# Should I get rid of McAfee anti-virus? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 5, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850 "2012-02-05T11:06:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/1 "2012-02-05T11:06:37Z")
My new computer came with 18 months of McAfee. I have Avast on my old computer, and like it. My main problem with McAfee is that the updates are unbearably slow on my dial-up connection. I’ve also heard claims that it ties up a lot of system resources. Is there any chance it’s causing the weird lag on my computer? I’ll click on the browser shortcut, and it will take several seconds to respond. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/2 "2012-02-05T11:15:20Z")
McAfee is terrible bloatware. Avast or AVG (or trendmicro online scans) are better, and free. If you’re stuck with dialup, though, I think that any antivirus updating will give you trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/3 "2012-02-05T11:27:42Z")
I’d rather go without protection than use McAfee or Norton. Definitely stick with Avast, AVG, or MSE. Like **rachelellogram** said, any AV update is going to be slow on a dial up connection. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/4 "2012-02-05T11:43:34Z")
I’m liking Microsoft Security Essentials for free, also. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/5 "2012-02-05T11:49:06Z")
I stopped using AVG last year when it started behaving more like McAfee. I now run MSE and Avast simultaneously over a low-bandwidth connection and they don’t seem to slow me down too much, as their updated definition downloads are relatively small, and they only update themselves occasionally. They also don’t impact the memory too badly either, unlike some of the paid antivirus options. Good luck removing McAfee though. It’s a bitch to cleanse from your machine (or is that Norton?). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/6 "2012-02-05T11:50:50Z")
McAfee was defeated by viruses with absurd ease, when I had it. ---
**Author:** ![KneeSid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dec6dc/32.png) [@KneeSid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneeSid)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/7 "2012-02-05T15:46:21Z")
With any antivirus, make sure you don’t have link checker enabled, if you’re getting really slowed down. I use AVG and it’s fine so long as I disable link checker. What it’s doing is checking each link on a website and comparing it to a database to make sure it’s OK before it allows the link. If you’re on dial up your still a lot safer because any downloads will be very noticeable. It’s hard to install something, because it’s going to be obvious it’s downloading. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/8 "2012-02-05T19:12:21Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Good luck removing McAfee though. It’s a bitch to cleanse from your machine (or is that Norton?). The McAfee website has an uninstall program. Otherwise, it’s a PITA to get rid of. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/9 "2012-02-05T19:47:08Z")
Have they got your credit card info? If so, make damn sure they know that you have uninstalled their program and have no intention of ever using it again. Otherwise they may continue debiting your annually for your subscription, and you will never know it is happening until you see your card statement. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/10 "2012-02-05T19:48:59Z")
I’d use Avast. I had a trojan destroy a lot of my files while McAfee was running. Haven’t had a single infection with AVG or Avast. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/11 "2012-02-05T21:41:53Z")
I used to use AVG, but a repair tech gave me McAfee, so I tried it for a while. Couldn’t get it to stop doing pop-up announcements. I’m _working_ here, I don’t want a pop-up in my face! Back to AVG. (Which also does pop-ups…but I know how to turn them off!) ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/12 "2012-02-06T02:40:47Z")
Thanks for all the input. I feel much more confidant now about removing McAfee. Avast isn’t too bad on dial-up. I turn off auto-update, and it updates two or three times a day. I guess that helps keep the files small. You know, I never even thought about dial-up “protecting” me from viruses. At last, it’s good for something! Though I imagine there are plenty of tiny viruses out there. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/13 "2012-02-06T02:42:33Z")
McAfee was the worst program I ever tried to use. ---
**Author:** ![Sri\_Theo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sri\_Theo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sri_Theo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/14 "2012-02-06T12:18:46Z")
There’s really no reason for a home user to use anything except Microsoft Security Essentials. They essentially bought the best available anti-virus software and made it free for home users and small businesses. It’s effective, lightweight and has zero annoying pop-ups/demands. And I believe it will come built in to Windows 8. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/15 "2012-02-06T21:12:01Z")
McAfee is worse that AVG? That is depressing. I got rid of Norton (no simple task) because it started using all of my resources. 10 - 20% of the CPU all the time and most of the IO. AVG is better on the CPU but easily uses 3 to 4 times the IO of anything else and it screams for attention whenever I turn on the computer because I had to disable the auto-updates. My ISP (cox cable) offers McAfee for free. Should I not take it? If it’s worse than AVG or Norton then it will take all my compuer resources just to run the anti virus. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/16 "2012-02-07T03:11:18Z")
> [@Sri\_Theo](#): > > There’s really no reason for a home user to use anything except Microsoft Security Essentials. They essentially bought the best available anti-virus software and made it free for home users and small businesses. > > It’s effective, lightweight and has zero annoying pop-ups/demands. And I believe it will come built in to Windows 8. And it repeatedly tests lower than all the rest at actually protecting you from anything. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/17 "2012-02-07T04:21:44Z")
I like Kaspersky, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Sri\_Theo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sri\_Theo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sri_Theo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/18 "2012-02-07T07:19:16Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And it repeatedly tests lower than all the rest at actually protecting you from anything. Oh I’ve always seen it well reviewed, you got any links? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-mcafee-anti-virus/611850/19 "2012-02-07T07:58:06Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > My ISP (cox cable) offers McAfee for free. Should I not take it? If it’s worse than AVG or Norton then it will take all my compuer resources just to run the anti virus. Even though it’s free, why bother? It’s resource hungry and you’ll lose it if you change ISP. Meanwhile there are three low-impact programs (two excellent [Avast, MSE] and one OK [AVG]) mentioned in this thread that you can get for free, right now, and have up and running in 5 minutes.