When three of your computers start acting up, you look for the common culprit. By acting up, I mean slow to a crawl or shut you out of key applications.
I know my way around a PC, but am no match for diagnosing the myriad problems that afflicts PCs. However, I suspect the culprit in this case was McAfee and possibly a new version.
Here’s what’s been happening:
My notebook stopped running videos a week ago and kept asking me to install Flash or in the case of games and animations, Shockwave. Well, both were already installed. So I un-installed them and reinstalled them. No luck, but today, miraculously, the problems have disappeared and all of a sudden, McAfee is asking me to allow or not allow files all the time.
So maybe it was McAfee barring certain files and and not the fault of Flash or Shockwave after all. We’ll see how long my notebook (Win7) stays healthy. The last McAfee AntiVirus Plus update was on Oct. 26 which I assume to be a new version.
(added 11/10…10:45 pm ET) I should also add that Chrome should come in for some serious criticism. It just crashed for about the 20th time in the past month, telling me “The following plug-in is not responding: unknown.” Well, that’s helpful. My only choice is to shut down Chrome, my favorite browser save this very irritating problem, and pick up on Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Concurrently, Chrome on my wife’s notebook stopped allowing Internet access (don’t you love how PCs just start doing stuff you did not initiate?). It must be McAfee, I thought. Indeed, it was. I shut off the firewall and Internet access was restored.
Of course, that’s not safe, so I turned the firewall back on, but switched to a “full access” for all my programs. That worked. Then I restored the default settings (“outgoing access” only) to where I was when the notebook barred Internet access from Chrome (my favorite browser, but you have to endure its flakiness). It still works…..for now and reminded me how PC users are consigned to time-wasting tinkering.
Finally, my desktop slowed to a crawled yesterday after being left on for a few days. It must have accumulated the crap PCs do and gotten clogged up. And yes, there is a McAfee angle. An alert kept asking me to restart my computer so a McAfee update (new version? Cripe, I don’t know) could take effect.
Technically, my desktop never broke like the two desktops and ran much better this morning upon restarting. Strangely, my control panel tells me I last used used my McAfee Internet Security on 1/24/2008 when I opened it and changed settings this morning. Where’s this new version that was following me around yesterday?
I have two feelings about this experience with McAfee and anti-virus software. I want McAfee to protect me from all the threats out there, but never bother me. On the other hands, these frustrating experiences also made me open McAfee and learn my way around.
Nahhh…I’ll take the former.
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8 comments On McAfee Madness
I was led to your article from pcpitstop. We have 12 computers in our office all running Macafee and we have had some of the same problems.
SAME THING WITH ME ONCE I UNINSTALLED MCAFEE MY P. C. RUNNING GREAT!!!!!
McAfee may not have been the culprit with my notebook. WinPatrol developer Bill Pytlovany showed me how to shut off third party Flash apps and for now that seems to have resolved my problems. For now…
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/
Lucy Justin,
I have been using MACAFEE (FREE FROM at&t) AND I UNINSTALLED IT AND AM NOW RUNNING THE MICROSOFT ANTI-VIRUS APP.THE COMPUTER SEEMS TO BE RUNNING FASTER. I ALSO USE CROME AND FIREFOX, SO I THINK THIS CHANGE WILL WORK FOR ME. IT IS TO BAD THAT MCAFEE DOESN’T CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS FOR USERS LIKE US.
I have used McAfee for a long time now and I’m not sure I like it anymore. Too confusing to navigate to find information. My last scan always shows that I have 5 trojans. It does not tell me where they are located or what (if anything) McAfee did about them and I cannot figure out what they might be.
I quit using MacAfee when it proved to be the slow down on a previous computer. I did, however, find other AV software. If that starts to be a problem, I may go back to check out McAfee again….but will admit that they have irritated me recently by auto installing with a recent update of something else (Flash?). I truly hate having to to scrutinize all the crap that comes up when an auto-updating program wants to update…I suppose I should be glad I get to see what the program is doing. I wonder how many people are actually glad MACAFEE was auto installed? Vs how many people have no idea why their computer is slower today than yesterday…
Kathie,
You hit the nail on the head….McAfee is slow and confusing. Takes my PC forever to boot. Microsoft anti-virus (free!) seems much more straightforward although i’ve only had it a day.
Get rid of McAfee, it is bloatware.I suggest you install AVG Internet Security. Have run it for years on numerous computers and have never had a virus or malware. It does not slow the system like McAfee or many other spyware programs, and is very user friendly. The integrated firewall is simple to set up and use. I have tried many various security programs over the years, and nothing comes close to AVG for ease and minimal impact on the system. I also run PC Matic scans regularly, and as a double check I occasionally run freeware programs, Spybot and Malware Bites. I also run Winpatrol concurrently with AVG, with no noticeable impact or conflicts. I connect to the internet through a router that also has its own firewall. As I said, I have never had a virus that I know of, and my computers run fast without problems.
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