Microsoft Announces Pricing and Licensing Details for Windows OneCare Live

Microsoft Corp. has announced final licensing and pricing information for its soon-to-be-released Windows OneCare Live, the all-in-one PC care service being deployed as part of the company's Live platform.

The service is currently available free to new beta testers in the United States, but the plan is to make Microsoft Windows OneCare Live available in June from retailers and via the Web for an annual subscription of US$49.95 for up to three personal computers.

Beta customers will have a promotional deal offering the first year of Windows OneCare Live service for US$19.95 to beta customers who become subscribers during the month of April 2006.

Microsoft says Windows OneCare Live helps make it simpler and easier for consumers to enhance the overall health of their personal computers by offering automated protection, maintenance, performance tuning and support in an all-in-one package.

Windows OneCare Live provides a the following features:

Protection Plus includes anti-virus and firewall protection and automatic updates, as well as anti-spyware functionality powered by Windows Defender, to help protect the PC and the customer.

Performance Plus delivers regular PC tuneups to help maintain computer performance and reliability.

Backup and Restore delivers easy-to-use backup and restore functionality for the full PC.

Help and Support provides effective help when needed through a variety of modes -- e-mail, phone and chat -- with all service support coming from PC care experts at Microsoft for no additional charge.