McAfee VirusScan 2005 9.0 and Firewall 2005 6.0 Bundle

Comment: Was quite disappointed that the program lacked the ability for parental controls. It implies it has them; and you can lock out specific websites - who has time for that. Their tech support could not provide a real answer, only an automatated answer that was not helpful. I would not recommend it.

Comment: This software is extremely annoying...every other day it pops up a notice that you need to "verify subscription". Until you do, it disables your software. Half the time the "verify" doesn't work, or, if you've purchased the suite, you're treated to five notices in a row.

If you're in the middle of something, you're forced to stop what you're doing, connect to the internet, remember your password and log onto McAfee, where you're treated to a marketing page.

If you don't verify, or click "cancel", then the software disables itself.

The firewall has two settings... allow access once or allow full access, and doesn't differentiate between your local computer and programs that need to access the internet. IF you have a program that you want to access your home network, but NOT have permission to connect to the internet, then you're outta luck.

The software uses too much resources, and can only work if your computer has IE or Netscape.

The only reason I have it installed, is because it came with my computer. As soon as the subscription runs out, it's going off my machine, AGAIN.
Do yourself a favor and get NOD32 or ZoneAlarm..

Comment: This is a great bundle to protect your computer. It has a user-friendly interface and is easy to install/use. The auto update feature is also very valuable to people like myself, who are usually too busy go to a website to update their software.

Comment: I've used Virus Scan 8.0 and Personal Firewall Plus 5.0 for the past year on my PC without any problems. Recently I installed VS 9.0 and PFP 6.0 (after first uninstalling the older versions), and now it seems although the new products are registered, I can't receive the updates. I am still prompted to register so that I can receive updates, however I receive an error message when I try to do so (probably because it's already registered). Needless to say, McAfee's support is horrible. Their online chat is the worst form of support I've ever encountered; it's slow, painfully slow. Get ready to waste hours, then have your session terminated when one of their idiot technicians tries to send you a pop-up. This is the only form of free technical support they offer, if you want to speak with a person on the phone you must pay $39. It's insulting to say the least. I installed VS 9.0 and PFP 6.0 on my new notebook without any problems, but trying to update my PC has become a huge waste of time. I can't imagine chat based support is more productive or cost effective than phone based support. Based on the support, don't buy McAfee!

Comment: I bought this software as I was getting more and more worried about the threat of viruses infecting my home PC. My workplace has always used McAfee and I had always found it very easy to use and we have had no problems with viruses so far. So I invested in McAfee at home. After a few niggles installing the Virus Scan and the Firewall Plus I must say I am very pleased. The software runs quietly on my PC, only alerting me if anything suspicious happens and the Firewall blocks tens of events entering my PC everyday. The Security Center has a full analysis of what exactly has been blocked from your PC so you can investigate further if you wish. If you value your PC, like me, you really do need to protect it and this software is a good place to start.