Unfortunately, the Windows operating system that we've grown to know and love (or hate) is not the most secure operating system by any means, but Windows 7 promises to change that. We agree too: Windows 7 is the most secure operating system Microsoft has ever made. This exposé of the many security features in Windows 7 include the new Action Center, improved UAC, and more.

Action Center

The first new feature to Windows 7 is called the Action Center, which acts as a "hub" for security related features and other maintenance related features. Previous to Windows 7, the Action Center was synonymous to Security Center, which was introduced in Windows XP and carried over to Windows Vista. Action Center now includes access to not only security related features, but also system maintenance features, such as Windows Backup.

Unlike the previous Security Center, Action Center does not show any notifications for minor issues, which was a big gripe about Security Center. You'll now only get an occasional balloon tip notification about new Windows Updates and major security/maintenance issues that need attention.

From here you can also access User Account Control (UAC) settings from the left navigation menu.

User Account Control

When UAC was introduced in Windows Vista, it became the center of the anti-Vista rhetoric. People criticized UAC for asking users to either accept or cancel even the most minor of actions. The idea behind UAC is to block malicious programs from executing and modifying important files by asking permission for each application on the computer to gain access to crucial system files. Users then can choose whether or not to allow the application in question to gain "administrative" access to the system.

In Windows 7, Microsoft changed the way UAC works in two different ways. (1) Fewer actions will trigger a UAC prompt to begin with. Microsoft has redesigned UAC to automatically allow actions that are less prone to cause any damage by malicious software. (2) Microsoft has made a UAC control panel applet that allows users to customize the level of UAC notification.

As shown in the UAC settings window above, users can use a slider to change the UAC notification setting from always notify to never notify. The always notify setting will show UAC prompts for every action that requires administrative access, which is somewhat similar to the Vista level of UAC notifications. The never notify will always allow access for any software that asks for it. This setting is not recommended at all because it will expose your system to many security threats. The default (and our recommended) setting is one below always notify, which will show UAC prompts only with programs try to make changes to the computer and not when the user makes changes themselves.

Parental Controls

Windows Vista first featured parental controls that allowed for the restriction of a user's Internet use and log their activity. Windows 7 lets you impose time limits and application usage, but not Web filtering and monitoring. Those two features have been removed in favor of Windows Live Family Safety, which is a free download that comes as a part of Windows Live Essentials.

Internet Explorer 8 Security

Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7 includes several new security enhancements that make it a much safer browser to use over Internet Explorer 7. There are new ActiveX restrictions and a mode called InPrivate, which doesn't save your browsing history or any trace of your Web activity when enabled.

There is also a new anti-phishing filter which informs you about malicious Web sites pretending to be legitimate sites that try to steal your personal information and infect your computer.

Windows Defender

Windows 7 also includes a new version of Windows Defender that is different from the one used in Windows XP and Vista. It has a new interface and will alert you to any issues via the above described Action Center. The real-time scanning also uses less system resources, which means it doesn't slow down your computer.

However, in previous versions, Windows Defender included a feature that prevented the automatic startup of unauthorized applications. If you choose to install the free Microsoft Security Essentials (more on that below), the installer will replace the Windows 7 shipping version of Windows Defender with an updated version and we recommended that you do this.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Even though Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't come with Windows 7 by default, it is the biggest asset in terms of security by far. Microsoft is giving it away for free via their Web site through a small 4MB download. Microsoft Security Essentials provides simplified anti-virus and anti-malware protection without bogging down the computer and making it easy at the same time. To read our review of Microsoft Security Essentials and to find out where to download it, read our full review.