Customer Reviews

McAfee Internet Security 2009 1-User [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am so sorry I bought this piece of junk security software. I used to use Norton; however, because Norton did not have a price for single computer users and I did not want to pay for a 3-computer price when I only have one computer, I decided to purchase McAfee this year. Just don't do it.

The first night I download the software I got the message that there was incompatible software, but it didn't say what software that was. It sent me a link to their virtual technician, which checked my computer and gave it the all clear. Three times it did the same. So, I went to their on-line chat assistance. You can't call them unless you pay an extra fee to do so. Although it said it would take 9 minutes, someone came on in less then 5. I allowed them access to my computer and they were able to determine there were still a couple pieces of software connected with Norton on my computer. Apparently, Norton downloads several pieces of software and I only deleted the two I found and left two on my computer. McAfee also sent me a link to Norton to completely deinstall all their programs. That chat went ok.

One day after having McAfee on my computer I started receiving Security Warning pop-up boxes and every single website I visited. To make matters worse I had to press the yes button six (6) times to get rid of the box. So, back I went to chat. Again, I was told it would take 9 minutes for someone to come on. This time it took 45 minutes. It was apparent that "Boney" the tech could not really read English. Boney was unable to determine what I wanted when all I wanted to know as whow to turn off or disable the Security Warning pop-up boxes. The lag time between my posts and Boney's were so long I'm sure Boney was looking for key words or phrases in order to answer me. Eventually, Boney sent me a link to "preinstall McAfee" then told me to reinstall the software. When I refused Boney said all I needed to do was to reboot and the pop-ups would go away. I asked if Boney even read my posts and how it was possible that the pop-ups would go away when I had not done anything to disable them. Boney assured me it was taken care of. So, I rebooted. Well, of course, as I suspected, I am still getting the stupid Security Warning pop-up boxes. I even get them on the McAfee website!

If anyone knows how to disable them - please leave me a comment and let me know. I went to the McAfee website and there is so much stuff in there - nothing says anything about those stupid pop-up boxes. I also opened up the Mcafee icon and tried to determine what to click or unclick to get rid of those warnings, but nothing works.

Oh, if you're planning on purchasing this internet security software - I would advise against it. Although Norton is way overpriced, at least for the two years I had it I did not have a single problem with it.

If anyone knows of a reasonable priced internet security software that works and does not give headaches, please let me know.

I've used both the 2008 and 2009 editions of McAfee Internet Security. I started using it on one of my computers when Norton Internet Security stopped supporting Windows 2000 Professional, which I think is still the best operating system that Microsoft ever came up with. I have two other computers running Windows XP Professional and I'm currently using Norton Internet Security 2008 on them, so I have a good comparison.

In my humble opinion I wouldn't dream of buying the McAfee for a computer that can handle the Norton. McAfee is harder to customize, takes a long time to boot and takes forever to update. Also, it sometimes doesn't update very well. I will get a little balloon telling me that my update is "8 to 29 days" out of date. So I update and the next day the same balloon pops up again.

When the McAfee software encounters a problem it just tells me that there's an "error." It doesn't give me any specifics or an error number. Norton software always points me in the direction of a fix.

McAfee customer support is not nearly as good as Norton's. I don't bother customer support with minor problems, when I get in touch it's something complicated. McAfee's standard "fix" for everything seems to be to uninstall and reinstall the software. This usually doesn't fix the problem and an update after a reinstall takes FOREVER... as opposed to just forever for a normal update. Norton's customer support (their English isn't always perfect but they're smart) gets to the bottom of the problem. They don't always come up with the right answer on the first try but they keep at it.

All that being said, the McAfee software does seem to do the job of protecting the computer. In the 16 months I've been using it I haven't had any threats get through to my computer. And they seem to be the only major security software manufacturer that still supports Windows 2000 Professional.

Bottom line: If you're attached to Win2000Pro McAfee is probably your best bet. If you're running a newer operating system buy Norton.

McAfee products are effective at keeping the computer virus free, etc. but their product uses an enormous amount of processor power every time you log on, for 10, 20, 30, 40 minutes or more. This is very annoying. God help you if you need support. Their "help" screens do everything possible to discourage you from contacting them or expecting live help. When you do get through to live help, they drop you call, chat, or keep you on hold for 10 minutes, or more. This is so unprofessional, that I will not renew my subscription when it expires, and will seek out an alternative software product. I do not recommend this product for anyone, given the very poor customer support.

I use this product in my business. When I am on the road and want to email the office, this product keeps marking my outgoing emails as spam. It asks me if I want to send it anyway, I choose that option, then the email just disappears and never arrives at the office. To email the office, I have to open the Windows Task Manager and shut down anything that looks remotely like McAfee. Then I can send the emails out. I have contacted McAfee and found the support was dismal - no help. I would never buy this product again.

I used McAfee last year and when it was time to renew I checked into other security programs and decided to go with McAfee again simply because I didn't get any viruses while using their product. Reading reviews of Norton, I see people still have the problem I had with it. Norton informs you that you have a virus that it can't remove AFTER Norton allows it onto your pc! I was hesitant about McAfee because there are some issues I have with it. It checks and downloads updates 2 or 3 times a day and when it updates, your computer suddenly becomes dial-up slow for 4 or 5 minutes! Also, if you choose the program's option to ask before downloading updates, it asks again and again with annoying pop-ups. If you say no, not yet, another pop-up appears asking well,when? The same problems occur when it starts to do a system scan, seemingly at random, without asking. Suddenly you find that there is a delay when typing and programs won't close or open just like a system crash. While your trying to figure out what is wrong with your computer, a few minutes later a "scan in progress" icon appears at the bottom of your screen. Again, minutes AFTER it starts scanning! A full system scan takes 1-1/2 hours on my pc. If you do buy this program don't use the automatic renew with your credit card option. It's less expensive to just buy a brand new disc.

This product works fine after uninstalling previously loaded software from the same company. Would buy again from Amazon's vendor for significant savings.

I have had my computer for over a year with no problems, until I inserted this cd, that is. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden my computer was freezing and had to be restarted. However, when I restarted my computer it went to the BSoD (Blue Screen of Death for those who have not had this honor...) and never recovered. I looked up all kinds of information on the error code and basically I had no option but to reload Windows. I then had to run out and buy an external hard drive to back up all of my files, but that ended up being in vain because Vista apparently doesn't like recovery files... But that's a whole different issue. Anyways, this item ended up costing me a lot more than the initial price for the software, not to mention all the headache. I think I'll just stick with Norton.

I installed McAfee Internet Security 2009 according to instructions, but my system continued to show the previous version which was expiring in a few days. After several attempts to correct the situation, I called McAfee Technical support and spent 20 minutes with the automated system and on hold before a live person finally told me I had to uninstall the old product before installing the new one. It surely would have been helpful if they had disclosed that information in the box instructions. I have used McAfee security products for about 6 years and don't especially like the product, but it is way better than Norton, which invades every aspect of your computer. I wish someone would develop a security software package that does only what the user needs and nothing more - for example, I have at least 4 products installed that offer e-mail protection and I have to be very careful that they don't override each other. I have also noticed that whenever I have a technical problem with an Microsoft product, the MS experts suggest that it is being caused by McAfee or Norton.

The virus scan seems to work, but I have been getting a persistent icon stating that my computer is still not protected. When I hit the button that purports to fix this, it triggers another icon that claims "security center is checking for updates" which is distracting and continues as long as the computer is running. (I googled this and apparently it is happening to lots of customers.) When I called McAfee the automated phone response proudly announced that there is free 30-day telephone support for new purchasers; I waited for fifteen minutes listening to the most high-pitched, irritating on-hold music ever, and then spoke with a representative who told me that due to high call volume it would be at least another fifteen minutes on hold, so for now I will be living with the annoying icons.

I gave this as a gift to my family for their computer antivirus. They are very appreciated on this product and they don't have any trouble in using and protecting their computer from any viruses in the internet and etc. I would loved to recommend to others.