Published: 2007-03-12
A note by the Windows OneCare forum moderater on Microsoft's site confirmed the issue, noting that, "Everyone directly involved realizes the handling of the .pst files was inadaquate, as does the OneCare Development Team now that they recognize the issue." Users have been pointed to Microsoft Support for technical assistance, and it is suggested that Windows users should also backup their Outlook .PST files regularly. Microsoft appears to have now fixed the issue, but it is not clear how many users were affected by the bug.
The reports come after Microsoft's OneCare anti-virus came in dead last in an independent survey (.PDF) by Austria-based AV Comparatives.
In a separate evaluation, the Windows OneCare anti-virus product also failed to achieve the VB100 certification by independent evaluator Virus Bulletin (link requires paid subscription).
Finally, there were early reports of Windows OneCare, when coupled with Internet Explorer 7, incorrectly labeling Google's free Gmail mail service as a virus. The error in labeling was quickly resolved in a OneCare signature update, however.
Microsoft's OneCare is the company's offering in the competitive anti-virus market.
Posted by: Kelly Martin
