I got a beta invitation a few days back to beta test the new Windows Live OneCare. OneCare is basically positioning itself to be a single source for all your desktop security needs. Once installed, the program provides Firewall, Virus and Spyware monitoring, Backup and Restore, and Performance Plus (tune up module).

This version will run on XP with SP2 and Vista (build 5600 and above). Since I haven’t ran the previous versions - I really don’t have anything to compare it to.

First, I downloaded the small setup executable and ran it.

Once you pick the language and accept the license agreement, the program will download and install.

The download and installation on my machine took less than 10 minutes.

During the beta, the readme said to safely ignore the Activation option. I selected Not yet to continue.

The next thing you will see is the main program window that will serve as the central information source on the overall health status of the Operating system.

The Virus scan options let you just do a quick scan at first and then it will run the full scan at a scheduled time that you setup.

Running the TuneUp portion will make sure all the necessary parts of the program have successfully run along with cleaning up any unneeded files.

After the next day or two, I got this message while using my computer about installing an update.

Overall, I can see where this would be very usefull program to have - especially for home computers that need some ’self-maintaining’ capabilities. Is it worth $49 a year for the service? Probably…. Will I continue the service after the beta expires and am forced to sign up? No… It’s really not a tech-guys program and it certainly isn’t for corporate installation use.