McAfee Anti Spyware 2005

 McAfee Anti Spyware

This one offers a nice clean interface and easy access to features. Size wise and speed wise, it is one of the better ones on the market.

Thursday, October 23, 2004

McAfee AntiSpyware  

www.mcafee.com 

Downloaded version $ 29.99

Physical Shipment, boxed $ 39.99 (check for rebates and pricing. This price maybe contingent upon specials and rebates) 

Review by Kurt von Behrmann 

Requirements  

CD-ROM drive for installation

Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP

PC with a Pentium 100MHz or higher processor

32MB RAM

5MB Hard disk space

Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher

Internet access for product updating 

When it comes to spyware, that is the most irritating of all software invasions. Seemingly innocuous programs can just crawl into your PC and cause damage. Even experienced users can be a victom.  Stealth like in their precision, the only way to keep these invaders away is via a program that can effectively eliminate them, or better still prevent them from finding their way to you. 

McAfee has come up with a solution that makes sense. As a program able to be simply downloaded and updated, this small footprint software makes sense as a subscription.  

When it comes to removing spyware, McAfee’s solution is able. In my informal tests in compared favorably to Webroot’s Spysweeper. While Webroot, in my opinion remains the champ in this department, McAfee does not do a bad job getting the junk off of your system. 

Unlike some parts of the McAfee software solution, this one features easily accessible features from the application. As an easy way to break down stats, this program features one of the best interfaces I have ever encountered with spyware software.

For existing users, McAfee completes their offering with an able trouble free application that is much more effective than a great deal of the other programs on the market.

Special Features of the program: 

Exclusive! Advanced “Auto-Protect” Technology alerts users when potentially hostile applications attempt to install and run, providing options to block the threat at the gateway.  

Multiple Scanning Options (On-Demand and On-Execution) allow users to perform thorough or custom scans depending on their need. The default setting performs a full system scan. 

One Year of Automatic Updates prompts users to download and install the most up-to-date protection against spying and tracking programs.  

Extensive Detection Database provides a thorough database of adware, spyware and keylogging programs. This database is continuously updated to keep up with the plethora of programs created daily by hackers. 

Uninstall Flexibility allows you the choice to uninstall tracking programs using that program’s uninstaller (if available), or McAfee AntiSpyware’s removal technique, which removes all traces of the program. 

“One-Stop-Shop” Identification and Removal of all components and files associated with spyware; allowing users to remove any and all associated files in one click.

Summation 

As part of the McAfee product line, existing users will want to consider this program seriously. It is small, fast unobtrusive and not bloated.  Thankfully McAfee has not loaded the program with a slew of functions it neither needs nor wants. By keeping the file size small and the program free of bloat ware, there is more to like here than in some of the other products on the market.