Microsoft has applied a jazzy moniker to its plain old Anti-Spyware application.

The name change will be of particular interest to Computeractive readers attempting to follow the Workshop in issue 209 on erasing the history of website visits. At the time of publication, the sofdtware was called Microsoft Anti-Spyware, and is now called Microsoft Defender.

The first issue of the program, which attempts to block spyware infections from hard disks and remove those that do make it on to hard disks, was a beta version - a version of a program that is tested in the public domain by those willing to risk the odd glitch.

The second beta version - Defender v2 - has been amended to take account of glitches found in the first. Microsoft said the application has improved capabilities to detect and remove spyware, and an improved interface that it easier to use.

Updates for the application - which are vital because new spyware threats emerge on a daily basis - can now be obtained through Microsoft's automatic update service, which alerts users when updates are available, or automatically installs updates if set to do so.

Despite the name change, the instructions for the Workshop remain valid.