Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)There are three components to look at in this McAfee Bundle: The VirusScan version 10.0 component, the Firewall Plus version 7.0 component, and the SecurityCenter component, also known by many as the blatant advertising component.
I'll talk more about the SecurityCenter in a little bit. First let's review the VirusScan and Firewall Plus components first.
VirusScan 2006 version 10.0:
Considering all of the time I spend on my computer, whether it be writing a paper, surfing the World Wide Web, chatting with friends on IRC or through instant messaging, it's amazing that I only encounter a few contaminated files and programs a year (I'm not complaining, mind you). Thankfully, I have had a McAfee virus scanner on my computer since day one. And to this day, I have never had a virus or worm successfully infect my computer.
Installation is relatively easy. (WARNING: Even though the Quick Start Guide does not say to, I recommend that you uninstall all McAfee programs before installing VirusScan 2006. In the past, McAfee has recommended that you do this because of the conflicts that often developed when installing the newest VirusScan. McAfee may have worked through those old conflict issues, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, make sure you disconnect from the Internet before you uninstall your old VirusScan. There are worms out there today that can infect your computer just by you being on the Internet.) Even though I uninstalled all of my McAfee products first, I was able to install, update, and adjust the settings in less than 10 minutes. I experienced no problems with the set-up, or with conducting several test scans.
McAfee VirusScan 2006 is, for the most part, the same program as the previous version. The changes that were made back in version 8, which include the reduced number of settings to adjust, the reduced number of levels to navigate through, and the "virus map" feature, have been left relatively untouched. One welcomed improvement is the addition of a PUPs, or potentially unwanted programs, tab (you can find this by clicking on "Configure VirusScan Options" and then the "Advanced" tab). VirusScan will now notify you when it comes across a program it thinks might be unwanted. You can then tell VirusScan to remove the program or to add it to your trusted PUPs list, which you can manage.
This new version of VirusScan also comes with one major "update" change. Starting with VirusScan 2006, McAfee is now making DAT updates available nearly every day, instead of once a week or so as they have done in previous versions. Configuring VirusScan to install updates automatically will help to ensure that you have the most up-to-date virus fighting capability on your computer. For those with cable or broadband Internet connections, these updates are quick and should not interfere with any other surfing or downloading you are doing. If you have a dial-up connection, the update process will slow you down a little bit.
One update issue that first showed up back in version 8 and is still present in version 10 is when you choose to manually update. When you do this, and an update is available, VirusScan takes you to a McAfee page where you are suppose to log-in to continue. The problem is that the McAfee Website is notorious about refusing to log you out, even when you manually click the "log out" button on the site. So when VirusScan takes you to this page, and McAfee thinks you are already logged in, the page will tell you that you are already logged in but will not give you the ability to continue the update process. This happens to me about 80% of the time I try to manually update. For this reason, it's best that you allow VirusScan to automatically update itself if possible.Personal Firewall Plus 2006 version 7.0:
McAfee's Personal Firewall Plus version 5.0 was almost unilaterally panned by everyone who reviewed it. In 2005, version 6.0 was released. Most reviewers, including myself, seemed to have no problems with it. And so far I have not had any problems with version 7.0.
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. Nor did I have any problems as a result of installing or uninstalling version 6.0. And so far, version 7.0 has not given me any problems either. The interface is very easy to use, the settings give me just enough adjustability 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. In addition, I have not had any problems using Microsoft's Internet Explorer. My browsing times have not slowed down and the only "This page cannot be displayed" messages I get are the same ones my friends, who do not use Firewall Plus, get.
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 virus scanner and firewall only, I would give them a 5-star rating since I have never had a problem with the programs themselves.
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 two reasons why this McAfee VirusScan/Firewall bundle only gets a 3-star rating from me:
REASON 1: McAfee's customer service is one of the worst in any industry. Their live instant messaging help is a joke. The people who run this don't listen to your problem at all. They are only trained to have you run through a series of steps. Ask any current or previous McAfee customer about McAfee's customer service, and you are likely to send that person into a fit of hysterics followed by an hour-long commentary on just how awful their experience was. The last time I called McAfee customer service to fix a problem, their instructions screwed up my computer so badly that I had to reformat my hard drive and reinstall everything. And once I did that, I then had to pay to talk to someone to fix the problem that I was having with their product. It took them 3 weeks, and five different phone calls to speak to five different people before I got the answer I needed.
REASON 2: SecurityCenter. This program wraps all of McAfee's products together for easy access on your computer's taskbar. It has also been the source of many a McAfee user's ire. The good news is that there has finally been some improvement with SecurityCenter. It used to be that when you started your computer, the McAfee SecurityCenter splash screen would tell you which McAfee security products you had purchased and which ones you had not. Many people did not like paying for a McAfee product only to have nothing more than a pop-up advertisement show up on their screen. During version 9, one of the updates sent out by McAfee changed the SecurityCenter splash screen so that you only saw what McAfee products were installed on your computer. VirusScan 2006 goes one step further and actually allows you to disable the splash screen. Unfortunately, if you open SecurityCenter it will still list the McAfee items you have not purchased and, as usual, cannot tell when other programs that do the same things as those McAfee programs have been installed on your computer. Most people will never have to open SecurityCenter since all of the programs can be opened by right clicking on the McAfee icon in the taskbar and selecting the program you need.
Bottom line: If you are having problems with the previous versions, go ahead and buy these new versions, especially if your VirusScan update subscription is about to expire. If you look hard enough, you should be able to find this combination product with a big enough rebate to make purchasing it cheaper than buying another year worth of virus updates.
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