Windows Live Essentials Have Arrived

The Windows Live betas we’ve been playing with for a while now have just received another refresh. As of today, the page at http://download.live.com has been updated with a new set of betas, now called the “Windows Live Essentials.” Here, you’ll find the latest versions of Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Writer, Toolbar, and Family Safety, as well as additional programs like the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector, the Office Live Add-in and Microsoft Silverlight. All the programs are available via one installer that lets you choose which programs you want installed or not installed.

If you have any trouble with the installation of the betas or their functionality, you may want to check the release notes to see if it’s a known issue. You don't need to uninstall the prior versions of the beta programs in order to install the new Windows Live Essentials - the download will update your programs for you.