Microsoft’s ‘Morro’ antivirus not a memory hog
An advance test of Microsoft’s new free security package suggests it avoids the bloatware problems associated with both antivirus software and Windows itself. The package, codenamed Morro, is released today with a supposed limit of 75,000 downloads.
The biggest bugbear with antivirus packages has always been the strain it places on a system. In a worst case scenario, security software is checking every action a computer performs which (to oversimplify matters) is roughly equivalent to doubling the workload. Of course, nearly all packages work more efficiently using a variety of techniques.
There had been some speculation that Morro (which will officially be titled Microsoft Security Essentials) would reduce demands on computers by working partially as a cloud based service, similar to the recently-launched Panda Cloud Antivirus. Early reports on the beta suggest that isn’t the case.
However, Microsoft has taken some measures to make the package less of a memory-hog and thus reduce the chances of users deciding they’d rather take more security risks than put up with a sluggish machine. The system only runs scans when a computer is idle and even then limits itself to using 50 percent of the available memory, meaning you can start working again mid-scan without tearing your hair out or resorting to flicking the reset switch.
Paul Thurrott, who was given an advance copy of Microsoft Security Essentials last month reports that he’s not encountered any performance problems using it, even on a machine with 1GB of RAM. He also says there have been no annoying UAC-style notifications. Of course, such performance benefits will only be of use if the package really does cut down security risks, which has yet to be seen.
Officially the beta, available at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/market.aspx, will be limited to 75,000 downloads, though Microsoft says this may change depending on the “download scenario”. It doesn’t seem particularly cynical to imaging that if the limit is reached within an impressive-sounding period of time, Microsoft will remove the limit and claim it’s a response to overwhelming demand.
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