McAfee Internet Security 2011 3-User Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Last December I installed the 2010 version of this software and have been happy with it for my parents' computer...on their older Windows XP Professional computer, it's been reliable and unobtrusive, and easy to configure.
Unobtrusive, that is, until it started reminding them to renew their annual subscription to the software. The problem is that the renewal price is pretty high...higher, in fact, than just buying the 2011 version. So, I figured I would get them the 2011 version and install it over the 2010 version. After all, the 2011 version advertises its new features, including increased speed.
So, I sit down with my coffee, ready to start the installation process. A message comes up saying there is no need to install! Just enter the new 2011 license key, and it will extend the 2010 license for another year. In other words, apparently the 2011 version offers nothing new over the 2010 version if you've been keeping the 2010 version up to date. I'm not even two sips into my coffee, and I'm finished "installing".
I like the software. What bugs me is McAfee trying to trick current users into paying too much to renew their software subscription electronically, when the customer could simply order the boxed 2011 version which really amounts to the same update, but at a lower cost.

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Comprehensive, award-winning PC security to freely explore online
With thousands of new viruses created every day, relying on traditional securityupdates isn't enough anymore. McAfee Internet Security instantly detects andblocks viruses--and stops web threats before they are downloaded to your PC.Reengineered to be faster than ever before, the software's innovative designsimplifies your Internet security experience while offering comprehensive protection.

2011 Features and Highlights
Award-winning anti-virus, firewall, spyware, and online protection

Exclusive McAfee Active Protection technology
Unlike the competition, McAfee Active Protection analyzes and blocks new andemerging threats in milliseconds, so you don't have to wait for regular updates to arrive. The result: virtually no gap in your protection.

Anti-virus/anti-spyware
Detects, blocks, and removes viruses, spyware, adware, even rootkits, insidious programs designed to tamper with your PC.

(Improved) Two-way firewall
Enterprise-grade firewall blocks outsiders from hacking into your PC.

Easier to use
McAfee Internet Security 2011 is all about ease of use. The completely redesigned home screen gives you all the information you need at a glance.
Home screen with an easy-to-understand security bar and status area.

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Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2011 - 3 User Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)[original review - see update below]
I have used Trend for many years. It seemed like they finally got it right with 2009. It was quick, reliable, and had lots of options. After that subscription expired I got a notice to download this new "Titanium" thing (billed automatically by Digital River - that won't happen again!).
I downloaded it and it installed okay, but there are practically no advanced settings. It is so dumbed-down. You cannot really fine tune the scanning any more, and there is no ability to control the home network the way you could with the previous version. About all you can do is set a few parental controls and very, very simple filtering.
It also seemed to slow down Firefox briefly. It's like Firefox would be unresponsive for the first ten seconds or so before it was usable. Not sure if it was due to the antivirus but the correlation was there - it started as soon as I installed the new version.
Despite my misgivings, I was about to bite the bullet and go ahead and upgrade the wife's computer. Before I did, though, I checked the subscription status and saw that IT WAS VALID FOR ANOTHER YEAR! Apparently, installing Titanium was optional, and the previous version was still eligible for regular updates! They did not TELL me that! So I just removed Titanium and rolled back into the other version, which installed flawlessly and now I am happy for another year.
I had some trouble uninstalling Titanium on my third computer. It took a couple of tries, and each time it would hang at 13%. I had to do a hard reset and then retry. For some reason, I suspected the password I had set up for Titanium was the issue, so I removed it and then the uninstall went to completion. That was a bit worrisome.
Anyway, sorry, I just cannot recommend this product. Maybe it's okay and really does work but I do not like the lack of advanced control. For basic users it may be just fine. But for me, I am going to ride the current version out to whatever its end-of-life is, then unless Trend gives us some better control over the behavior, I will look for something else.
[update]
It's now six months into the legacy version of Trend, and I have having to think about what to move to next. I have evaluated ESET, Vipre, BitDefender, and Kapersky, and all of them leave me a bit underwhelmed. ESET seems the best of the bunch, though a tad expensive. Vipre is nice and light but has too many boxes asking me to accept this or that action (if you disable the accept box option, then you have to create a rule for everything that isn't just running a program). Bit Defender and Kapersky are just a bit too slow and bloated, and Kapersky's scan just dragged. So, at renewal time, I may just jump on the Titanium bandwagon. It's either that, ESET, or free MS Security Essentials.
I really do not think Titanium is "bad", it just did not give you much control. It really is a totally different program from what it was before, and is REALLY different from the rest. But I tried the latest evaluation version and the slowdown in FireFox seemed much less of an issue. So maybe I just need to readjust my expectations.


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Strong, fast and easy-to-use protection--Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security uses cloud technology to automatically stop viruses and spyware before they reach your computer, so it won't slow you down--it's a whole new way to protect your computer.

Real-time updates keep your PC protected from the latest online threats. Using less than half the disk space and memory of traditional security products, Titanium Internet Security is light on your system resources so your computer runs faster. It's designed to be easy to use and understand with simple screens and reports. Includes spam blocking and customizable parental controls. Keep your children safe from cyber criminals and inappropriate content when they go online--nothing comes close to Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security.

Features User-friendly console screen. View larger.

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McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When computer users were searching for a term to apply to computer programs that came loaded with viruses, harmful DRM (Digital Rights Management) or other insidious ways of slowing down the user's computer, they eventually settled on "Malware."
Its time to coin a new term for programs like McAfee Total Protection. My complaints against the program are only partially related to its ability to filter out viruses and keep a computer free of junk.
The real issue with this program, and many, many others is that it will constantly steal the users focus by popping up text boxes from the Taskbar in Windows. These can come at ANY time the computer is on. They alert the user to the fact that "McAfee has installed updates," or "It is time to restart the computer" to the neverendingly frustrating "Your subscription is about to expire." These boxes can and will pop up while immersed in a full screen computer game, at times causing it to crash. They will pop up when you are working on editing digital photos, or watching a movie, or anything else that requires your full attention.
The term "nagware," came to mind, and maybe it will stick. Feel free to put your suggestions in the comments section of this review.
I understand why they do this. It is intended for novice computer owners who need to be reminded of all of these things, and who don't consider having their 'focus' (the primary task the computer user is working on. For example, as I write this review, it is my primary focus) stolen as EXTREMELY frustrating. That wouldn't even be a big deal, except that McAfee in their infinite wisdom has provided no remedy for the power user. We cannot turn off these irritating messages. They come regardless of my desire to see them or not.
They are amazingly irritating, especially if they disrupt something immersive, like a computer game or movie. Imagine: you are watching your new blue-ray of "The Dark Knight," and just as Batman is about to dispense with the Joker, a text box pops up with the message "McAfee has finished installing updates" in a gray box in the corner of the screen. Unacceptable in the first place, and even more so because you CANNOT TURN THIS FEATURE OFF! This gets unbearable when your subscription is a few months from expiring, and alerts informing you of that pop up literally every time you use the computer. Also, they don't just leave after they pop up, the user is required to click 'ok.' You cannot permanently disable these messages.
As a virus scanner, McAfee works relatively well. It will scan your system for viruses, and if your definitions are up-to-date, find them some of the time. However, it is pretty strange that after making virus software for so many years, they still cannot provide a reasonably well working Spyware hunter that is anywhere near as good as the free version of "Ad-Aware" offered by Lavasoft, or the retail version of "Spybot Search and Destroy."
Another major complaint is the sheer size of the system resource footprint that McAfee total protection takes up. If you have an older computer, less than 2gb of ram (4gb with Vista), this program will create a very noticeable slowdown in your computer's performance. Comparing to how it runs on my wife's laptop with 4gb of ram vs. some of the computers at my work with only 1.5gb, the older work computers are drastically slowed down by McAfee, while my wife's laptop with its 4gb of ram is not really affected. (I do not use this program on my computer for the reasons that I've laid out above).
In concussion, if you don't care about 1. Annoying pop ups that steal your focus and cannot be disabled, 2. Very limited spyware removal and 3. Slow and poorly written code that uses a large portion of system resources, you MIGHT consider buying this software.
*****UPDATE 09-15-2009*****
Still have this program installed on my wife's laptop, and it's still popping up annoying and useless advertisements despite the fact that I've turned off all notifications in the options tab--you can see the most recent one that I took a screen shot of in the 'customer images' section of this Amazon page. When the license runs out in a few months I will be uninstalling this program and replacing it with AVAST home edition which is free. I can't recommend this program to anyone. Save yourself the money and get a free alternative like AVAST or AVG.
*****UPDATE 01-01-2010*****
Microsoft has recently released their excellent MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS for fee. It also recently won an award for being the best anti-virus program out there. Bests of all it's FREE to anyone with a valid copy of Windows (XP through Windows 7). I've been using it for a few months now and let me tell you, it's just about the best anti-virus I've encountered. Searches are wicked fast, the interface is slick, and best of all it has a tiny memory footprint! Updates are free FOREVER. Did I mention the program itself is completely free? Just Google search MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS, download, install, and you're good to go.

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MFE09 TOT PROT 3USER

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