Microsoft OneCare Flunks Antivirus Tests

By Geoff Duncan March 5, 2007

Independent project AV Comparatives, run by Andreas Cleminti, aims to conduct twice-a-year surveys of the effectiveness of leading antivirus package, conducting tests in February and August. This February (PDF), Microsoft’s Windows Live OneCare antivirus software came in dead last in the comparison of 17 products, catching just 82.4 percent of the one million known viruses AV Comparatives threw at it. OneCare’s score is low enough that AV Comparatives declined to give Microsoft’s antivirus product any certification rating at all, and may re-evaluate whether to even bother including it in future tests since it failed to meet its 85 percent threshold for participation. OneCare was the only tested product which failed to achieve a rating.

The leaders in AV Comparative’s tests this year were small players in the antivirus scene, with G Data Security’s AntiVirusKit (AVK) gaining top marks, detecting 99.5 percent of all malicious code thrown at it. Next came AEC’s TrustPort AV with a score of 99.4 percent, Avira’s AntiVir PR Premium with 98.9 percent, MicroWorld’s eScan Anti-Virus with 97.9 percent and F-Secure’s Antivirus Kit 2007 with 97.9 percent.

Big commercial products like Symantec’s Norton Antivirus and McAfee VirusScan garnered lower scores; Symantec stopped 96.8 percent of the malware thrown at it, but McAfee came in 14th, catching just 91.6 percent of viruses, worms, and other malicious code passed under its nose.

Antivirus software was tested under Windows XP SP 2.

Cleminti doesn’t claim his tests are conclusive, and encourages computer users to look at other independent evaluations of antivirus and security software as well as his own, and is quick to point out that other factors—such as interface, usability, support, price, localizations, and broad compatibility—may make some products more suitable for some computer users than others.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Deals

Microsoft Word free trial: Get a month of service for free

A person using MS Word.

It may not feel like it, but Microsoft Word is probably one of the most popular word processors out there, along with Google Docs, and pretty much everybody has likely used it at some point, regardless if you prefer Microsoft Office to Google Docs. Of course, if you want to get your hands on it these days, you're going to have to buy it as part of Microsoft Office, as opposed to getting it as a standalone product like you used to. While you do have to pay for the subscription, you can get Microsoft Word for a month using the free trial before it reverts to a paid subscription. Also, be sure to check out some of these useful Microsoft Words tricks and even how to run Microsoft Office on the Quest 3.
Is there a Microsoft Word free trial?

Microsoft Word is actually part of the company's wider Office app suite. Now known simply as Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office), Microsoft's enterprise software is available in a number of different packages that are now subscription-based; the company has retired the older bundles that were available for a one-time payment. That means if you want a Microsoft Word free trial, you'll need to sign up for the Microsoft 365 trial.

Computing

Save $150 on a lifetime license for Microsoft Office for PC

microsoft office professional 2021 deal stack social april 2024 bundle

For one of the cheapest Office deals today, check out Stack Social which currently has a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for just $70. The product normally costs $220 so you’re saving $150 off the regular price, all while gaining a lifetime license for some very useful software. If you’ve been considering getting Office and don’t want to deal with the ongoing nature of Office 365, this is a good opportunity to do so for less. Here’s what you need to know before you click the buy button.

Why you should buy Microsoft Office Professional 2021
If you’ve been reading up on whether to use Microsoft Word or Google Docs and you’ve settled on Word, snapping up Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is a great way to do so for less. Described as everything a pro needs, Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is pretty great.

Computing

How to double space in Microsoft Word

Overhead view of someone typing on a Surface laptop.

Double-spacing is a great way to organize your word processing, and an excellent optimization that is built into most word processing tools. And whenever we hear “word processing,” one of the first programs that comes to mind is Microsoft Word. This handy software has been around for a minute, and we’re going to teach you how to implement double spaces throughout your next Word doc.