MARCH 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 49and the Windows Time service. This is also where you
can carry out a ‘Fresh start’ to reinstall Windows.
Finally, the Family options area lets you manage
your child’s activities. Microsoft allows you to manage
Windows 10 devices, Xbox One consoles, as well as
Android devices if they have the Microsoft Launcher
installed. That’s a great set of options, and is on par
with a lot of other services. You can set screen time
limits, and restrict time for specific apps and games.
There’s also an option to implement buying restrictions
on the Microsoft Store.
Overall, Windows Security has a good set of options
for security, from antivirus scans and ransomware all the
way down to parental controls.
Performance
Judging Windows Security performance is a little
tough since the utility is built right into Windows.
Nevertheless, you can turn off a lot of the functionality
to get a sense of its impact on PCs.
Running PCMark 10’s Extended Creative test saw
a dip of just five points between Windows Security in
active and dormant modes.
The large-file transfer test was a different story,
with the test PC scoring a slightly slower speed by 23
seconds with Windows Security active. Again, not a
huge drop but lower-end PCs might see a difference
when transferring large files. The other performance
tests included the archive and unarchive test, with a
difference of about 20 seconds. The bottom line is that
most PCs won’t suffer much of a performance impact, if
any, from Windows Security.