I’m currently in the process of upgrading all of my computers, and the computers at my clients, with Windows Defender (Beta 2).  This is the product formerly known as Microsoft Antispyware (Beta 1).  Windows Defender is a MUCH slicker product than Microsoft Antispyware, and is much  more than Giant Antispyware with a Microsoft logo slapped on it.  One of the things that I really like is that the updates for Windows Defender are distributed via the Windows Update infrastructure, which makes distribution in corporations (using WSUS) much sweeter (download once and push out to everyone).  In addition, Windows Defender runs as a Windows service, which puts it closer to the core of Windows and also allows it to automatically restart if it crashes (or is crashed by malware).  Also, Windows Defender works much more like antivirus software in the way it detects items, and can even detect lower-level items, such as rootkits.

If you have Windows XP with Service Pack 2, I highly recommend you download and install Windows Defender today.  If you currently have Microsoft Antispyware (Beta 1) installed, the Windows Defender installation program will automatically uninstall it.

Learn more or download today at:
http://www.microsoft.com/defender