5 comments about McAfee Internet Security 2005 7.0 [VirusScan, Firewall, Spamkiller, Privacy, Parental Controls] [LB].

1. This has to be by far the worst software I have ever encountered. I purchased this software last week after my Norton (equally worthless) software failed to detect a virus and 37 adwares in my computer. I am very mindful of updating my security software and was very upset that Norton failed so miserably. So I gave McAfee my 60 bucks and went on to install. 4 hours later and $40 of phone support and still unable to install successfully, apparently, as per McAfees customer support, "Our software has a lot of issues with defective discs, its quite common" What!?!? She then directed me to free software I could download from the internet, so I paid 40 bucks for support for you to tell me where to get FREE help??? Ridiculous. I demanded a refund for the "support" call and will be returning this software. GO with eTrust EZ Armor, less expensive, less space on your hard drive and much easier to use. Big brand names mean nothing.



2. I had some crash/freeze issues with Norton, so I switched to McAfee. VirusScan and Firewall are really the most useful and seems moderately powerful in par with PCCillin or Norton. I have 1GB ram so have no problem running the programs in the background. Less buggy than last year's McAfee VS, and works well on both my laptop and desktop. Better to buy the VirusScan/Firewall 2-pack.
   
   Pros:
   Easy to configure
   Intuitive menus
   Fairly effective firewall
   OK Spamkiller
   
   Cons:
   Expensive (comparitively)
   Privacy Controls buggy
   Bad customer support options



3. My opinion about McAfee's new Internet Security Suite Version 7.0 has changed little from my last years review of their Internet Security Suite Version 6.0, although I gave the newer version 2 stars instead of 1 star from last year.
   
   Installed the software on my desktop as per the instructions and there still is an issue with the Privacy Service Component of the software. Contacted McAfee thru their web page support service. (You have to chat with them as before because it is the only free customer service offered, and telephone service is fee based.)
   
   After installing all four components (Virus Scan, Spamkiller, Privacy Service & Firewall) I could not establish an internet connection. I discovered on my own thru trial and error and installing and re-installing each component one by one, that the Privacy Service Component was to blame. After going thru a lengthy procedure from McAfee.com to remove the Privacy Service Component (it's not as simple as Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs) and re-configuring my internet connection setting, and re-installing Privacy Service, I finally was able to establish the internet connection. Total time spent reading, researching, installing, re-installing, customer service, chatting, etc.... was approximately four hours. A little less time than last year but due to a different problem.
   
   Some of the problems you will discover is that this software does not like Windows Service Pack 2 or any other additional security software to be installed on your computer. In fact, all other security software (including McAfee own last year's version of the product) must be un-installed before proceeding to install the new year's version. But, not a word of this is mentioned in the installation/Users Manual.
   
   It seems the issue with Windows Firewall being turned on when installing has been resolved.
   
   I did finally manage to get this software to function properly, but only after countless hours with customer support and trial & error of my own. And one good thing that resulted was I was already prepared for these issues when I installed this software on my laptop. This installation went flawlessly.
   
   
   Last year I said I was switching to Norton's version of Internet Security Suite. I should have listened to my own suggestion.



4. McAfee has been a good product over the years for anit-virus protection. However, the Spamkiller product does not measure up to their usual high standard. It is full of bugs and and should have been tested more before it was released. My experience with chat support on two different calls about different issues was a complete waste of time.



5. Says it all. If you have a standard XP pc you will be lucky to get this software installed. Four hours later, we resolved most problems but cannot get the Privacy Service to install. McAfee do not own up to this common problem and the Web is short on resolution advice too.

No comments about Fireworks 1000.

No comments about Namo WebCreator 2006.

3 comments about McAfee Firewall Plus 2005 6.0.

1. McAfee's Personal Firewall Plus version 5.0 was almost unilaterally panned by everyone who reviewed it. I'm not sure the reviews are going to be much better this time around either.
   
   As I stated in my title, version 6.0 is not much different from its predecessor. The only real change is the engine underneath the program. Only time will tell whether or not the improvements in this area are enough to satisfy the critics.
   
   Before I get into anything else McAfee related, let me review the actual firewall program itself.
   
   In May 2004, I finally moved out of the dark ages and moved from a dial-up connection to DSL. On the advice of a friend, I purchased a firewall program for the first time ever. Because I already used McAfee VirusScan (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment), I chose to buy Personal Firewall Plus version 5.0.
   
   Unlike many of the reviews I read, I did not have any system problems as a result of installing or uninstalling version 5.0. So far, version 6.0 has not given me any problems either. The interface is very easy for me to use, the settings give me just enough adjustibility to do what I need to do, and I have never had a problem with the program starting itself when I boot-up my computer.
   
   For someone like me, who is completely port illiterate, McAfee Personal Firewall Plus has done exactly what it is suppose to do: block the bad stuff from reaching my computer.
   
   If I was rating the firewall only, I would give it a 5-star rating since I have never had a problem with it and it does what I need it to do.
   
   Ah, but this is McAfee we are talking about. And when you buy a McAfee product, you also end up buying the stupidity of McAfee. There are three reasons why McAfee Personal Firewall Plus only gets a 3-star rating from me:
   
   REASON 1: McAfee has a habit of messing up their programs through the update features, especially the Security Center pop-up advertisement, uh.... I mean feature, that automatically comes with all McAfee products. So far, none of their update bugs have affected me where Firewall Plus is concerned (wish I could say the same about their VirusScan product). But this is McAfee we're talking about, and I have full confidence that sooner or later they'll figure out how to screw up Firewall Plus during an update.
   
   REASON 2: As reported by many a reviewer, McAfee's customer service department is a joke. Their live instant messaging service has yet to ever resolve a customer's problem (an overstatement, I'm sure...... but not by much). And their paid service isn't much better. I know many people who refuse to purchase anything McAfee because of past experiences with their customer service department. Can't say I really blame them.
   
   REASON 3: I cannot stand the blatant McAfee advertisement that is known as Security Center. The splash screen that appears everytime you start your computer (and for which McAfee refuses to allow us to turn off) is nothing more than a pop-up advertisement that you pay to have installed on your computer. This splash screen is oh-so-nice in telling you what McAfee products you have yet to install on your computer. It doesn't matter if you are using a competitor's product. Security Center doesn't bother to check to see. It just forever tells you that you don't have McAfee this or McAfee that.
   
   Bottom line: If you are having problems with Personal Firewall Plus 5.0, and you haven't already thrown McAfee out of your window for it, then go ahead and upgrade to 6.0. Otherwise, it's not worth spending the time or money to get this version.



2. I would never purchase Macaffee Firewall Plus 6.0 ever again. After I installed the product I could not connect to the Inernet using AOL. I called tech supportt ($2.95/minute) and could not resolve the problem after a twenty minute phone call. I uninstalled the Macafee Firewall and my AOL went back to working normal. If you are using XP service pack 1, do not purchase this product. If you do, you will spend endless hours trying to resolve the problems. Look elsewhere for a firewall product.



3. The complaints from users here show, primarily, that they haven't made a sincere effort to learn how to use the product...
   
   Splash Screen at Start-up:
   I, too, wanted to disable this, but instead of complaining that I didn't know how to do it, I took the time to find the answer. Below are the instructions for version 6, on an XP Pro SP2 computer. If you're using a different operating system, these may or may not apply, but give it a try. If you're still using Service Pack 1, then you're just begging for trouble.
   
   1- Right-click the McAfee tray icon (the "M" by the clock)
   2- Select "Updates"
   3- Click "Configure"
   4- Click "Advanced" (...and from there, you'll find what you need.)
   
   
   Another complaint was about the pop-ups; same thing - take the time to look at the settings, because you can change or disable these, too (by the way, the pop-ups annoying, but they're not advertisements; they're "alerts" from McAfee, warning about new threats, new updates, subscription expirations, etc.). If you want to disable them entirely (you'll get no warnings at all), follow the same steps outlined above, and you'll see the options for the Security Alerts settings. If you only want to see the important alerts ("Red Alerts"), right-click on the M, select Personal Firewall, then Utilities, then click on Alert Settings.
   
   Another complaint concerned AOL not working w. McAfee Firewall. Personally, I would've deleted AOL before deleting McAfee, but that's a whole other issue... Very basically, firewalls restrict things from coming into & going out of your computer. They're usually pre-configured to allow certain essential things to work without restriction, but they can't read your mind. Sometimes, you'll have to tell it what you want to allow & disallow. So if AOL was working before you installed McAfee Firewall, and it didn't work after, you need to tell the firewall to allow AOL access, via the Internet Applications settings.
   
   As for McAfee support, yeah, they're not so great. You're better off going to the Support Forum, where other McAfee users post questions & answers. Just Google "mcafee forums" and you'll find it.
   
   I use McAfee Firewall because it was given to me, but there are better products out there. Do a little research, and if you find that McAfee's is the right one for you (and if you can get it for less than $20), you'll be fine; just take the time to learn the settings.

No comments about Learning Internet Security for Parents.

No comments about iVista Security Now.

No comments about Borland Visual dBase 7 Client/Server Suite.

No comments about CA Integrated Threat Management-tm Prod Only R8.1 5U.

No comments about Internet Threat Defense 2006.

No comments about CO Session: Remote Computing Software: Version 5.0 [ Run Any PC From Another Location ].