it’s status seems wonky, see step 4.
4. If you’re not sure, scan your system now. An online scanner will not affect your current software and while it may take a while to scan, a second opinion is often useful.
5. Bitdefender has a good free cleanup tool designed just for this virus. Like the online scanners mentioned above, you can use it without harming your current AV.

I don’t think we need to panic come Wednesday, though. Don’t be too alarmed by news articles that lack balanced information. If you’d like more information, CNET has a good article. Don’t Google it too much though, because searching for Conficker seems to lead users to the very sites they should be avoiding.

Problem is, you need to have an AT&T account to actually get one. You cannot just walk into a store and purchase one. You’ll still need to pay the deposit and the first month’s service before you can jailbreak it and head over to someone like T-Mobile.

This means that users looking for a true prepaid iPhone aren’t there yet.

The issues are obvious. Outlook will slowly load and seem to hang more as your mail volume increases. Normal navigation will become more difficult due to delays. Sending, composing…everything becomes a chore.

There are some quick fixes that can help optimize Outlook. The first one easily has the most dramatic effect. What you do is disable some unneeded add-ins in the Trust Center. To do this:

• The Trust Center is on the Tools menu. Look for Add-ins on the left and click it.
• The screenshot to the left should resemble your window. Click on the Go button, as COM Add-ins should already be selected.
• You’ll see a list of the currently enabled add-ins. Some may be third-party spam filters and antivirus programs, but other than that you should really only need the Microsoft Search or Windows Indexing add-in. Don’t worry, if you end up needing some of these back on, you can always come back and reenable them.

If you’re using a PST and it gets on the larger side , you may have seen a recurring notice about your Personal Folders file not being closed properly. Outlook will check them for problems, but performance is wildly affected. Microsoft may have set the size limit set at 20GB, but things get weird before you get close to that. The only really effective method is to create multiple PSTs and break up some of your stored mail. Critical to this, though, is that you compact the original Personal Folder from when you are done.

One last tip. If you use Microsoft’s Desktop Search, you can turn off the Instant Search. And if you’re not using it, you’ll want to disable that annoying prompt to turn it on.

There are two things you need to do: make sure that your systems are up-to-date on Microsoft Security Updates and make sure that your antivirus systems are covering you.

Here’s a quick summary of what you can do:

• Update your Windows systems manually if they are not set to automatically update.
• Make sure your antivirus software is also updated. After it is, a full scan is a good idea. Scan removable media like USB drives too.
• Get a second opinion if you can. Try an online virus scanner or a scan-only product.
• Strong passwords are recommended, but they don’t prevent infections.
• A software firewall can be a pain in the butt to tweak and overkill for the common user, but traveling users who rely on WiFi should really consider using something stronger than Windows built-in firewall.

And as with Koobface, Mac and Linux users are exempt from this paranoia. As a follow-up to this, CNET has a good overview of where Conficker came from and what it can do.