I am using McAfee VirusScan Home Edition version 7 with all the updates
(retail box). I also have version 8 (also retail box) and ran it for a
short time before uninstalling it and reinstalling version 7. Version 9 is
the current one on the market and IIRC, version 6 is the oldest one still
supported.
Version 7 is very likely the last version of McAfee AV I will use (until
it's beyond no longer supported) unless Network Associates changes the
configuration of their software. Starting with version 8, it is absolutely
impossible to turn off McAfee from "phoning home" to check for updates and
. . . get this . . . issue extremely annoying "Virus Alerts" to the
user. This becomes beyond annoyance when using a dial-up account and
suffering a continuous stream of balloon pop-ups from the MODEM dialer
wanting to dial out. I had a running series of exchanges about version 8
with McAfee's tech support that escalated several layers up their support
chain until I was finally told that NO, "phoning home" could not be turned
off (in spite of the configuration panel supposedly supporting that), that
McAfee had no intention of ever allowing it to be turned off. Furthermore,
McAfee seemed quite baffled that someone might want to be in control of
things like that (it's an essential feature, not a flaw). The
"work-around" to prevent the continuous stream of dialer pop-ups was
extremely cumbersome; completely unworkable with some operating system and
software configurations (including mine).
Also starting with version 8, it's extremely difficult (impossible ?? I
never figured it out) to custom configure the virus scanning in detail. In
short, version 8 and newer wants to "hold the end user's hand" which might
be OK for the Compleat Idiot who still thinks a CD/DVD tray is a coffee mug
holder, but it's not for me . . . not the least of which is MY being in
control of what "phones home" to look for updates and WHEN it does so (i.e.
exactly when I decide I want it to).
Other than all that . . . Versions 6 and 7 (with updates) are quite
excellent and work extremely well.
One note about version 7 that won't affect many folks . . . which now has a
workaround . . . it's incompatible with Apache Server version 2.x unless
it's the latest version of Apache Server, and the Apache Server
configuration file has a specific switch set in it to enable the
workaround. The creators of Apache Server created the workaround after
tracing the problem with their Server 2.x down to an improper McAfee AV 7
socket layer interface and realizing McAfee had no intention of fixing it
(this went on for many months). Apparently version 7's interface with the
socket layer is "unclean" (they cut corners when writing it) and Apache 2.x
versions prior to the workaround implementation will not work at all with
McAfee version 7. That's why I bought and used version 8 for a short time
. . . I run an Apache Server configured for "localhost" on one of my
machines for web site development. I couldn't find a NOS version 6.
As you might guess . . . I'm a bit miffed with Network Associates and the
direction they've taken McAfee AV . . . it USED to be a great product. Not
any more.
-- John Lind
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