Microsoft is all set to release a test version of its new free security software, but said it will limit the number of downloads to 75,000.
Windows Security Essentials is being touted as a basic antivirus programme which will take up less memory than other commercial software and is therefore ideal for smaller PCs like netbooks.
It will succeed the paid-for and unpopular Windows Live OneCare which Microsoft is planning to scrap by the end of this month.
The beta version will be posted on a separate Microsoft website and will be capped up to the first 75,000 downloads.
It will offer basic protection against viruses, trojans, spyware and other malware, but a company official admitted that it might slow down systems with slower processors especially when they ran multiple applications.
Alan Packer, the general manager of Microsoft's anti-malware team, told computerworld.com: "I don't want to oversell here. There's definitely an impact on netbooks, and although we're trying to minimise, you're going to notice it's there."
No release date has been set for the full version yet, and Microsoft has already said it will not bundle the programme with its Windows 7 operating system which goes on sale in October.
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