Windows Essentials End of Support

[Corrine]

Effective January 10, 2017, Windows Essentials reaches its end of support date and will no longer be available for download. Although there is an increased security risk using unsupported products beyond their end of support date, already installed applications will continue to work.

 

Windows Essentials 2012 programs will run on Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit versions) and Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit versions).

 

Additional information is available in Essentials 2012 Release Notes.

[crp]

I thought Windows Defender replaced Essentials?

[Robert]

Does this mean Windows will no longer come with Anti-Virus software, or are they just changing its name again?

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

Windows Live Essentials is (was?) a bundle of:

• Microsoft OneDrive (available as standalone download, or bundled with Windows 8.1 and 10)
  
• Windows Live Family Safety (built into Windows 8.1 and 10)
  
• Windows Live Mail (replaced by Outlook.Com)
  
• Windows Live Messenger (replaced by Skype)
  
• Windows Live OneCare (discontinued in 2010, replaced by Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Defender)
  
• Windows Live Photo Gallery
  
• Windows Live Toolbar (replaced by Bing Toolbar)
  
• Windows Live Writer (forked into open source project, Open Live Writer)
  
• Windows Movie Maker
  

Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker don't have replacements, yet, but some of their functionality is available in the OneDrive client, and it's always possible they will be released as Windows Store apps like Solitaire, etc.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[zlim]

Robert, perhaps you mean Microsoft Security Essentials which did not come with Windows 7 but could be downloaded and installed.

[Robert]

Yes, I'm just getting confused by all these different names and which ones work with what version of Windows.

[raymac46]

Live Essentials is basically a limp collection of Microsoft programs that have always had many better functioning FOSS alternatives. Windows Mail is probably the worst email program I've ever seen and it hasn't gotten better as a "Modern" app or whatever they call it today. Might as well read email in a web browser like Chrome.

My advice to any Windows user is to find open source alternatives for your programs and above all never use anything from the Microsoft app store.

Microsoft Security Essentials (now Windows Defender) is OK if you don't want to pay for a security suite I suppose, but I'll stick with Eset thank you.

Edited October 24, 2016 by raymac46

[daveydoom]

Windows Mail is probably the worst email program I've ever seen and it hasn't gotten better as a "Modern" app or whatever they call it today. Might as well read email in a web browser like Chrome.

My advice to any Windows user is to find open source alternatives for your programs and above all never use anything from the Microsoft app store.

I'll second all of that .