Windows Defender anti-spyware is now available in English to Windows XP users, with other languages set for delivery in coming weeks. Windows Defender will also be bundled with Windows Vista, Microsoft's next-generation operating system, when it is released in January.

Windows Defender is expected to raise the competitive stakes with security vendors McAfee and Symantec, which charge for their anti-spyware products. The security industry has had a long time to ponder the free anti-spyware product, given that it has been in beta testing since January 2005.

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