Microsoft has just released an on-demand anti-malware scanner called "The Microsoft Safety Scanner". It’s a free downloadable security tool for the Windows user and provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It’s a 67.9 Mb file.
It expires 10 days after being downloaded. I think this is MS’s answer to adding new definitions and preventing the casual user from thinking “Download and I’m protected forever.”
It is free for UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
Here’s what it looks like running on my machine (the skin is “Embark”):
This is different from the Malicious Software Removal Tool and is not meant to be a replacement for using an antivirus software program.
It is meant to be used as a “second opinion”. It works along with your existing antivirus software. There are no reported conflicts yet.
At the end of a scan, this (hopefully) appears:
If it detects Malware or if an error occurs when MSS is running, a report is sent to Microsoft that contains basic information about the Malware or about the error, the version and basic computer information (make, model, etc.)
If you do not want MSS to send any information to Microsoft, you can disable the the scanners reporting component with the following registry key setting (make a registry backup before changing it, please):
Subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MSERT
Entry name: \DontReportInfectionInformation
Type: REG_DWORD
Value data: 1
The Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner has been discontinued. It also performed additional tasks like PC clean-up, tuneup, etc. and replaced it with this new Microsoft Safety Scanner.
Download Link: http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3jj9mcu