The all-in-one antivirus, backup and maintenance solution is in Beta

Apr 8, 2008 11:15 GMT  ·  By

At the start of April 2008, Microsoft made available a taste of the next version of Windows Live OneCare, namely build 2.5. Windows Live OneCare 2.5 is in Beta stage and as such is offered as a free download. The best thing about it in this context is that the security solutions are not limited to being installed on a single machine, Microsoft permitting users to go wild in terms of deployments. The Redmond company has offered little to no information on the new Beta of Windows Live OneCare and there's a good reason for this. Essentially, Windows Live OneCare Beta delivers no big changes in comparison to version 2.0.

"I decided to ping the Windows Live OneCare team to see what we can expect with Windows Live OneCare 2.5. They tell me that the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 release is mainly what they call an 'under-the-hood' release. That means that we won't see any big new features like the great OneCare Circle introduced in 2.0. Going forward with the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta - continue to expect the improvements and changes to remain 'under-the-hood' and not very noticeable in the UI," revealed Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc.

Existing users of Windows Live OneCare, who are not at version 2.0, can of course deploy build 2.5, and the Beta will not impact in any way their original OneCare Subscription, even though they will notice some changes. Microsoft has revealed that once Windows Live OneCare will be finalized it will be delivered as a free update to all OneCare users.

"In testing the Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta, I noticed after installing it on one of my PCs and signing in with my Windows Live ID that contains my OneCare Subscription - it was not displaying my OneCare Circle. This was because I was running the non-Beta version of Windows Live OneCare on my other PCs. When signing in with your Windows Live ID that contains your OneCare Subscription in Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta - it creates a new subscription for testing purposes. In order for me to take advantage of my complete OneCare Circle, I will need to install Windows Live OneCare 2.5 on my other PCs," LeBlanc added.

Windows Live OneCare 2.5 is available for download via this link.