# Is McAfee really that bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 3, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294 "2021-05-03T15:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/21 "2021-05-04T12:59:27Z")
Norton yes, in the 90s, McAfee never, they were always crap. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/22 "2021-05-04T13:27:41Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’d go back to Windows Defender if I could but it isn’t there on my PC anymore. I suspect McAfee disabled it, or that it had to be uninstalled or something in order for McAfee to run. Windows Defender is enabled by default on a clean installation, but is disabled by the OS if you install a third party anti-virus, and that’s a good thing, because two anti-virus programs running at the same time can block each other and bring a system to a halt, resulting in a less secure system. If you uninstall the third party anti-virus, Windows will detect it and enable Defender again. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/23 "2021-05-04T14:08:58Z")
Thanks for all the feedback thus far. I’m puzzled by the big disparity between the software publications and the users. The users almost all complain that McAfee is crap. The publications (BestAntiVirusPro, US News, SafetyDetectives, CNet, PCMag, etc.) all rank McAfee very highly. Are they all being paid off by McAfee? Doubtful, but what do they see in it? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/24 "2021-05-06T06:08:20Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Unless you’re running warez or something, I don’t know why you need anything more than Windows Defender. It’s all I use and it’s all I suggest to anyone who asks (half of them come to me with any computer issues). > > So, your question is an odd one – it doesn’t matter if it’s bad or good – it costs money and uses more cycles than Windows Defender, so why even think about it? Just uninstall it and use Defender. > > If I ever think I might have done something wrong, I download MalwareBytes Free and run a scan, then uninstall it. Thanks. I uninstalled McAfee and got my Windows Defender up and running again, along with MalwareBytes Premium. What does MalwareBytes do, or scan for, that Defender doesn’t? Are they scanning different or same things? (My PC is able to run a full MalwareBytes scan but it can’t handle a Defender full scan for longer than thirty seconds without beginning to overheat and needing a shutdown.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/25 "2021-05-06T06:42:43Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > What does MalwareBytes do, or scan for, that Defender doesn’t? Are they scanning different or same things? (My PC is able to run a full MalwareBytes scan but it can’t handle a Defender full scan for longer than thirty seconds without beginning to overheat and needing a shutdown.) It sounds like you need to do something about the airflow in your computer if it’s overheating that easily. I guess it could be just dust an gunk covering things up, but I’d start to suspect there may be fans that aren’t working. Even a full CPU and disk load shouldn’t cause your computer to overheat.\* That said, do make sure that any active or live scanning in Malwarebytes is disabled. You don’t want it to be automatically scanning every file that Defender is also scanning. Also, assuming you have the key to Malwarebytes, you could try uninstalling it and then seeing if the Defender scan works better. If so, then try reinstalling Malwarebytes Premium. \*I’m assuming your temps are actually high (e.g. above 90 C) , and you don’t just mean the computer slows down. Slowdowns could be any number of things. But, still, checking to make sure fans are working and have a clear path of air is a good idea, regardless. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/26 "2021-05-06T11:36:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > What does MalwareBytes do, or scan for, that Defender doesn’t? Are they scanning different or same things? (My PC is able to run a full MalwareBytes scan but it can’t handle a Defender full scan for longer than thirty seconds without beginning to overheat and needing a shutdown.) I don’t actually know. I just know that when I’ve found malware on someone’s computer and look for how to disable it, the recommendation is always to use MalwareBytes. I don’t think you need the premium version, by the way – just use Windows Defender and if you think something is wrong, scan with the free version of MalwareBytes. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/27 "2021-05-06T16:01:13Z")
It’s been three days since I ran Revo uninstaller and I have not once gotten a McAfee nag. Hurrah! ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294/28 "2021-05-07T23:34:17Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks for all the feedback thus far. I’m puzzled by the big disparity between the software publications and the users. > > The users almost all complain that McAfee is crap. > > The publications (BestAntiVirusPro, US News, SafetyDetectives, CNet, PCMag, etc.) all rank McAfee very highly. Are they all being paid off by McAfee? Doubtful, but what do they see in it? If the ONLY thing that you’re interested in is malware protection, then McAfee works fine. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to protect a computer. The products that are genuinely good (A) make an effort to be as unobtrusive as possible, and (B) make themselves easy to uninstall if you change your mind. By that standard, both McAfee and Norton fail miserably. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mcafee-really-that-bad/941294.md?page=1)