Security Essentials From Microsoft Would Be Great…

Microsoft has just announced some beta anti-virus/spyware/malware protection software called Microsoft Essentials. It’s free and free is good.

This software is only available to people running a legal copy of Windows. This is fine. My copies of XP are all legal as is my Windows 7.

After jumping thru several hoops trying to download this thing, I sign in with my Windows Live ID (required), fill out a registration form (required), validate my email address (required), and THEN…

image

The red box says:

The invitation you are using belongs to another registered account. If you believe you received this message in error, please try using another Windows Live ID/Passport account or contact mchelp@microsoft.com for additional assistance.

What?

Geez, thanks Microsoft. Now I can’t even try your software.

So if you want to try out Microsoft Essentials, if you can get past the registration process, you did better than me.

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6 comments

  1. Heh, heh…

    Check your Windows Firewall, either disable it or add MS to it.

    I am behind a server firewall and get the same thing on four different Computers and VM’s.

    A thought…

    • Could also be because I’m running Win 7 RC. Might be something “RC-ish”, who knows.. Will be trying it on my XP laptop later today. I’m betting it will go right thru without a problem on that computer.

  2. Kevin /

    Running RC7 here and I was able to download and install it. Was a beating of a process though.

  3. essential, is it?

    I clicked your link and got a page with the “Get It Now” button disabled and a red message that reads:

    Alert!

    Thank you for your interest in joining the Microsoft® Security Essentials Beta. We are not accepting additional participants at this time. Please check back at later a date for possible additional availability.

  4. typo not mine!

    I just read my post – that’s their typo in the line, “check back at later a date” … I think they meant “at a later date” You’d think M$ could afford proof readers!

    I use the add-on autocopy on Firefox so I just select text and it copies it.

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