Microsoft has finished the beta of their &quot;Security Essentials&quot;, and have moved it to public release. For those who didn't follow the original story, this is the Microsoft free anti-malware software.

It really is free, and can be downloaded at <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/" target="_blank">http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/</a> . It requires that you have a &quot;Genuine&quot; copy of Windows-- so those pirated copies of Windows are still gaping security holes.

It requires Windows XP SP2 or later, and is also compatible with Windows 7 (which rocks). I'm installing it here shortly and will post up some feedback when finished!