I signed up for a demo of the McAfee Clinic some time ago, and then just recently I signed up for the full version. It's a great value!

The clinic costs $29.95 for one year, which is the same price as a boxed version of McAfee Antivirus. And it comes with a lot more, for a lot less hassle.

What is the clinic? It's a set of online applications at McAfee's online site. They're mostly run through ActiveX controls (yes, you hard-core paranoids will say, but you're never supposed to trust an ActiveX control. To which I say, if you can't trust McAfee, who can you trust?) They include an online virus scan, optimizing utilities, uninstaller, and First Aid.

What are the advantages of the Clinic? Well, mostly I use the virus scan. So here are the main advantages:

1. I can do a scan anytime I want, as long as I'm connected to the 'Net (and I have a cable modem, so that's no big deal.)

2. I never have to worry about downloading updates, new DAT files, or anything of the sort. That's all handled from their end!

3. For when you're not online, you can install a small control called the ActiveShield, which runs from your taskbar just like the normal McAfee VirusScan. It automatically scans incoming files, and it logs on to the net automatically at a set time (mine's set to 3:30am) to update itself. Of course, that can all be disabled.

4. Except for ActiveShield, it uses NO system resources except when it's running! If you have as many memory problems as I do (running too much stuff!) that's a HUGE advantage. And even ActiveShield uses barely any memory at all.

I haven't really played much with First Aid, but it's a Norton Utilities-type application that works online pretty much the same way, and most of the advantages are the same.

Now for a couple of disadvantages:

1. You can only do full scans of your PC while you're online. This is not a major deal, but it can be a pain. If you have a boot sector virus, for instance, you're screwed -- although you CAN use the clinic to create a recovery floppy.

2. The initial download of the ActiveX components can take 15-20 minutes per app, depending on your connetion speed. Again, not a huge deal, just thought i'd mention it. After that, downloading updates is quick and easy.

3. The biggest disadvantage for me is that currently, neither First Aid nor Uninstaller is supported under Windows2000, which is my operating system. I hope they'll get all of it updated soon! Also, none of it works on Macintosh.

McAfee also has some related online apps which are available at discounts to Clinic members or as package deals. These include an online/ActiveX firewall app for those of us with constant connections, and a "family-friendlY" online filtering system that is very configurable. I don't use either, so I can't comment.

I do commend McAfee for providing easy access to all kinds of utilities for people who may not be as sophisticated about the 'Net. And in closing, I'd like to say that I'm very happy with McAfee Clinic, overall, and I like it much better than dealing with those darn DAT files all the time!





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