McAffee THE WORST! HELL....

[dannjr]

This past week I was put into McAffee HELL! As Far as I'm concerned its worse then its buddy Norton.

A little history.. If you run a network and use a Data base from a server both Norton and McAffee have to be removed !
Norton will play with file updates back and forth to the server so your forced to lower the scanning levels..
Norton and McAffee will both slow down your system and show files like hiJackThis which is used to find Worms and malware as being a virus.
They both believe as Virus security software there great.. In Fact there just boxed well and Advertised really well for the consumer.
I would advirt a product well too if it wasnt selling enough and give it away for free to ISP's to offer if I knew I couldnt move the product and CAR Dealers do this all the time when a Car isnt selling as well..

Here's the problem. We walked into a NEW Customer.. and he stated he couldnt connect to his server.. His Software is supported by another company and they couldnt figure it out. THE NEW computer had some games and other software we needed to remove and get his $20,000 software connected to that..
First thing I noticed we couldn't ping the machine..
So I disabled the Windows Firewall in the Windows XP pro effected machine. Enabled ICMP to accept the Ping and made sure other software was alloud in the system even allowed the server software..

Still couldn't connect...

Still couldnt ping the machine on the network...
AT this point I'm thinking maybe the Builder did something with there drivers.. So I updated the Network Card made sure all security was off
Installed the Cablenut program to get the Windows Registry back to Factory..
Than rebooted..
It Still wouldnt accept sockets or incoming ping/ICMP

So I run the Winsock repair.. Still won't work.. All that and Switching between setting a Static IP and Trying DHCP and at this point I can finally connect to the internal Domain controller in the office.. But its slow and wouldn't allow the Server software to run..
At this point I go and Talk to the Owner and do a little picking of his BRAIN Cells and come to find out that this machine came with McAffee Security not just part of it the whole Suite of McAffee.. He ran the McAffee uninstaller. He also selected to remove everything.. 
I go back to the machine and look again at the process's running and nuttin is really standing out as the McAffee malware. So I checked the Registry as well for anything McAffee couldnt find a thing..
So for SSSSS and Giggles download the McAffee Software Removal tool.. Turns out there was several McAffee items left behind..
DLL files, Registry entries just to name a few things..
Bottom line it was able to remove all the left behind CRAP rebooted..
The Domain connected right away
The script we use (cmd line) set the network drives and we got a 2ms ping back to the machine and server.
We installed all of his software and got outta there..

BOTTOM Line the Software Developers at McAffee need to rethink the software. and how it installs and uninstalls..
When Dr. McAffee was still the CEO and in charge this type of stuff didnt happen.. Ever since the company NAI took it over and now back to being just McAffee its toiletware..

If you use McAffee and you happy with it.. thats fine.. Just occassionally make sure to use a online virus scan from time to time to make sure its clean.. You might get surprised if McAffee gets disabled and looks like its still working when the online scan finds something..
As for me I will always ask now what a person has done with software on a brand new machine prior to working on it..

OH and to answer this Question.. YES its a BRAND NEW Machine From a Very popular company that has Gold support and Can still build with Windows XP pro SP3 and the Reason for this.. Some business software is still not supported on Vista or Windows 7..
However I see that there will be a update soon to support Win7 for the software this business uses.

BY the Way watch out HP is next.. Not all there printers have support for Win7 or Vista.. and thats ashame due to the Fact some of the Lasers with Scanners are only a couple years old... 1200 series laser with copy copy scan addon has no drivers for Win7 or Vista

I hope this helps someone I sure coulda used more insite at the time..
 

[dannjr]

Just this alone being that McAffee is no longer owned and operated in the USA where its start and is coded by these idiots now that can't build a software that has problems installing unless you take all the defaults and wont uninstall puts it on the list of MALWARE and the Definition of the Executable that bleeds and won't work the way its advirtised makes it a Virus

You want to waist time calling them heres there contact info to the main company..

Contact Us
United Kingdom

Offices
    227 Bath Road
    Slough Berkshire SL1 5PP
    UK
    Phone: +44 (0) 1753 505885
    Website: www.mcafee.com

Sales Enquiries
    Phone: 00800 12255624

Theirs also a Rumor running that McAffee is Nervous of Microsofts latest Antivirus and malware tools

[dannjr]

You can download the McAffee software removal tool here. Make sure to run this AFTER you run the uninstall.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Uninstallers/McAfee-Consumer-Product-Removal-Tool.shtml

NOTE:I had ran malwarbytes and Spybot Search and destroy before running this removal tool. It all came up clean.. That should have been first clue

This morning after thinking about it and Writing this post.. I decided to run both programs again just the minor scan malwarebytes and the full scan in Spybot Search and Destroy from Safer-networking and malwarebytes found the normal one object that the firewall was disabled and spybot hasnt finished yet but its found at least three items and growing.. This computer hasnt been used by any employee's yet and is set OR blocked from 99% of outside websites other then the company websites its allowed to goto..
OOOPS Spybot Search and Destroy just found a Malware-packer.. Like a possible infected keygen or redirect..
AGAIN this machine showed its self as clean prior to mcaffee removal... Avira pro showed it up as well..

Thank you McAffee

[chpalmer]

Rock N Roll!   

I work with a provider that wont even talk to you if you have McHackvee installed. They want you to remove it and install another. No recomendations by them either. Just get rid of Mc Afee.

Some of the other products I noticed dont work quite as well in a networking environment as their "workstation" brothers. It seems they want to push the commercial side of their house on anyone who wants to network...  There are ways around it but something for everyone to keep in mind. Especially since many homes have a networked environment...

Thanks for this info!