I was running McAfee until last month when my computer pick up the “System Pro Antivirus” virus. McAfee let it though and could not remove it. I called McAfee customer support and got someone in India. The technician exerted very little effort, was unable to help me, and suggested that I contact McAfee paid support. He stated that McAfee would remotely take over my computer and remove the virus. However, the cost to me would be $90. I was livid.

I used Windows to restore my system to an earlier state. This removed the virus. it took me all of about 15 minutes.

Since then, I uninstalled McAfee and downloaded a 30 day free trial of Vipre. The difference is remarkable. Immediately, Vipre picked up two deep trojan horses of low-level risk and quarantined them. The next thing that I noticed is that my system boots in about one-half the time at start-up. I have Vipre set up to run a deep scan everyday. The scan takes almost one hour and my system slows down during the scan, but the speed is tolerable.

The downside is that Vipre comes without a built-in firewall. Consequently, I downloaded a 30 day free trial of their Sunbelt Firewall. When I installed it, I chose the advanced option. The Sunbelt Firewall is a resource hog. Simple tasks such as copying from a website and pasting to MSWord take an eternity. So, I disabled the firewall and am now running only the antivirus.

My trial period is about to run out and I will buy Vipre Antivirus, but not the firewall. However, there is no way that I will return to McAfee and pay their $90 customer support charge to remove any new virus. Before Buying McAfee, Try Vipre for Free for 30 Days. Vipre does a better job on fewer computing resources. In my opinion it is a far superior product.
Rating: 1 / 5

I actually received two anti-virus software programs in the span of the last two months and have to admit that I have been incredibly let down by both Trend Micro’s internet security pro AND McAfee’s Antivirus Plus 2010.

Antivirus Plus is the kind of software you can get for free online. It offers NO bonus features worth the purchase and only offers 3 of 8 features listed on the back of the box. This is a HUGE dissapointment. I got this with the inclination that I was receiving TOTAL virus protection. I figured this program would offer the full spectrum of coverage. From online security during web shopping sessions to site advisor protection that would keep me and my family members only clicking on verified, SAFE links. But, alas, this software offers none of that! Compared to Trend Micro’s Internet Security Pro 3. 0 this is a total waste of computer space. Trend Micro’s security is only four dollars more expensive but it covers EVERYTHING and also features bonus componants like a PC Tune up feature that cleans up your hardrive space and even gives you 2 gb of free online space to keep files safe if need be.

McAfee has also let me down in the scanning department of the software. It picked up 2 viruses (trojans) on my system but failed to fix them in any way. It wasn’t even able to quarentine the files and I wound up with some program message telling me to contact McAfee for further support. This is a BIG problem to me. When I purchase antivirus software, I expect it to be up to date and ready to clean, quarentine, repair and wipe the suspected infections clear off of my PC. For McAfee, which is supposedly such a HUGE name in antivirus protection, to fail me on this level, is unforgiveable.

This is getting uninstalled right after I finish this review!!! Also, I may have promoted Trend Micro a bit, but I am also not a huge fan of there software. I like the fact that it offers the wide variety of protection and help but I am a little peeved that it didn’t suspect the previous files I mentioned that McAfee picked up. I am not sure why that was, but it leads me to believe that TM security pro 3. 0 is behind in it’s virus database or is not performing the constant background scanning that it implies it does. I am now currently looking into finding something that is going to keep my computers running smoothly and that will not only FIND the viruses, but clean them out as well. I might wind up back with Norton, despite the incredible lag it gives to my computers. Oh well!
Rating: 2 / 5