Windows OneCare
Windows OneCare is a comprehensive service that offers one-click solutions to address both security and performance issues on your computer. OneCare continuously scans your system for potential security vulnerabilities and looks for ways to optimize your PC's performance. If it detects anything you can do to improve the overall "health" of your computer, OneCare will alert you and suggest a solution.
Are your Antivirus and Firewall packages protecting you adequately from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, hackers, and other threats? OneCare will scan your entire system (or just individual files and folders) for malware and other security problems. You can also check attachments that you receive through emails or MSN Messenger for viruses or worms.
Do you find it a nuisance to maintain your hard disk and make sure that critical system fixes are applied? OneCare Tune-up automates your routine maintenance and helps to improve your computer's performance. This automated service performs the following functions:
Scan your computer for viruses.
Defragment your hard disk to help improve efficiency.
Remove unnecessary files to increase available hard disk space.
Ensure that security updates from Microsoft are installed.
Backup and Restore
OneCare will also back up your files automatically if you have an external hard drive, or copy your important files and settings to CDs or DVDs. This protects you from data loss due to accidental deletion, viruses, faulty software or hardware failure. If you have ever suffered through a hard drive crash and the frustration of lost data that took days, weeks or years to create, then you understand the importance of AUTOMATED backups. In the event of a data loss, your file(s) can be recovered easily from the backup media.
Is This Rocket Science?
No, but very few users have a reliable, automated plan for keeping their computer safe and running with optimal performance. Even fewer have an automated backup plan to protect their data from loss. If you are an experienced user, and you enjoy maintaining your system, you can certainly do everything that OneCare does on your own. But a comprehensive service that puts security and performance tuning on auto-pilot is a welcome (and overdue) service for most Windows users.
The Windows OneCare service is in beta testing, and Microsoft is accepting customer requests for participation. You can learn more and sign up for the beta here:
http://beta.windowsonecare.com/
Note: Microsoft has made the beta available only for US citizens at this time.