McAfee Internet Security 2009 1-User Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I tried the previous version which I considered average, Internet Security 2009 seems to be improved in a number of areas,
Installation was trouble free. McAfee gives you the choice of installing the version on your CD or downloading the most current version. This is a sensible approach, I think. I chose the download it sent smoothly. Even with the downloading, the install went pretty quickly.
For my testing, I installed it on a system running Windows XP SP2 Media Center, having first uninstalled the free Comodo anti-virus and firewall applications running on the machine.
I could not complete the registration/activation process because McAfee's server did not respond. Thus, I was unable to learn if McAfee still forces you to give them a credit card number for automatic renewal of your anti-virus subscription. You weren't able to cancel this forced transaction online: you had to call McAfee. A poor way to do business in my opinion.
McAfee may have changed this policy somewhat. In combing through their Customer Support area, I learned that it may only be online purchasers who get nailed this way.
The problem with an ordinary person testing ant-virus programs is that unlike a formal lab, they may not have a bunch of viruses and malware lurking in their machines. I can tell you that the anti-virus scanning speed appears to be high and doesn't over burden the CPU, which is nice when compared with some other programs, like Norton's.
The Help file will leave most users pretty much in the dark with its brusque explanations. For example, an inexperienced user wanting to change the firewall settings for some reason may quickly be reduced to pulling their hair out.
McAfee, to its credit, does an excellent job of identifying the applications on your machine and setting the right firewall permissions for them. I don't know how it will do when you add new programs to your system.
McAfee has put a lot of features into Internet Security 2009 at a very reasonable price for three users. Some of them, such as the file shredder and file cleaner, aren't mentioned on the box. Neither is the back up program or the network manager. I didn't try any of these features.
Overall, I think Internet Security 2009 is an improved product over last year's version. It seems to execute faster and hog fewer system resources. Happily the number of inrusive pop-ups seems to have been substantialy reduced. For the money, it seems to be a good, solid product.
Jerry


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Comprehensive Easy to Use PC and Online Protectionwith Powerful Web Site Safety AdvisorProduct InformationMcAfee Internet Security 2009 is simple to use - the security works in thebackground and lets you focus on things you want to do. It providescontinuous and automatic updates that protect you from ever-evolving onlinethreats. The McAfee Security Center provides an easy-to-read securitystatus screen and puts you in control with fully customizable options. Website ratings warns you about risky Web sites with red yellow and green safetyratings. The anti-phishing protection helps protect you against identitytheft through proactive notification. McAfee Internet Security includesSiteAdvisor for a safe searching and shopping experience.Key BenefitsFaster and Easier to UsePerform quicker more powerful easy-to-run scans to ensure thorough malwaredetection on your PC.Protection Without InterferenceMcAfee 2009 detects when you're in full-screen mode and postpones securityalerts or notices. So you can work play or watch movies without interruption.Powerful and Reliable ProtectionEnhanced to deliver the most comprehensive protection against theever-growing spectrum of viruses spyware and other dangerous onlinethreats.Unique AdvantagesAnti-virusAnti-spywareAnti-spamAnti-phishingTwo-way FirewallWeb Site Safety RatingsIdentity ProtectionParental ControlsData BackupProduct FeaturesFast Anti-Virus and Anti-spyware Protection: Detects blocks and removes viruses spyware adware and rootkits.New QuickScan: Lets you check for threats in the most commonly infected areas on the computer in less than 10 minutes and on modern machines within seconds.Network Manager: Lets you easily fix security issues on your home network from one PC. Provides easy and automatic printer and file sharing across comp

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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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