Protect and Maintain Your Computer with Windows Live OneCare
Published: July 31, 2006
I spend a lot of my time helping friends fix problems with their Windows personal computers. A lot of these problems are caused by rogue applications that are inadvertently installed (such as spyware). Other problems are caused by the buildup of hundreds of files over the years. If my friends had Windows Live OneCare, they might not have these problems.
Windows Live OneCare is a comprehensive PC care service for all of your Windows computer needs. Windows Live OneCare protects and maintains your computer with three important feature areas. Protection Plus provides antivirus, antispyware, and two-way firewall protection. Performance Plus removes unnecessary files that might clog your computer. Performance Plus also defragments your hard disk on a regular schedule and makes sure that you have the latest security updates from Microsoft installed. And Windows Live OneCare backs up and restores your files.
Installing Windows Live OneCare
Windows Live OneCare is always on, working continuously in the background of your computer. The goal of Windows Live OneCare is to protect your computer from threats and always keep your computer running as fast as possible without having to interrupt and hassle you for additional information. Windows Live OneCare takes care of viruses, spyware, and backups so that you can concern yourself with working or playing on your computer.
Windows Live OneCare is a subscription service that costs $49.95 a year and protects up to three Windows XP-based computers. As part of the subscription, you receive all updates immediately and at no cost. This includes updates and service enhancements such as antivirus definitions, antispyware definitions, two-way firewall updates, and any new feature sets that may be released down the road.
If you want to try Windows Live OneCare before purchasing it, a 90-day trial is available. After the trial period has ended, you are not obligated to purchase Windows Live OneCare.
Note: Windows Live OneCare requires Windows XP SP2 and is currently only offered in the United States. See all of the system requirements.
To install Windows Live OneCare
1. | Go to http://onecare.live.com and click Get it now. Log in with your Windows Live ID. If you have a Microsoft Passport Network, Hotmail, or MSN account, you already have a Windows Live ID. |
2. | Do one of the following: | • | You can subscribe to Windows Live OneCare always-on protection for $49.95 a year by clicking Subscribe Now. | | • | You can also try Windows Live OneCare for free for 90 days by clicking Try It Free. | | • | If you purchased Windows Live OneCare in a retail store, enter your product key by clicking Activate a Token. | | • | If you are already a Windows Live OneCare subscriber, you can also add another computer to your subscription by clicking Add Another PC. |
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Windows Live OneCare is installed in three steps.
Tip: If you need to restart your system after installing Windows updates, you will have to restart before installing Windows Live OneCare.
Windows Live OneCare checks your system and settings with a program called System Check. System Check verifies that your computer meets the minimum requirements for Windows Live OneCare and that there is no conflicting firewall or antivirus software. An ActiveX control is required to install System Check. Click Continue and Windows Live OneCare will prompt you to install this System Check ActiveX control.
Figure 1: Windows Live OneCare installs System Check to make sure that your computer meets the installation requirements and does not have any incompatible software installed.
After the System Check, the Terms of Service agreement appears. If you agree to the Terms of Service, Windows Live OneCare will be downloaded and installed on your computer. You must restart your computer for Windows Live OneCare to become active after installation.
Figure 2: Windows Live OneCare downloads and installs through your Internet Explorer browser.
Once your computer is restarted, Windows Live OneCare will automatically begin working with the default settings to provide continuous care for your computer.
To access Windows Live OneCare
| • | Double-click the OneCare icon in your system tray. |
The color of the Windows Live OneCare icon in Figure 3 shows the current status of the system. In this case, the status is green, or good.
Figure 3: Windows Live OneCare can always be found in your system tray.
You can also access Windows Live OneCare from the Start menu. Point to All Programs, and then select Windows Live OneCare.
Protect your computer with Protection Plus
Protection Plus includes three components that protect your computer from threats.
1. | Antivirus. Windows Live OneCare Antivirus protects your system in two ways. Antivirus scans your system for viruses at regular intervals (as part of Performance Plus) and makes sure that the latest virus definitions are downloaded. Antivirus also monitors what the files on your computer are doing. If Antivirus detects suspicious behavior, Windows Live OneCare Antivirus will block it and protect your computer from damage. To modify the Antivirus settings 1. | On the Windows Live OneCare start screen, click View or change settings, and then click the Antivirus tab. | 2. | Click Antivirus Exclusions to turn antivirus monitoring on or off, view quarantined files, and exclude specific files from scanning and monitoring. | 3. | Clear the Monitor for virus-like behavior during Antivirus monitoring check box to disable real-time monitoring and protection. Windows Live OneCare will prompt you and change the color of its icon if your system is not sufficiently protected after turning Antivirus off. |
 Figure 4: You can enable or disable antivirus monitoring, but disabling the monitoring reduces the security of your system. |
2. | Antispyware. Windows Live OneCare works with Windows Defender to ensure that your computer is protected from malicious applications that create pop-ups or monitor your activity. Windows Live OneCare also makes sure that the latest spyware definitions are downloaded. To modify the Antispyware settings | • | On the Windows Live OneCare start screen, click View or change settings, and then click the Antispyware tab. Additional antispyware changes can be made by opening Windows Defender from the start menu. |
 Figure 5: Windows Live OneCare works together with Windows Defender to make sure that your system is monitored. Note: If you don’t want Windows Live OneCare to monitor Windows Defender, turn Antispyware reminders to Off. |
3. | Two-way Firewall. A firewall protects your computer by preventing hackers from accessing your system. Windows Live OneCare Firewall works in both directions. The firewall can stop applications from accessing the Internet that should not have Internet access and also prevent threats from outside of your computer from gaining access. When an application tries to access the Internet for the first time, Windows Live OneCare Firewall will let you know. You can choose to allow the application in the future or keep blocking it.
 Figure 6: Windows Live OneCare Firewall notifies you the first time an application tries to access the Internet. |
To modify the settings for firewall
| • | From the Windows Live OneCare start screen, click View or change settings, and then click the Firewall tab. |
There are three security levels that the firewall can be set at. You can turn the firewall off (not recommended), set the firewall to automatic, or set the firewall to prompt. When the firewall is set to automatic it will allow programs to access the Internet that it knows are safe (like certain parts of Windows). When the firewall is set to prompt, it will always ask you the first time a program tries to access the Internet.
If you want Windows Live OneCare to always notify you when it allows or blocks a program from accessing the Internet, click Show me a notification when Firewall blocks or allows programs. Click Advanced settings to allow or deny specific programs, ports, and protocols, and to modify file and printer sharing and remote desktop settings.
Figure 7: Windows Live OneCare Firewall has many advanced settings that include port and protocol firewall exceptions for advanced gaming.
To check the status of Protection Plus from the Windows Live OneCare start screen
| • | Start Windows Live OneCare from the Start Menu or by double-clicking the Windows Live OneCare icon in the system tray. |
Antivirus monitoring, Virus definitions, Firewall, Automatic Updates, and Antispyware status are displayed on the start screen.
Tip: Do you want to let the Windows Live OneCare Team know what you think? Click Help, and then click Send feedback in Windows Live OneCare.
When Windows Live OneCare Firewall detects that an application is trying to access the Internet, it will ask you if you want to allow it in the future or keep blocking it.
Enhance your computer with Performance Plus
Performance Plus tunes up your computer in several ways.
| • | Defragment your hard disk. Sometimes when your computer saves a file to a sector on your hard disk, the entire file does not fit in the sector and must be broken up in to smaller files and stored in far-apart sectors. When this happens, a file becomes fragmented. After a file is fragmented, the hard disk takes longer to access that file. Windows Live OneCare Performance Plus puts fragmented file sectors closer together so that files can be accessed quicker, and new files can be stored in a manner that is not fragmented. |
| • | Backups. Tune-up can scan your system for important changed files that haven’t been backed up yet and then let you know to back up the files using the Backup and Restore tool in Windows Live OneCare. |
| • | Scan for viruses. Performance Plus runs a scan to look for viruses and other potentially harmful files like Trojan horses. If Windows Live OneCare finds a harmful file, it automatically blocks it. |
| • | Delete temporary files. Every Windows computer has a folder designated as a temporary folder so that applications and application installers can store temporary files without having to clutter up the rest of your hard disk. Sometimes applications and application installers forget to clean up after themselves, and the files build up, taking precious hard drive space away. Tune-up cleans the contents of your temporary folder. Note that Tune-up does not do this by default. You must enable this feature of Performance Plus. Windows Live OneCare Performance Plus runs Tune-up every month by default. You can adjust this in View to be more frequent or change settings on the Windows Live OneCare start screen |
| • | Microsoft Update. Performance Plus integrates with Microsoft Update on your computer to ensure that the latest updates are installed. Microsoft Update includes updates for Windows, Microsoft Office, and other Microsoft applications. |
To view or change settings for Performance Plus Tune-up
1. | Click View or change settings on the Windows Live OneCare start screen. |
2. | Then do one of the following: |
3. | Modify the frequency of when Tune-up is run and on what day and time it is run. |
4. | Enable temporary folder clean-up by clicking Check my computer for unnecessary files during Tune-up. |
Figure 8: You can enable Tune-up to clean your temporary files folder. This option is normally turned off by default.
Save your data from destruction
Windows Live OneCare backs up important information from your Windows PC to a CD, DVD, or external hard disk and can restore them later. If you choose to back up to an external hard drive, you can schedule an automatic backup. The external hard disk must be at least 8 GB in size and connect via USB or 1394 (firewire). At this time, Windows Live OneCare does not support backup on flash drive, zip drive, or network locations.
When you first start a backup, Windows Live OneCare scans and creates a list of important or recently changed files for backup. These files include:
| • | Music files |
| • | Picture files |
| • | Document files |
| • | Video files |
| • | Financial files |
| • | Microsoft Office Outlook and Office Outlook Express files |
| • | Desktop and My Document files |
| • | Microsoft Internet Explorer Favorites |
You can enable or disable each category of files and view additional details to see what files exactly Windows Live OneCare backs up.
To learn more about the specific file types Windows Live OneCare backs up, view backup file types at the Windows Live OneCare Help Center.
The first time you run a backup, Windows Live OneCare makes a full backup of all files. The next time you run a backup, Windows Live OneCare does an incremental backup, only backing up files that have changed.
To start a backup
| • | On the Windows Live OneCare start screen, click Back up files. |
Summary
Windows Live OneCare is a great tool, and I feel confident using it on my own computers and recommending Windows Live OneCare to friends as an inexpensive, simple way to protect up to three computers. And since Windows Live OneCare is a service, active subscribers will receive feature enhancements automatically, without having to worry about installing upgrades.
Tip: The Windows Live OneCare team is very receptive to feedback. For the latest information from the team, check out the Windows Live OneCare Team Blog.
 | Justin Harrison is an Expert Zone columnist and Director of Asteract Studios Limited. In the past he has worked for GE Energy and has worked with the Casual Games team at Microsoft.
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