McAfee Internet Security 2009

We always like to see when a mature company like McAfee has improved their latest Internet Security suite for the better. McAfee's 2009 Internet Security offering is a step in the right direction compared to their 2008 model. They've included all the basics like Anti-virus, Anti-spyware, Anti-spam, Anti-phishing, Two-way Firewall, as well as a few extras like Parental Control and Data Backup.

McAfee Internet Security 2009 comes in really close behind Norton this year with an equally solid, all around Internet protection package. While McAfee doesn't do everything right, they're still in the game with a worthy contender.

Editor's Overview

• Surf safety ratings
• Instant updates
• Solid antivirus
• Blocks hackers
• Good antispyware
• PC cleanup
• Network monitoring
• Decent identity protection
• Average antispam
• Average parental controls
• Data backup

What does McAfee Internet Security 2009 do Right?

McAfee uses a clean, easy to use interface that integrates all of its tools in one location. Just like a webpage, McAfee lists all of its tools on the left-hand navigations, and system status on the right. You can also toggle between basic settings and advanced settings: both are easy to understand and use.

McAfee Internet Security 2009 also proves to be just as fast as Norton when it comes to scanning for viruses, spyware, or malware of any kind. Independent tests show that McAfee rarely falls behind Norton, but still falls well behind our top picks of BitDefender and Kaspersky.

McAfee's data backup is also a nice inclusion that should be standard in any Internet protection suite.

Their antispam integration is equal to most other Internet or antivirus protection suites. McAfee supports Outlook, Thunderbird, Eudora, as well as POP3 and MAPI. Probably the best inclusion this year are the instant updates. McAfee attempts to update your software "nearly instantaneously" when threats are identified. This is a big step forward from the 5 min or 1 hour update method of previous versions. Not perfect, but we give them a big "A" for effort.

Features

• Anti-virus
• Anti-spyware
• Anti-spam
• Anti-phishing
• Two-way Firewall
• Web Site Safety Ratings
• Identity Protection
• Parental Controls
• Data Backup

Is There a Downside to McAfee Internet Security 2009?

Their tech support is still a bit lacking, but at least getting better. The support forums are still hidden in this 2009 version for some reason. It would be wise for McAfee to make a link to their forums more easily accessible. That would save everyone time and money. And there's no tutorial or online manual like you get with Kaspersky.

If you ever need to uninstall McAfee, there's no easy uninstall feature. You'll need to go into your Windows Add/Remove Programs feature. Not a big deal, but it's still a hoop to jump through if you need to uninstall for some reason.

Conclusion

McAfee Internet Security 2009 is a solid product as far as McAfee is concerned. Yes, there are better products out there this year, but if you're a die-hard McAfee user, you really can't go wrong with this total PC protection package. It's got all the basics like antivirus, antispyware, firewall, etc. and then some like data backups and instant updates. Not bad considering their lackluster efforts of previous years.

System Requirements

• Microsoft Windows 2000 (32-bit) with Service Pack 4 (SP4) or higher
• Windows XP (32-bit) with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
• Windows Vista (32- or 64-bit) and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
• 800 X 600 or higher resolution
• 128 MB RAM
• 75 MB of available free drive space
• Internet connection
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
• Optional: Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or later

Supported Email Programs

• POP3 – Outlook Express, Outlook, Eudora, Netscape, IncrediMail and Thunderbird; Japanese only: Shuriken, Becky and PostPet
• MAPI – Outlook
• Web – MSN/Hotmail, or email account with POP3 access

Required For Anti-Spam Toolbar Plug-In

• Outlook Express 6.0 or later
• Outlook 2000 or later
• Eudora 6.0 or later
• Thunderbird 1.0 or later
• Anti-Spam also supports any other POP3 email client (without SSL) and Web accounts (MSN/Hotmail paid accounts and accounts with POP3 access)

$49.99