This thing just gets worse every time they upgrade it. I've had it for years and I've watched it go from a sleek, streamlined, efficient protective program to a pondering, greedy monster that eats resources and significantly impacts performance. They can't leave the user interface alone, and every time they change it, it's larger, uglier, harder to nagivate and more intrusive. McAfee seems to have fallen into incompetent hands and soon I will be abandoning it in favor of basic Microsoft free protection. Detection Rate When I have a real virus problem I ALWAYS have to go to an outside source such as Malwarebytes. Note that I said "when I have a real virus problem." These still occur with McAfee in place and running normally. Ease of Use The interface keeps changing, and not for the better. Functions like QuickClean are moved around and nearly hidden, with no tutorials provided to learn one's way around the entirely changed interfaces at each update. Obnoxious and frustrating. Scan Speed I don't even scan anymore. I don't have three days of minimal computer use to spare. Availability of Updates Oh, it updates. Every day. At least. Even if I have notifications turned off, I know when it's updating by the way that I have to reboot my system to get all that RAM back. It likes to keep it to itself when it's finished. Compatibility It has not told me I can't use other AVs lately.

HeatherBertine

USA

Sometimes I do actually pay for an anti-virus software but my family members have always had great protection with several free versions. McAfee was one a family member of mine used and I didn't have much luck with it. It did work, as in I never had a virus on my computer, but every time it did a full computer scan my laptop would always run hot and the fan would be loud. A couple of times it even shut down my compute because it did overheat. Could it just be my computer? Absolutely. I don't have another compture to compare it to. But what I do know is I purchased Trend Anti-virus before and it worked great, no problems. The only reason for switching was my license ran out and I went for a free version instead. I did uninstall McAfee and now I use AVG which is working well, I think. I'm not 100% sold on it yet either but it doesn't overheat my computer and make it shut off. I never did contact McAfee to see if they had conflicting problems with Windows Vista. Maybe that is the problem.

peachy423

Whitehouse, TX

[**AT&T Yahoo**][1]  used to have a Norton (Symantec) Protection Center.  Exactly when they made the switch to **Mcafee Security Center**, I'm not sure.  The point is to keep your PC protected by a name brand anti-virus and/or security suite.  Everyone I know, who has tried a "free" anti-virus program, such as AVG has had problems. Yes, this is free also...but only if you have AT&T Yahoo DSL.  In some respects, I actually like it a bit better than Norton anti-virus.  They are similar in several ways.  [Symantec SystemWorks][2]  has what's called "Wipe Info".  McAfee calls it a "Shredder".  Either way, it not only deletes a file or folder, but completely wipes it from your hard drive.  FYI...just deleting something still leaves it on your hard drive. The **Mcafee Security Center **seems to update itself easier & faster than Norton.  The problem is - it does it at the most inopportune time, slowing the PC down to a crawl.  It would be nice to have a little notice before it starts. Already have AT&T Yahoo DSL?  Try the "FREE" **McAfee Security Center.**  Ta Da...  Review number 300! [1]: http://www.viewpoints.com/SBCGlobal-AT-T-Yahoo-review-059c0 [2]: http://www.viewpoints.com/Symantec-SystemWorks-2008-Basic-Edition-for-PC-12813835-review-dd572

OldHippie

Saint Louis, MO

In every computer that my husband and I have ever had, it seems that we always get some sort of deadly virus that pretty much gives a death sentence to our computer. That is very frustrating, and as a result we have spent lots of money and time in effort to search out the best antivirus programs on the market. I really liked McAfee, we were given a free trial with it when we purchased our new computer, but it wasn't as great as others on the market. I really liked how it updates and does partial system scans on it's own so I don't have to remember to, but I was slightly disappointed that it didn't run full system scans on it's own. I'm pretty forgetful, so I like to have a program that pretty much goes into autopilot once it is installed. I also liked the internet safety features that it offered, alerting me when new programs wanted to download or add on things to my computer. So even though I thought that this program was a good one, there is another that I like even better!

jmhelle

Manchester, IA

This software is really good.It has great coverage for your computer and alerts you right away if someone is trying to send you a virus.It wipes it out right away and cleans your computer to prevent any other problems.You can set the timer to scan on any date and time you want to keep your computer protected besides keeping you protected while your online.it also keeps updating itself to provide the best protection.

lilmixedsunshine

Las Vegas, NV

***Bottom-Line:*** Overall, ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** is more than adequate for both power users and those users who take a more set-it-and-forget it approach to their computer's security. When I purchased my new Dell Studio 17 with *Windows 7* it shipped with ***McAfee SecurityCenter***, a multi-functional anti-virus/anti-spyware/firewall/data protection program.  Even if the antivirus program cannot clean the infected file, most can at least isolate it and keep from doing harm the rest of the computer system.  ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** has become one of the antivirus programs I trust. ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** supports *Windows 7 (32/64-Bit), Windows Vista (32/64-bit), and Windows XP Home Edition (SP2)*. **The 411** ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** ships with all the usual suite of protections found in most of its competitors with the exception of a data backup utility.  That means you'll antivirus protection for files, web browsing, e-mail, applications and various processes. And of course ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** include auto-protect and e-mail scanning of outgoing and incoming messages.  In additional to automatic protection of files copied to fixed disks, ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** also scans those files copied to USB and other memory devices.  And the program will automatically scan those devices when inserted into the computer.  Finally, ***McAfee SecurityCenter ***includes a personal firewall (in addition to the firewall shipped as part of Windows).   **My Viewpoint** I like ***McAfee SecurityCenter***, I like it a lot, and it is due mainly to the multi-layered support (*Real-Time Scanning, Scheduled Scanning, Ad Blocking, Anti-Virus, Scan Your Computer, Data Shredder, *and* Parental Controls etc.)* functionality.  There are a few little teaks, but the interface is essentially the same as previous releases. I like the design of the interface.  Controls for manipulating and configuring the components of the program are laid out on the initial screen in a handsome easy to use design.  The configuration of each component can be access by clicking on its designated section on the left-hand side of the screen.   As installed, most of the components default to medium protection, which is adequate for most users and each of the programs can be turned off, if you have no use for them. As expected scans and definition file updates performed seamlessly with the Real-time Scan, which continually scan files and incoming e-mails for threats.  However, *Quick Scans* can also be performed with the click of a mouse.  And of course Full Scan are available on demand, and custom scanning is an option as well.  Overall, ***McAfee SecurityCenter*** is more than adequate for both power users and those users who take a more set-it-and-forget it approach to their computer's security.    

TheBard

Aurora, IL

I've had Mcafee Security Center for a long time and it's GREAT! I especially like the site checker. I can see if a website is safe and if other linking sites have had any reported problems. My computer runs 24/7 and I always feel safe with my Mcafee Security Center!

sissy074

Fort Payne, AL

I have had McAfee as my anti-virus software for as long as I can remember. I use a Toshiba laptop and a Dell desktop and have McAfee on both of them. It works really well - I have never had a problem with it and my computers have never had a virus. The only bad thing about McAfee is that it really slows down my computer. It seems like McAfee has to download updates almost every time I turn on my computer, which is a good thing because it means it's up to date to fight the latest viruses, but also really slows down my Internet browsing, which is annoying when I'm trying to get something done online. I like that McAfee gives you the option to update automatically, update only with your permission, or manually download the updates. This gives me some control over when my computer slows down. Also, I like that there are a variety of settings that you can customize. Overall I would recommend McAfee to anyone who is serious about keeping their PC safe.

victoria24

Melrose, MA