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Microsoft Beta Includes Built-in Virus Scanner
Ethereal writes "InternetNews.com reports that Microsoft has begun beta-testing a built-in virus scanner for its Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) that will be included in the final product in mid-2004. The tool is among the operating system enhancements the Redmond, Wash., company is developing as part of its Security Center initiative to rebuff viruses, worms, trojans and crackers. Microsoft will also provide free online training to help developers make the most of SP2's security features, Chairman Bill Gates said at today's RSA Security conference. It's the first time the company has offered training with a Windows service pack release."
If there's one software industry I wouldn't shed many tears over the loss of, it's the one whose business model is to profit thanks to viruses.
Get Grisoft.
You probably shouldn't click this.
I've been working with beta builds of SP2 at work, and from looking at it, I am under the impression that what Microsoft is actually including is not actually a virus scanner, but rather integration with 3rd party virus scanners. The last build I tested (2077), complained that I didn't have any virus scanning software installed, and suggested that I remedy the situation. Poking around revealed that it has the capability to work with many existing virus scanning packages, and warn you when your virus definitions are out of date, and possibly even keep them up to date for you. Of course, maybe what I've seen so far is only a prelude to full blown anti-virus software from MS...
Shawn Asmussen
... when it was reported last year by ZDNET / news.com / Network Fusion / pcmag... that Microsoft were to buy a Romanian antivirus company !
obligatory examples are netscape and winzip
The ZIP handling features in XP are licensed from WinZip. I'm sure Microsoft is by far and away Niko's best customer.
Doubt it. Remember that Microsoft bought an eastern european anti-virus software company a few months ago.
www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
You can certainly run more than one virus scanner at a time. Some ppl that use FREE virus scanners on windoze machines use both AVG and Avast!. The only problem is that the more scanners you put on your system, the slower the system will get. So, it's certainly possible (some do it to add an extra level of security)...
RAV if I recall correctly. So, to most people, this is not really news.
"Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead." A. Huxley
The article linked to in the story is wrong and makes this argument slightly invalid.
Have a read of the keynote transcript.
"...and from an antivirus perspective, Windows Security Center can tell me if I have virus software installed, if it's on, and if it's up to date..."
That's all it is - a console designed to bring all security features together in Windows, including any installed AV software. It is not bundled AV software, just a firewall and a console that aggregates all your settings and preferences into one location.