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| From: Microsoft Software
List Price: $49.95
Buy New: $21.77
You Save: $28.18 (56%)
New (59) Used (5) from $19.89
Rating:  186 reviews
Sales Rank: 53
Format: Dvd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows Xp
Media: CD-ROM
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: Windows Vista
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.5
MPN: C7S-00135
Model: C7S-00135
UPC: 882224494274
EAN: 0882224495134
ASIN: B000V6YPAY
Release Date: November 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 31-35 of 186
 Doesn't Play Well With Others February 8, 2008
Martin J. Lammer (Carpentersville, IL)
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
I am very disappointed with the product, with the Microsoft product description on their website, with the [...] product description, and with the packaging.
No where does it state that this product does not play well with others. You can't be perhaps a little paranoid and run this together with another antivirus program. You have to uninstall or disable the other antivirus. You can't pick and choose which features to install -- it's all or nothing.
I am very, very disappointed.
 Live Onecare works.. hard to believe that Microsoft made it. February 12, 2008
J. Torlapati
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I know there are a lot of negative reviews here and I might be a minority but OneCare does really work for me. I am home user and all I need is an antivirus that will keep me safe without bugging me every time I open a program. I have had it for 6 months now and I have no complaints. I subscribed to it once I was happy with the 3 months trial version. I used to have Norton before but I had to switch because it was hogging all the system resources. I have to say that I have had no problems with my computer ever since I installed this. Three licenses for a year at $19.99 is a steal really. I would really recommend it to all the novice computer users who are looking for an Antivirus that takes care of itself and the computer without bugging you.
 The Bikini Model of Antivirus ... February 27, 2008
! Steffan Piper ! (Burbank, CA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
It looks good, but that's about it ...
While I'm not a noob when it comes to software and computers, I'm not Bill Gates either, so please take everything I say in this review as one user's opinion and not gospel. I give this disclaimer because everybody's computers will react different, even two machines that are of identical builds.
First ...
I tested this out on my Dell Inspiron Laptop 1721. I recently purchased this computer and had been solely using Lavasoft's Adaware on it to keep it clean, which was doing a very good job in sync with windows Firewall. Don't worry ... I hear you gasping out there ... yeah, I'm using Vista. The firewall in Vista is a bit more improved and more sensitive than the one in XP. Still with me?
1. The installation of the software was smooth. I encountered no problems with any of the typically problematic Dell stuff that's installed before you buy the machine which usually gets in the way and brings out the blue screens. It did uninstall Norton (thankfully), which I haven't used on this machine (and never will) and also uninstalled the Lavasoft Adaware. These two programs cause conflicts with OneCare ... so I let the machine uninstall them both. Adaware is free, so -- no loss there.
2. After it was done, which didn't take long, surprisingly, I had to create a OneCare account with our nice friends at Microsoft. Then I had to make another account with Microsoft that basically did the same thing. This kind of thing is typical with Microsoft as they love to verify the bejesus out of you, your machine and your entire life. It's not always mandatory with other companies until you pay for a subscription or want premium services.
3. The interface looked clean, neat and easy to use, (sounds like a girl I once dated, hmm ...) I had no problems running the virus / spyware palette that they recommended either. But here is the snag: I had manually placed 10 files on the C drive directly from the quarantine folder from my Lavasoft Adaware that I had on another computer. Guess what? OneCare didn't find a single one. Most of them were just simple tracking cookies that came up during a quick scan. But the 1 hour long "quick scan" from OneCare yielded no results. Sigh ...
Here's the problem with this software in a nutshell ...
If you have a new machine and you're running Vista, OneCare will probably work for you as long as you DON'T do the following:
a) Click on advertisements on the internet
b) Get phished. Google it if you're unaware.
c) Look at scantily clad women ... ahem. I think you know what I mean here.
d) Open unnecessary .exe attachments from unknown people.
If you're not that kind of person, then you should be fine. But if you aren't, and you're on an older machine, or you already have a machine that behaves strangely and turns off all by itself, then you might be better served with saving your money and plonking down $50 and getting something more reliable or using several of the other free programs simultaneously. Microsoft rarely takes the latter kind of person very serious as a customer, as the problems are often too interwoven and too complex. That's why they love to have companies, like Dell and HP use those nifty "fix" disks - that just resets everything. It's simpler.
Also, you need to know that this program should've been included free of charge within Vista, but that's just my five cents.
It doesn't take long to see the benefits and the drawbacks from these types of programs. Benchmarking and personal testing goes a long way rather than just assuming that this stuff is going to do its job.
If you're curious and you really want to learn ... then spend some time reading up on the two following commands listed below and your life will be simplified a thousand fold when it comes to your computer:
1. msconfig
2. services.msc
Yes, I did list them in matter of importance. Know them well. But don't get cocky or it may spell your doom, especially with number two.
Be proactive and take care of your computer. Unfortunately, OneCare, barring a serious overhaul of their virus / spyware engine, is probably not the best solution for this.
Post-script: and as for the fancy plastic case that it comes in ... I could've easily done without it in lieu of the old paper sleeve which seemed to me, just fine; and good luck getting it open.
It's main job: protect itself, not your computer February 27, 2008
Mario I. Burgos (NC USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The "generous" 3 months trial turns into a nightmare once you have paid for the product. In 2006 I bought it, installed and used in three computers. In November 2007 after trying to upgrade it to the new version, I wrongly opted to make a brand new installation after I could not enter the new number to upgrade the old one. Infortunately the computer where I installed the new version crashed and when I tried to re-install it, the installation program did not allow it, warning that the ID has already been used. Then, I got lots of rounds of non sense instructions.
Finally I contacted someone in the technical support but all I got was more cryptic instructions that don't make sense either. Bottom line: three months later, I am still figuring it out.
The three person who I recommended the product while in the trial period have reported similar convoluted setup, once something goes wrong.
My theory: I have used several microsoft products for a long time. This is the most convoluted protection scheme from microsoft that I know. Considering that this is a cheap product that you can buy on sale for about 20 bucks or so, (at least while they eat up the competition), the only explanation is that they are testing this copy protection scheme to use it in their main products. No even Vista is so protected. I feel kind of guinea pig.
 Fair February 29, 2008
Skanky Cat (Florence)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Pros: effective antivirus protection and firewall; reasonable cost
Cons: lacks privacy and parental control; no anti-spam protection; can't back up data to hard drive; spyware protection only so-so
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