# Does McAfee Hate Spybot?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcafee-hate-spybot/450084
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 21, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcafee-hate-spybot/450084 "2008-05-21T11:17:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcafee-hate-spybot/450084/1 "2008-05-21T11:17:11Z")
Why does a McAfee download require one to remove Spybot? Are they direct competitors, or something? What if I had Norton anti-virus installed, too (for double-protection)? Would they each claim I had to remove the other’s software?
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### Author:  [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcafee-hate-spybot/450084/2 "2008-05-21T13:06:20Z")
Which McAfee product? While it’s fine to run anti-virus specific software and also anti-spyware scans, two antivirus products on the system can be a recipe for disaster.
(Editorializing: …or just one McAfee or Norton product can be a disaster, too.)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcafee-hate-spybot/450084/3 "2008-05-21T15:02:46Z")
I found this thread on the subject at Safer Networking (home of Spybot)
> **[McAfee VS 11.2 forced Spybot uninstall](https://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=24156)**
>
> I was creating a new user on a machine today and encountered an unusual problem The McAfee software on the machine was expired, so I uninstalled it and then used the MCPR2.exe utility to completely remove it. I then downloaded and installed the...
It looks as though it’s an anti-competitive thing, thinly veiled as a compatibility worry.