The McAfee Virus
Written: Aug 05 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent update utilization.
Cons: It just doesn't remove viruses.
The Bottom Line: Norton
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| search66's Full Review: McAfee VirusScan |
"Twenty years ago when I first entered the PC scene, computer viruses were more of a novelty subject than a threat. As time progressed, so did the onslaught of real computer viruses. Those without proper protection will surely meet the face of doom."
Professional strength cleaner required
Starting things off, let's settle the debate quickly. Computer viruses (or virii) are real malicious programs and can do real malicious damage to your computer. With that said, everyone who operates a computer needs to have a current, actively updated and reliable virus protection program.
The version I'm reviewing is 4.51, and it is used in a corporate, business setting. When deciding on an anti-virus utility, most people turn to either Norton or McAfee. I'll admit that I'm a Norton fanboy, but when it came to McAfee I had no choice but to use it. I'm the system administrator (just one hat of many) for a large company, and with this company we are required to use a controlled set of applications. As chance has it, McAfee was their choice... not mine.
Being tied into the Internet, and having about 200 users who work on the network; the flow of viruses range from a few weekly to dozens daily. I think home users can learn a lot about a product from a business setting, for it is really put to the test far more than at home.
Virus Hunting 101
Installing McAfee is a mixed bag. While the majority of installation issues are minor, I do come across one problem that seems to linger throughout a handful of installs. Once the software is installed, the McAfee "Shield" starts up; thus protecting your system. This is where the primary problem stems. Many times the software never fully completes the install and as the "Shield" starts, the software freezes. Even once fully installed and all seems to be working fine, I noticed this to be an anathema for many users. Once a user logs in the first of the day, the "Shield" begins to startup but eventually fails. The failure isn't corrected and the user isn't even notified of the error. The only dead giveaway is the red line through the shield on your task bar. Not only does McAfee fail to notify you that it's not working, it simply leaves your computer unprotected against any potential virus. Very bad. I found that this error usually occurs on those PC's that are slower than others. Computers that run anything under 400 MHz and under 64 MB of RAM seem to this problem continually. So, if you are running a slower computer, be aware of what TSR's (automatically loading programs) are starting up with Windows. Try to cut back on what is starting up or simply upgrade with a few sticks of RAM.
Now this review isn't 100% a McAfee bash, for it does have a few excellent points to it. The biggest advantage I've found is the ultra smooth and ultra reliable virus update process. During setup or after if you prefer, you can identify a location where the updates are and will automatically schedule the installation for you. Even though Norton has a similar process, it isn't nearly as reliable as McAfee's update process. The same goes for the actual software update process as well as the weekly virus updates (DAT's).
McAfee also sports a fairly nice scheduler for virus scanning, and for those who like to configure scans to the hilt, the software fits the bill nicely. McAfee has a nice heuristics set as well as an intuitive drive allocation mapping. So, customizing VirusScan shouldn't be a problem for any user (novice or advanced).
She loves me, she loves me not...
To coin the term "the straw that broke the camels back" is an understatement. The point where my angst towards McAfee stems is from a lowly little virus called "fun love". The "fun love" virus went rampant last year and earlier this year; but most had no problems cleaning it up. One thing I've noticed bout VirusScan is the actual process of virus detection and deletion. Most viruses are noticed, but few actually get deleted. This blows my mind, honestly. Many times I've scanned activity logs and saw that the software discovered a virus; yet failed to "clean" it. Going back to that same workstation and scanning it as an administrator, the virus was again found but I was unable to delete it, clean it, rename it or even quarantine it. This is inexcusable. If Norton can't fix something it "quarantines" the virus so it can't affect any other files. McAfee simply ignores the problem and goes on about it business.
Needless to say, my battle against the "fun love" increased and tied to corporate ladder rules I could do very little. I followed all of the procedures by our corporate ISO (information security officer) as well as message boards on McAfee. As trouble went to turmoil the full effects of the virus spread. In the corporate scheme of things my hands were totally tied. Now, I couldn't watch my office go down in a ball of flames, so I took matters into my own hands. I installed Norton on a workstation and had it scan every computer on the network. Not only did it complete in two days it also cleaned every reference to "fun love" as well as a score of others that McAfee failed to find. After the cleansing I quickly uninstalled the program before Big Brother caught me using an "unauthorized" program. No matter, the problem is fixed.. for now at least.
Failure to communicate
In the world of software and computer nerds clicks exist just as they do in the "real world". Just like the Ford vs. Chevy argument the same goes for McAfee vs. Norton debate. I suggest using all of the resources you know and are reliable and unbiased as possible and then make the decision. Virus removal is too big of a subject to ignore.
My personal recommendation is to overlook McAfee, and to stick with Norton. Although Norton seems to "over simplify" many things and shoots itself in the foot, it is still rock solid and reliable. It also detects viruses and actually removes them. For home users I recommend getting Systemworks 2002. Once fully loaded and installed, simply hit one button (ironically named "one button fix") and don't worry about virus problems. Not only is the software a brilliant virus detection program it also sports some excellent utilities that improve performance by cleaning bogus registry entries and also speeds disk performance via degragmentation. Good luck to everyone in the digital world, and don't make the same mistake that Citi-...err.. my company made.
-66
www.netjak.com
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search66
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