McAfee Internet Security 2009: Very Complete
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: 2009, antivirus, test | Themes: Software
- 1. One-Stop Comparison for 14 Anti-Virus Titles
- 2. Anti-Virus Basics
- 3. Comodo Internet Security v3.8: The Newbie
- 4. Avira Antivir Personal Free Edition v9.0.0386: The Best of the Freebies
- 5. Clamwin Free Antivirus 0.94.1: Open Source Protection Software
- 6. Avast! 4.8 Home Edition Free: The Classic
- 7. BitDefender Total Security 2009: A Balanced Choice
- 8. F-Secure Internet Security 2009: A Disappointment
- 9. Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security Pro 2009: A Reasonable Option
- 10. McAfee Internet Security 2009: Very Complete
- 11. Norton Antivirus 2009: The Choice For Ease and Simplicity
- 12. Panda Global Protection 2009: An Outsider Who’s Left In The Dust
- 13. G-Data Total Care 2009: The Heavy Weight Of Security
- 14. ESET Smart Security 4 (Nod32 Antivirus 4): A Positive Evolution
- 15. Kaspersky Antivirus 2009: A Half-Colored Version
- 16. AVG Internet Security v8.5 (paid version): An Insufficient Evolution of What You Can Get For Free
- 17. The Verdict
- 18. The Test Protocol
- 19. More on this topic
10. McAfee Internet Security 2009: Very Complete
- VirusScan Plus 2009 -...
A well-known anti-virus program that sometimes gives out performance evaluations with recently bought computers (this happened to us), McAfee is one of the celebrities of the anti-virus market. We ventured out to see if the performance of the 2009 version justifies this level of celebrity.
A Classic Interface…Pleasant
Clear and well organized, the McAfee interface reminds us a lot of the previous version, so those who loved the last one won’t be disappointed. Shredder, the definitive data suppressor, is geared for professionals and those especially interested in security.
The default settings are very logical and there are no major holes to fill in this area. The possibilities for different kinds of settings with this software are, however, very limited. While they do cover most of the needs of the average user, those users who need more aggressive protection will be disappointed. The absence of password protection for your settings is also a drawback.
Quality Performance and Homogeneous Procedures
The resident protection–profiting from the quality of the detection engine–performs very well, and the email protection is also quite good. Infected attachments are replaced by a message and the email that accompanies it remains accessible. The only thing missing is an automatic scan of external hard drives during their insertion and the choice to neutralize threats during the reading of the file (and not beforehand at the opening of the folder). In general, however, this system is very close to being perfect.
An Influence On The System
The well-thought-out, 2009 version from McAfee has a more subtle effect on the PC's system without losing any of its power or potency. It noticeably slows down Windows' start up time (+45%), and the processor has to contribute significantly to the software's running during long scans (38 minutes on our PC), but the memory is not really used during this operation and you can uninstall it with a utility accessed from the company's Website. Be aware though: the software is made for more recent machines equipped with multi-core processors and the frequency of the automatic scans can be annoying.
Conclusion
McAfee's anti-virus software is easy to use, offers good performance, and is equipped with a range of remarkably diverse utilities. The price of 2009 Internet Security from McAfee is, considering the feeble depth of its personalized settings, its biggest handicap (about $50.00 per year per computer, which is 1.5 times the average price paid for the other anti-virus software we tested). It will give, on the other hand, happiness to those users looking for a wide range of supplementary tools (automatic saving, confidentiality tools, etc.).
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And here I thought AVG Free was the best free antivirus.
Kaspersky internet security/ anti-virus does not look like that.. what the heck
No NOD32?
What about Microsoft's own Oncecare
These guys sound like they don't know what they are talking about. They claimed that Avast skips text files even though "they are a classic refuge for malevolent programs." Text files cannot be executed and therefore cannot contain viruses. The pictures they have are different as well. In any case I am a happy user of Avast and prefer it to McAfee and Norton but have not tried the others.
the picture they use for Avast is with a different skin. You can switch the skin at anytime.
I m using avast home too. I think the scanning for HD is bit longer and taxing a lot on my P4 2.6. But its free..no complain...
what about Kespersky ??? lol so much missing good antivirus software
Spanish Kespersky = norman?
French... T_T?? not english there we go
KASPERSKY Ftw ...
what I used to like on Tom's site was the use of graphs... can't find any in this round up. More over how the can you judge resident scan performance just on start up time? What about disk R/W after all services have been initialized?
Anyway quite poor article
I use Norton NIS 2009, and have had problems that made me look for another. When I saw this article, I said "Great timing lol !"
Unfortunately, there is nothing in this article that inspires confidence in either the comparisons or the conclusions. There are comments about Norton that my personal experiences tell me are incorrect (at least in the US).
And, as said before, no tables, etc.
Very disappointing.
@Shadow703793: NOD32 is in page 14
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/2009-a [...] 15-14.html
@romain_75: Kaspersky in page 15
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/2009-a [...] 15-15.html
@shurcooL: So do I, use AVG for last 3 years thinking it was best one.
May be good time for change ...
eset smart security 4!!!and zone alarm extreme security 8
I'm very surprised to hear that Norton is not a resource hog. It is the reason I switched to free AV software like Avast and AVG. I'm not going back to Norton even if they paid me...OK I might consider it.
Why do you have pictures of Kaspersky on the page with AVG antivirus?
haha kapersky became norman.. avg became kepersky.. lol
Was this review bought or something? For Norton to get such a good review I am leaning towards it being bought. I mean c'mon, Norton not being a resource hog and stealing your system. How do you expect us to believe that?
Why not review Kaspersky Internet Security, instead of just the Antivirus, when the Internet Security package for other brands were reviewed?
Also, The KAV Internest Securitiy is $54.99 at Walmart. The review stated it was double.
I seriously have my doubts and found myself shaking my head after reading the reviews for several of the products in here.
I'm surprised you didn't give a "Best Value" award... I'd say for best value go with Trend Micro, for less than $20 you can get protection for 3 PCs for one year (Look online you will find it). I use it on all my computers and no complaints.