Microsoft takes on PC threats

Fearful about viruses and spyware overrunning your Windows PC?

Microsoft, which develops and sells the attack-prone Windows operating system, is launching a PC tune-up and subscription service to thwart security threats.

“We believe this is a new ubercategory called ‘PC help,”’ Microsoft spokesman Ryan Hamlin says.

Microsoft’s new service will put it in direct competition with security software giants Symantec, McAfee and Computer Associates.

The company plans to test its Windows OneCare service this summer. It hasn’t said when the final version will be ready or how much it will cost. But security experts project a fee of $80 per year or less for:

• Basic protection. Antivirus and anti-spyware filtering tools derived from technology Microsoft acquired via its 2003 purchase of antivirus vendor GeCad and last December’s acquisition of anti-spyware maker Giant Company Software.

• Backup and storage. Microsoft will remind subscribers to back up files to CDs or external hard drives. Eventually it may offer file storage on Microsoft servers, similar to a subscription storage service Apple offers to Mac users.

• PC health checks. Routine tuneups, such as scanning for glitches and cleaning out temporary files, will be conducted automatically. America Online provides a similar service free to members.

Microsoft estimates that 70 percent of Windows PC users lack basic antivirus or anti-spyware protection. Meanwhile, spyware and online fraud directed at the Windows system used on nine out of 10 computers continues to increase. As much as anything, Windows OneCare is aimed at deterring defections to Linux or Apple computers.

Competitors could soon be in the position Corel, Lotus and Netscape found themselves in when Microsoft entered the word-processing, spreadsheet and Web browser markets in the 1990s. Microsoft gained dominance by tying its Office productivity suite and Internet Explorer browser into Windows.

But rebuffing determined cyberintruders requires specialization, contends Bill Kerrigan, McAfee’s executive vice president of consumer security. “We don’t worry about productivity applications or creating Xbox games,” he says. “We’re 100 percent dedicated to worrying about security.”