McAfee promises “instant, silent, and complete” security for your computer. The complete, at least, is debatable. Depending on your point of view, the $79.99 (direct) McAfee Total Protection 2009 is either the most feature-rich or the most feature-bloated of the current suites. The suite isn’t much different from last year’s edition–the company’s continuous-update policy doesn’t seem to foster radical changes. McAfee promises better malware protection with reduced impact on system performance. Its new anti-malware technology does seem to work, but the suite is sluggish and has made little or no progress in the bulk of its many modules.

I remember when systems came installed with McAfee. Personally, I don’t recommend you use McAfee. I’ve been using Kaspersky, which works like a charm but is not perfect. I’ve been hearing good things about Norton 360, you might want to check it out.

McAfee’s latest suite has improved malware detection, and its spam filter is much improved. But most of its overabundance of features haven’t changed at all; its UI is sluggish; and it saps system performance.

The Good- Powerful malware blocking. Effective malware removal. Accurate spam filtering. Network intrusion detection. Remote monitoring and management. Research-based site ratings. Local backup. System cleanup.

The Bad- Unresponsive user interface. Saps system performance. Limited and porous firewall. Ineffective parental/privacy control. Difficult installation on malware-infested systems. Malware removal disabled connectivity.

Specs:

• Price as Tested: $79.99 Direct
• Type: Personal, Professional
• OS Compatibility: Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Tech Support: Automatic diganostic, FAQ,live chat, email are free, 30-days free phone support.

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