Which version of Microsoft Security Essentials should I download?

See if your computer is 32 bit or 64 bit using this guide, then download the respective app.

Thanks, @DeanV! It’s a 32 bit system. :)

So, should I go ahead and download it, or should I wait until I load this machine with the stuff from my old one?

I’d say download it. It’s pretty unobtrusive and shouldn’t get in the way of anything that you plan on migrating over. Unless that anything is something like AVG, but, well, I wouldn’t recommend moving that over.

I was using MSE on the old computer, too. Just don’t want any ‘double dipping’. I’ll go ahead and download it… I can always remove it later. Thanks again!

Waaaait a minute…it’s pretty obtrusive in that depending on your system it can add up to forty seconds of boot up time. It is good though, although any other free antivirus program would probably be much better. AVG is okay, but I’ve found that Avast is much more efficient in staying out of the way and just letting you do whatever you want to be doing on your computer.

@lightsourcetrickster I’d rather have a longer boot up time (and I don’t think it’s 40 seconds at all) than a program bugging me every couple days about updating the definitions or buying the newer “better” version.

@DeanV According to Soluto – a cloud based startup monitoring program (which, by the way, is pretty good), Microsoft Security Essentials was indeed responsible for 40 seconds of bootup time on my system. Naturally there are all sorts of possible variables as to why any program should be responsible for taking so much time in booting up the system – a highly populated registry, a fairly full hard drive, maybe even an external hard drive here or there added to the system might not help either but who knows….All the same I think it’s safe to say that startup times will vary from system to system….You should probably give it a go yourself, but I can assure you, I had spoken from experience and not from a whim that lacked any kind of research.

You can see for yourself by installing and running it for yourself by obtaining it from www.soluto.com

I’ve tried several anti-virus programs, and MSE has been by far the least troublesome.

The least troublesome I can agree with. Once the system is up and running it’s brilliant, it’s just the very long wait for the system to kick up that really cheesed me off with it. But yes, I can’t argue with that.

Go for 32 bit, it will work fine.