Now on version 8, McAfee's Virusscan is a popular choice when it comes to keeping your PC fit and healthy. This latest version works well but its interface is a bit untidy, and we were irritated by clumsy attempts to sell us additional McAfee products.
New features this time around include the ability to scan data sent via instant messaging programs. The package can also scan incoming and outgoing email messages for virus infection but, like its rival, Symantec's Norton Anti-virus, this only works with a limited number of clients. Virusscan can't check emails sent through popular services such as Hotmail or AOL, which is definitely something that needs to be worked on.
This said, we did like Virusscan's ability to monitor the volume of email you're sending out. Some recent viruses can cause problems by creating and sending out thousands of email messages without your permission. Virusscan can tell if you're sending out abnormally large numbers of emails, and will ask you to check for any intruders.
The program's interface could be improved, however. It's easy to perform a basic scan on files and folders, but anything more complicated requires a visit to the 'Security Centre'. This presents further options but at the same time keeps telling you about all the other McAfee products you haven't installed and how good they are.
To be fair, Virusscan does what it's supposed to do, and does it at a very reasonable price. We could have done without the crass marketing techniques though.
Contact: McAfee 020 7949 0107
http://uk.mcafee.com
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