VirusScan Home 8.0

by McAfee

Product Features

• Protect your PC from viruses, worms, and trojans
• Email and instant message scanning
• Automatic junk email blocker
• Auto scans and cleans your PC
• VirusScan automatically checks for virus updates

Product Details

Product Manual [706kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000CE208
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 3, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,760 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Are you exposed? Don't surf the Net, download files or open email attachments without the latest defense against more than 67,000 known viruses and the 300 new ones discovered every month.

Trusted by over 2 million satisfied users worldwide, VirusScan protects your PC, files and email address book from high-risk, productivity-killing viruses, worms and trojans like Bugbear, Slammer, Code Red, Nimda, SirCam and Nicehello.

Easy to use and always on guard, VirusScan automatically checks for virus updates and software updates (included free with your one-year coverage), so your protection is always up-to-the-minute. And it's from McAfee Security, the most trusted name in online security.

Benefits:

• New: Email Scanning: VirusScan automatically scans inbound (POP3) and outbound (SMTP) email and email attachments for most popular email clients, including Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape Mail, Eudora, Pegasus and others.
• New: Instant Message Scanning: VirusScan scans Instant Message attachments sent via AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Messenger.
• New: ScriptStopper: Many of the fastest spreading viruses, like I Love You, use scripts to infect your PC. ScriptStopper detects then stops these threats.
• New: WormStopper: WormStopper stops mass-mailing worms like Sobig by detecting activity that may indicate a new, undetected worm is active on your PC. Like email sent to more than 40 recipients or more than five emails sent in less than 30 seconds.
• New: Detects Spyware: Protecting loss of data and privacy, VirusScan detects potentially malicious desktop applications like spyware, adware, Web dialers and more.
• New: Windows Explorer integration: Access VirusScan directly by selecting files and clicking the VirusScan icon in the Windows Explorer window.
• New: AutoClean: VirusScan automatically attempts to clean virus-infected files when a malicious threat is detected.
• New: MS Outlook Scanning: VirusScan integrates directly on the MS Outlook toolbar for instant, on-demand scanning of older email or folders.
• New: Silent Updating: VirusScan silently updates virus definitions (DATs), without interrupting your work, ensuring your computer is always up-to-date.
• New: Submit Files to AVERT: VirusScan sends suspicious files directly to the McAfee Antivirus Emergency Response Team (AVERT) for assessment.
• Virus Map & Information Library: See how the latest threats are infecting computers worldwide, then research them via direct links to the McAfee Virus Information Library.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars bad bad bad, November 15, 2003

By 

M. P. Long "mplong" (Charlotte NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: VirusScan Home 8.0 (CD-ROM)

This product will constantly do pop-up ads on your desktop telling you to buy their email protection product, etc. There is no way to disable these. It seems they aren't happy to get my money, they want more and more and have no respect for my privacy.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware  invasive and literally bombards you with ads, January 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: VirusScan Home 8.0 (CD-ROM)

For a product that is supposed to protect your privacy, McAfee 8.0 requires a significant amount of personal information just to run. You'll need to input your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address just to get the product to install.

Furthermore, this information will be asked for again and again each time the product tries to update itself! To add insult to injury, this product will install, without asking, "McAfee Security Center" which is basically this worthless bit of graphical fluff that serves no purpose other than to spam your desktop with ads for other McAfee products.

Even worse, and yes it can get worse, this product will frequently pop up alerts that make it look as if your computer is infected with a virus! When you click on them, surprise! They're really just more adds for McAfee antivirus software. Yep, you're getting adds for the product you just bought.
But wait, we're not done yet! There are not less than 5 different boxes you must de-select during the install process to avoid getting e-mail spam from McAfee and their "business partners". This is particularly annoying as you're required to give your name and e-mail address just to load the program in the first place.

Finally, if all this wasn't bad enough, the antivirus updates are delivered in a cumbersome series of pop-up windows inside a browser. If you use pop-up blocking software they won't work and you wont get updates. What you will get however, are error messages asking you to reboot your computer endlessly.

In short, this is without a doubt, the worst anti-virus product I have ever owned. It is intrusive, invasive and literally bombards you with ads. Do yourself a favor and buy Norton Antivirus instead.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars McAfee Internet Security Suite: 80% bad, 20% Ads, January 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: VirusScan Home 8.0 (CD-ROM)

McAfee Internet Security Suite: 2004 (v 6.0)

I gave it 2 stars because I can see what the folks at McAfee are trying to do. I just wish it was done one product at a time. The bundle is not worth the effort...it should have stayed in a test lab until they got it right.

Setting: The biggest issue I have with this product is that the profile settings seem to "get lost" with each downloaded update. I have to re-set the "safe list" and verify my product EVERYTIME AN UPDATE IS REALESED. Another issue is that if you are a "limited user" using 2000/XP/XP-Pro, you can "see the options" the Admin as setup, but can't change them.

Warning Messages: There are far too many for me. I am no expert in IT; however I am not a novice either. I can tell you if this were on a novice's PC; they would be set to throw the laptop out the window. The silliest message was one I just got, after a Privacy Update was installed, that says "Internet Explorer is trying to access the internet. What would like to do?" How about letting me ONLINE!!

OK, so I can see using a "thin client" (i.e. a web browser's interface) to get updates. It makes sense, you are online anyway, why not use the person's browser rather than load a larger app? What I have an issue with is (a) this won't work if your pop-up blocker is ON... (b) U/N and P/W??? What's the purpose for this? I BOUGHT YOUR PRODUCT, LOADED IT AND REGISTERED! WHY MAKE ME CREATE AN ACCOUNT?

Finally, WHY ON EARTH WOULD A PROGRAM CALLED SPAMKILLER CONSTANTLY HAVE A VIRUS WITHIN IT'S OWN DIRECTORY???? Yes, you read right. I was told by this it's own ActiveShield utility, that there was an infected file, 4 times mind you, in the SpamKiller directory. What's that about?

I've had it with this product. I'm going back to Norton's SystemWorks 2003, and Norton's Personal Firewall 2003 (ALL of Norton's 2004 version are a big mess, and a waste of hard drive space, RAM, and time)