McAfee Total Protection 2011
Click the link to get FREE DOWNLOAD
McAfee Total Protection 2011 product has hit, and with little fanfare. McAfee was actually comparatively late with its 2010 product, meaning there hasn't been much of a development cycle between releases. That explains why there's so little that's new with McAfee Total Protection 2011. The press release explains the improvements are in three areas: threat protection, performance and installation, and the interface.
Installation:
We tried to install McAfee on two systems with opposite results. On one system, we were told it was incompatible with Bsecure's CloudCare parental control software that we were reviewing, which is odd given that Bsecure offers versions of its software bundled with McAfee. On our other system, however, the installation was fast and painless.
The interface on McAfee Total Protection is clear and simple. To us it didn't look any different from the 2010 version, but there may have been tweaks here and there. Scan results seemed to display a bit better, but strangely it showed us that a canceled scan was actually a completed scan. Features are easy to find but in terms of information it's the opposite of Norton's new Nightline-style interface, which may have borderlined on overkill. McAfee has decided that Internet security is not exciting. Fair enough. Many people just want to set their Internet security software and forget about it.
Antivirus and Antimalware:
One thing we did notice was the scanning speed. At under 22 minutes for a full system scan, McAfee's claim that they've sped things up is no hyperbole. Most security products we've tested don't even have a quick scan that works this fast. We didn't discern any lag in relationship to our surfing either.
Also recently added is a download scanner, which should have been de rigeur at least five years ago, and URL reputation ratings (though we're pretty sure these were partly active, at least, when we last tested the software). If you download a program that McAfee deems is dangerous, it flashes a useful warning in the lower-right corner of your screen. It handily quarantined our test virus. McAfee will also show you the security ratings on the first ten Google results, though after that page, you're on your own. A site-safety menu bar rounds out the warning mechanisms. It claims to warn you against suspicious sites. Also, as we discovered it looks for unusual activity. For instance, it noted that Carbonite, our online backup service, was attempting to connect to the Internet. We were given the option to allow it once, allow it always, or deny it.
How does all this affect McAfee's actual effectiveness in combatting spyware and malware? scoring a whole range of awards for a historical rounded average of 2 out of 3 stars. This isn't a terrible score, but McAfee chose not to be included in two tests, including the all-important Whole-Product Dynamic Test which looks at how the different components work together against viruses. Again, 2 out of 3 is still pretty good, and McAfee largely gets downgraded due to false positives, i.e. identifying non-viruses as viruses. It's perhaps a bit too sensitive. In fact, last year a well-known false positive case brought a number of computers down when McAfee's business product incorrectly identified a Windows component as a virus. On the performance side of things, however, it scored the maximum 3 stars, meaning its system drain is minimal and isn't likely to appreciably slow down your machine.
Other Features:
There are parental controls included, but as with most other Internet security software products, they're not really worth talking about. They are incredibly easy to get around, though they do a reasonably good job of basic filtering. Still, if you're after good parental controls.
More useful is QuickClean, which removes unwanted file fragments, shortcuts, and temporary files. A shredder securely deletes sensitive files. There's also a nice network map which shows if other computers are on your network so you can spot intruders. If your other computers have McAfee installed on them, you can remotely fix security issues. Rounding out the suite is a junk mail and phishing filter for your favorite email client.
Conclusion:
What's the verdict? McAfee Total Protection 2010 gives us hope. It feels nimble and we appreciate its simplicity, though it's not quite in league with some of its competitors on the antivirus front, and we wish it had participated in more testing so we could give it a more thorough assessment. Still, McAfee has its fans, and we think they'll probably like what they see here.
Click to set custom HTML
