McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 - 3 User [OLD VERSION]

by McAfee

Product Features

• 3-in-1 PC protection from viruses, hackers, and spyware
• Integrated anti-virus, firewall, and anti-spyware technologies
• Essential protection for surfing the Web and downloading files safely
• Simplifies security with the new and improved McAfee SecurityCenter
• Blocks and removes threats automatically; shields PC around the clock

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000TME1KE
• Item model number: VSF08EMB3RUA
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,086 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

With the wide variety of viruses, hackers, and blended threats lurking on the Internet today, you need more than a simple anti-virus program to keep your PC and files secure. McAfee VirusScan Plus AntiVirus, Firewall, and AntiSpyware provides the essential protection you need to surf the Web and download files safely.

With McAfee VirusScan Plus, powerful integrated technologies work together to combat and defeat even the most sophisticated multi-pronged attacks. McAfee's trusted PC protection blocks and removes threats automatically, and identifies spyware and adware before they can run on your PC. Plus, to keep things extra simple, the new McAfee SecurityCenter gives you at-a-glance control over all your McAfee applications. Get the confidence you need to surf the Web, knowing McAfee is always on, always updating, and always protecting you.

3-in-1 Protection:

• Stops viruses: automatically blocks, cleans, and removes viruses so you can surf the Web safely and download files.
• Blocks spyware: blocks spyware before it installs on your computer and removes existing spyware so you can surf the Web safely.
• Stops hackers: protects and conceals your computer from hackers so you can surf the Internet safely.

Additional Benefits:

• Guards important files stored on your computer, and helps prevent your computer from crashing.
• Automatically monitors incoming and outgoing Internet activity, looking for suspicious applications and data.
• Improves your computer's performance by removing clutter and freeing disk space.
• Provides advance warning to help you avoid sites that send spam, install adware, or attempt online scams.
• Redesigned for you: Scan your computer, check for updates, and configure your security settings using the new McAfee SecurityCenter. This essential, easy-to-use program gives you one-click access to your computer's security information.
• Always on, always protecting: 24/7 virus and threat protection from McAfee AVERT Labs continuously monitors worldwide virus activities and provides immediate, anti-virus protection and removal solutions.
• Always upgrading, always updating: Daily updates are installed automatically. When a new version of McAfee is available, you get it automatically at no charge during your subscription, ensuring that you always have up-to-date protection.
• Convenient, ongoing protection: McAfee offers a variety of renewal options to keep your McAfee protection current.
• Real people, real help: support from McAfee's computer-security experts, via Internet chat, email and phone (www.mcafeehelp.com).

New and Improved Features:

• New! Integrated anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall technologies work together to combat today's sophisticated, multi-pronged attacks.
• Improved! Spyware protection detects, blocks, and removes spyware and adware.
• New! Complete inbound and outbound firewall protection automatically trusts known good applications and helps blocks spyware, Trojans, and key loggers.
• New! McAfee SystemGuards watches your computer for specific behaviors that may signal virus, spyware, or hacker activity.
• New! McAfee X-Ray for Windows detects and kills rootkits and other malicious applications that hide from Windows and other anti-virus programs.
• New! McAfee SiteAdvisor adds safety ratings to sites and search-engine results based on comprehensive spam, adware, and online scam safety tests.
• New! Stealth mode can hide your presence on the Internet, making your computer invisible to hackers.
• Improved! McAfee SecurityCenter makes it simple to review your computer's security status, check for updates, and fix potential security issues.

Product Description

With the daily emergence of new and more sophisticated Internet threats you need more than an anti-virus program for protection. You also need a guide to help you avoid online attacks that target you your computer your identity and that could disrupt your life immeasurably. McAfee VirusScan Plus with SiteAdvisor helps you avoid online dangers and also protects your PC from malicious activity. This security service offers anti-virus and anti-spyware technology and includes a fi rewall to protect what you value. McAfee SiteAdvisor safety ratings help you avoid unsafe websites. Improved performance allows this essential and proactive software to protect you without disturbing your online experience.System Requirements:Microsoft® Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 (SP4) or higher Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher Windows VistaTM Personal computer with Pentium-compatible processor 500 MHz or higher and 256 MB RAM 800 X 600 or higher resolution Internet connection Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6.0 or later Optional: Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or later Note: To upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer visit the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com Supported Email Programs POP3 (Outlook Express Outlook Eudora Netscape) Supported Instant Messaging Programs AOL Instant Messenger 2.1 or later Yahoo Messenger 4.1 or later Microsoft Windows Messenger 3.6 or later MSN Messenger 6.0 or later *Must meet Windows Vista operating system requirements. Internet access required for updating. Format: WIN 2000XPVISTA Genre: UTILITIES UPC: 731944568355 Manufacturer No: VSF08EMB3RUA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No Support Here, January 20, 2008

By 

Graeme Thomson "Graeme Thomson" (Morrisville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 - 3 User [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I received my customer response message a full 45 minutes before I received a online chat representative.

I contacted McAfee because when I installed their product the McAfee Virus Scan Plus 2008 that I ordered from Amazon a couple weeks before told me that the product had expired. When I contacted McAfee their website said the wait would be 2 min.

The technician I finally was able to chat with told me that the CD does not remove the old version of McAfee. I have to wonder why? Has this never come up before? Can it be that McAfee has so few repeat customers that they would not make their product so that the old version did not interfere with the new version, or baring that they new installer first removes the old version before installing the new version?

This is the way we needed to install products in the 80s. This is not the way that mature well designed products and installer operate.

They only technical support options are online, with the exception of rather expensive pay phone support.

It is my opinion that you might want to give this product a miss and try Norton, CA, shareware or anything else if you think there is even the slightest chance you would like any kind of support


PS I would not give McAfee one star but the system make you give at least one

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Can't Puttz Around. This is It. I Have Finally Found My AntiVirus Dream Program, July 2, 2008

By 

Bob Feeser "MillCrafters.com" (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 - 3 User [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

Look, I could write a review that tries to coddle those who are having a problem with this McAfee Virus Scan program, but for me, it is like finally arriving after a sea of disappointments. (I am talking about McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008-3 User Newest Version) Make sure you remove all other antivirus programs, and firewalls first before loading this McAfee Virus application. I have never seen an antivirus program that works properly with a 2nd antivirus program loaded at the same time.
It includes a Security Center, Virus Scan, Personal Firewall, Easy Network, and Site Advisor.

First of all forgive me for writing such a long review, but there is a lot of ground to cover. For those who like the short version, with less information here it is: Norton slowed my DSL connection down by a third. I spent a day with Verizon, couldn't figure out why all of my other machines in the network were getting 756k, and this one got only 4 or 500 tops. Then I removed Norton, and bingo, instant 756k. AVG free edition is nice but takes a lot of boot up time while it updates upon every single boot up, unless you disable that feature, then it sends out your Outlook email with a message that your antivirus is out of date, and this email could be dangerous, or something like that. Zone Alarm used to be the best, now they are nearing the worst. My Windows 2000 machine went blue screen after an update, took me 2 days to figure out that was the problem, so I removed it after discovering the problem in a forum, and it solved it. Also ZA after recommending it to my friend, would not work at all in a Windows XP Media Center machine. Ask ZA and they say they no longer support it in Media Center. 50 bucks down the drain. Now it takes my XP regular edition SP2 well over 5 minutes to boot with Zone Alarm Security Suite, and I mean WELL over 5 minutes; it's ridiculous. I removed it to load this McAfee Virus Scan (MVS), and the machine immediately booted in only 2 minutes and 15 seconds to the point I was able to bring a Google page up. So I loaded this MVS and the machine booted in only 2 minutes and 45 seconds, once again to a Google page appearing. In both cases I clicked on a Google desktop icon as soon as it appeared, and then waited for the results. It clicks, goes dark blue, and waits for everything else to load, including MVS before it will allow a page to appear. So MVS took only 30 additional seconds to load, and according to Scotty the watchdog in WinPatrol, it loads about 7 .exe files. So that is fast. Now that is with a machine that is loaded up with a ton of programs.

I first loaded MVS in my home office machine, in the same network, with the same configuration, Asus A8N SLI, AMD 64 3200+, 1Gb ram. The home office machine with MVS loaded, gave me the same results but in approximately one minute before I could get a Google page up. (This is an edit, I actually timed the boot up, and not counting the time to type in my password, it booted in exactly 42 seconds) Boot up to Google in only a minute with MVS, and in 2 minutes and 45 seconds in my overloaded machine that used to take well over 5 minutes with Zone Alarm. I'm sold.

While performing a scan it did not affect the performance of the machine, either in surfing the web, or opening programs, even the intensive programs like Dreamweaver MX 2004, or Photoshop CS2.

When loading do as the quick start guide says, put in the CD, then choose the option of loading from the web. It's a 45 Meg download, but it's the latest.

Manage network feature, it recognized all of the other machines, and components with an IP address in my network. It recognized my Windows Server 2003 R2 Edition, but gave me a status message of a request to upgrade to an operating system of at least W2000 or later. I guess that is because of W2003 security, blocking scans.

Before I even acquired MVS I did not understand exactly what they meant by the 3 user allowance, and couldn't find anything on it, so I want to share that with you. Did they mean that you could load it on one machine sharing a network, and then scan individual drives across the network, the same way early ZA did, or does this mean you can put it in more than one machine for full protection at all times. Fortunately it means the latter. I loaded it in the home office machine, registering it in my name to be able to get virus updates, and created a user name and password. Then I went into the other machine, dropped in the CD, did a complete install, but when the registration page came up, I logged in instead, and it instantly completed the registration for me, reminding me of my user name and password, and congratulating me on the installation. So it is a 3 machine complete install, that is cool, or should I say way cool.

I know this isn't about MVS but I advise you to get a free copy of CCleaner from the web. (Google it.) It cleans all the junk out of your computer and you can run it quickly before entering sensitive password sites for example. It cleans out your cache, cookies, etc. in only a few seconds. When you run it for the first time, it will take several minutes to remove it all, for example a ton of web pages you have been surfing, that your machine checks first, before drawing it from the distant server. A slooooow way for your machine to have to work.

McAfee has been around for a zillion years, they have been a leader, and from the performance of this product so far, they have totally aced it. You can see all of the other antivirus and firewall programs I have tried, and this one according to boot up time, and scan speed is the best. It scanned my office machine quickly, although I did not time it accurately. It scanned several gigs of data in what seemed like 10 minutes. My other machine with 230 Gigs of data takes about 5 hours with Zone Alarm, because I am using their older 7.0 version, it took 3 times that long with their newer version that works with Vista and XP. I am using it on an XP machine. Once again, had to get rid of the update, and go back to an earlier version.

Look I can't speak for everyone, or everyone's machine, but all I know is I am totally impressed with this McAfee product, and hope and pray they don't go down the tubes like Norton, and Zone Alarm did. (I have not used any recent Norton products, but Norton was the best when Peter Norton was there solving the DOS problems, almost like a miracle man, then from about 10 years ago, everything of theirs I tried was junk.) Sorry for the pointed remarks, but sometimes you find a product, after spending years in frustration, or at least you find something that works, then it goes bad, and finally, finally, something that really works great like this MVS. For me, my hat is off to McAfee. 150 Stars and counting. Highly recommended to say the least.
PS: I noticed another reviewer was having problems logging onto online acounts, so I put it to the test, logged into my bank account, which is a 3 step process, and also my online server, and did not have any problems. If I have any, or notice anything after using this product more, I will come back and edit the review. All of the essentials place this one at the top for now.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Read this!, June 25, 2008

By 

Matthew Cartier "Matt C" (Pulaski NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 - 3 User [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

This is a two part review. The first portion was written yesterday afernoon and I saved it in my "drafts folder" in e-mail so if I eeded to change anything after using it for awhile nd eeing if therewer any adverse effects I could go back for a "updated review".

Part 1.


I must say I am very pleasantly surprised with McAfee's VirsScan Plus. I used to not be a fan of McAfee (for no particular reason, I always preffered Norton.

Installation was about as simple as can be. All the "main settings" are already selected by default so the installation pretty much consisted of hitting "NEXT" four or five times. After the install was completed and after a restart it automatically updated the most current Virus Definitions and started and completed it's first scan relatively quickly.

I appreciate some of the features built into the Suite such as FireWall, SpyWare blocking. One of the nicest additions (in my opinion) is the Home Network setup application that enables you to set up a networked printer effortlessly. I have read over the box and the enclosed literature and this feature isn't even advertised but it is a very welcome addition, as I'm sure quite a few people think of setting up a Home Network along the lines of getting a VCR to stop flashing 12:00 constantly :-)

The McAfee "Site Advisor" that shows up in the top right of your browser toolbar is a confidence booster if you happen to accidentally click on a bogus link in an e-mail. Green means it's been tested and is deemed safe and Red means just what you would expect. Stay away!

Finally being provided a license to install this on three different machines without having to pay extra for each additional "license" is great,

My overall rating is 5/5.I took into consideraion, ease of nstallation, and ease of use, feautures, and overall quality. Good Job McAfee.!

Part II.

After 24 hours of having this product installed on two different computers this is a total 360 from my Part I. review. I thoughtI was having "internet issues" during the day today because sites that I go to everyday (CNN, my web bank, etc) I couldn't access anything. The same issue happened on my wife's laptop. I got so fed up with this issue I totally uninstalled McAfee and presto! EVERYTHING works exactly asit should. Hopefully for the sake of everyoneelse it was a "coincidence" on my end that I had these issues, but all it did was re-enforce by preference of NOT using McAfee.