McAfee AntiVirus Plus 3User 2010 [OLD VERSION]

by McAfee

Product Features

• McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 provides essential, easy-to-use PC protection for care-free computing
• Detects, blocks, and removes viruses, spyware, and adware
• Alerts you to websites that may try to steal your identity
• Confidently use the Internet 24/7 knowing hackers can't get access to your PCs
• Warns you with color-coded ratings about unsafe websites

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002GUY8SM
• Item model number: MAV10EMB3RAA
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 9, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,411 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #58 in Software > Computer Security > Antivirus

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

McAfee AntiVirus Plus software offers essential PC security with accelerated performance and helps keep you safe online. It's now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides Anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing and two-way firewall protection. McAfee AntiVirus Plus software also features McAfee SiteAdvisor technology, a powerful website safety advisor that uses simple color codes to identify risky websites so you can safely surf the Web and transact online. With continuous and automatic updates, McAfee helps ensure that you are running the most current security to combat the ever-evolving Internet threats.

Essential, award-winning PC protection for carefree computing

McAfee SecurityCenter provides an easy-to-read security status screen and puts you in control with fully customizable options.

When using popular search engines, McAfee SiteAdvisor's safety ratings appear next to your search results. To see more information about the web site, roll your mouse over any SiteAdvisor safety rating.

Anti-virus/anti-spyware
Detects, blocks, and removes viruses, spyware, and adware.

Anti-phishing
Alerts you to websites that may try to steal your identity.

Two-way firewall protection
Confidently use the Internet 24/7 knowing hackers can't get access to your PCs.

Website safety ratings
Warns you with color-coded ratings about unsafe websites.

New Product Features for 2010

New--Active Protection
Our revolutionary Active Protection technology provides the fastest protection against malicious threats to your PC. New and emerging threats will be analyzed and blocked in milliseconds, so you don't have to wait for regular updates to arrive.

New--Quickscan
Checks for threats in the areas of your computer that are most often attacked.

Improved--Faster performance
McAfee security products boast faster startup, shutdown, and scan times. They run silently in the background without slowing down the PC so you can smoothly play games, watch videos, and be productive on your computer.

New--Power optimization
Extends the battery lifetime of notebook PCs by deferring scheduled scans until the computer is plugged in. It can also be set up to shut down your PC automatically after running a quick or full scan to help save energy.

The McAfee Advantage

McAfee security products use award-winning technology, are easy to install, and come with unlimited email and chat assistance. With continuous and automatic updates, McAfee helps ensure that you are running the most current security to combat the ever-evolving Internet threats for the duration of your subscription.

McAfee SecurityCenter
Provides an easy-to-read security status screen and puts you in control with fully customizable options.

McAfee SystemGuards
Warns you when your computer shows specific behavior that may signal virus, spyware, or hacker activity.

Stealth Mode
Makes your computer invisible to intruders from the Internet.

Shredder
Allows you to effectively remove any and all traces of confidential files from your computer.

Protection without Interference
You can watch movies or play games uninterrupted as McAfee security service intelligently defers tasks, updates, and alerts when you're in full-screen mode.

Product Description

McAfee AntiVirus Plus software offers essential PC security with accelerated performance and helps keep you safe online. It’s now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing and two-way firewall protection and includes a powerful website safety advisor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I can no longer recommend this product (Edit), November 26, 2009

By 

JOEKC "JKC" (Kansas City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McAfee AntiVirus Plus 3User 2010 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

Update: (12/13/09) I have a three install license. When I tried to install a second license on my laptop I received a message informing me I had no installs left. When I clicked on the "help" screen I was sent to a screen which implied I might be a pirate. When I eventually got the customer service screen I found I would have to PAY to have a phone conversation with a real person. UNACCEPTABLE!

I had to install a program which opened a dialog box to "on-line chat" with someone in a foreign country. This required me to allow a stranger to take control of my computer (do you really want that?) and prowl around. I had a difficult time communicating the problem. The CS rep kept insisting I had to uninstall my previous install on my desktop, even though I had TWO installs left. When I finally managed to make him understand, he erased all my settings in Internet Explorer. Even though the problem was finally solved, the whole process took almost 45 minutes, 35 of which were spent online. Also it took me several days to actually download the help client as I kept getting repeated messages indicated the McAfee server was unavailable. I was never clear what the problem was.

So why would anyone subject themselves to such misery? I can't imagine.

Original Review (not changed):

The summary: A good anti-virus program which works flawlessly with Win7, but may annoy you during the setup.

I waited over a month to write this review because I wanted to do a clean install of Windows 7 Professional on a new "home brew" computer before testing it. I have avoided McAfee products for years because of several bad experiences in McAfee's early iterations. So I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wanted to give it a fair test that was unencumbered by other potentially conflicting programs or native problems.

I chose "Custom Install" from the setup menu since I like to see what's being put on my computer. Obviously I chose to install "Virus Scan" but I declined "Personal Firewall" since its built been built into every Windows version since XP, SP2. I okayed "Site Advisor", but said no to "Easy Network" since I could find no information as to what this is. (The packaging card attributes the lack of included instructions to "an ongoing effort to minimize the impact on our environment" although a cynic might suspect more of a financial motive.) After this the program downloaded something called "Compatibility Checker" trickled down from a slow McAfee home site (six minutes to download.) Downloading the Win7 update added another three minutes and the total install time came in at just under 12 minutes, a bit long I think (I have RR turbo.)

Just like Microsoft, McAfee requires product activation, but unlike Microsoft or Adobe requires your first and last name, email address and password, which I find objectionable. Another annoyance is the box (checked by default) which may put you on more spam lists AKA McAfee "partners." Be sure to uncheck them unless you really want more email. Entering a password is more complicated than it should be. No password requirements are listed until you enter a password which is not long or complex enough and then you are informed it needs to be at least eight characters long with at least one letter and one number and no special characters. The only way to find a suitable password is through trial and error.

More objectionable to me is the attempt to get you to sign up for an automatically renewing subscription which charges your credit card one month before your year's initial subscription ends at the "existing price -- discounts and special pricing do not apply." Furthermore once you've turned on auto renewal via your computer you are not allowed to turn it off with your computer. To not be charged again you're required to call customer service. McAfee automatically gets your money even if you stop using your computer or someone steals it, unless you remember to call them. And even if you want to authorize payment years in advance, do you want to buy something without knowing the actual price? Why this helps anyone but McAfee is a mystery to me.

The plus to this program is it has, for five weeks at least, worked quickly and unobtrusively for me. It may be partly due to my new computer's inherent speed, but with most virus checkers I can usually feel it pulling down my system as it toils in the background. Not so with McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010. I also found the "Site Advisor" feature to work seamlessly, although it takes up another precious line on a browser increasingly burdened by add-ons like Google Toolbar, etc. Also installed with Site Advisor is a searchbox which pushes you to Yahoo and also sets your browser's default search engine to Yahoo. You can turn this entire line off, but I found no way to set the site advisor search to another site, for instance Bing or Google.

For those who want a more complete program, McAfee will give you more bells and whistles at a higher price. But remember, those bells and whistles in the background eat up precious speed. I prefer a minimalist approach, especially since Win7 has a lot of built-in safeguards.

So yes, I give the program a solid but not completely enthusiastic recommendation once one gets past the annoyances I mentioned. (Has anyone ever actually flipped over an antiviirus program?) If I find any long-term issues, I'll post an update

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First, October 21, 2009

By 

Ron (Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: McAfee AntiVirus Plus 3User 2010 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

It is hard to review a product like this unless you have been running it a while. Less than a week ago I received and installed it on my PC. So far it has been a positive experience without any glitches at all. If time goes by and I do experience problems, I will edit my review. The install was easy and fairly quick. McAfee doesn't seem to be the space hog that Norton is, and certainly seems faster. The interface was simple and easy to learn for someone who has never used McAfee before. I ran my scans and set up the parameters of the protection I wanted. My PC was clean so I can't comment on how well it picks up any virus problems. All in all, it has been a quick and pleasant experience switching to McAfee.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars better than Norton, November 14, 2009

By 

L. Maupin "drop-dead-books" (zapperville) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McAfee AntiVirus Plus 3User 2010 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

I am so glad that I got this

I have used Norton for years and it has continued to be a mess It slowed my computer to a grinding halt

With this install I have nothing in conflict with it

It updates itself (Great for me because I forget to update sometimes)

It has a nice window that you can navigate quite easily

I didn't have to uninstall it to install the newer system which is fantastic

It also goes on to three computers instead of the usual 2

With their updates, they are not about hourly file updates or five minute updates -- at McAfee the updates are instant.


Their tools are great! They include antivirus, antiphishing, antispyware, and a personal firewall, plus a backup-and-restore feature plus many handy utilities