Are you one of those people not running an up to date virus checker? Do virus checkers cost too much? Use too much of your resources?

Well, Microsoft has released their free virus checker to the public. Here’s what Microsoft says about it:

About Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.

Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

I’ve installed it on a five year old XP machine that was dropped off yesterday. Microsoft Security Essentials, MSE, did a fantastic job of removing the viruses and malware off of it. The installation started at:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

MSE is a small download of approximately 8 meg and installs quickly after checking to make sure you have a valid copy of XP (service pack 2 or 3), Vista, or Windows 7.  MSE updates itself, and runs a quick scan.

Microsoft Security Essentials is the perfect free virus checker for all of those people who are currently not running a virus checker. Did I say it was FREE?