[brudgers]

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download from Microsoft [I suspect it's not bundled to avoid running the risk of antitrust litigation]. Anecdote is not data, but I've been using it for five years and have had no problem, and unlike commercial antivirus, its business model isn't based on selling your browsing history or recurrent credit card charges.

Windows firewall has a bad wrap because XP shipped without it turned on/installed for years. Since Vista and the new security infrastructure it's about what one would expect as part of an OS. It just took Microsoft a while to overcome the problems of Windows' success in less technical installations.

None of which is to say a person can't easily do something stupid. But the same is true for Linux or a BSD based OS.

[pzxc]

Security Essentials is bundled starting with Windows 8, but it's been renamed to "Windows Defender". Same thing though.