Twc antivirus for mac registration#

However, these are limited to the browsers that support the toolbar, which are Firefox and Internet Explorer. One is a custom URL shortener, routed through McAfee servers, and the second is a new site-sharing service with hooks into your Twitter, Facebook, and local clipboard. Two other small but important new features address the social nature of modern browsing, but are only available from McAfee's browser toolbar. Parents get protection against blacklisted Web traffic in programs other than the browser, such as instant-messaging applications browsing logs and the ability to monitor changes to the clock to prevent clever kids from circumventing the suite's program timer. The parental control package has been updated, too. These include Net Guard, for blocking botnets and protecting your personal data from being sent out without your permission a 'hacked page' protection for blocking iFrames on malicious sites 'deep page' protection for preventing hacked pages within otherwise safe sites from resolving and USB drive scanning. McAfee provides a solid list of standard security features, from antivirus and anti-malware protection, a two-way firewall, and antispam measures to real-time safeguards, parental controls, and search result rankings.Īs befits a high-end suite, Total Protection 2012 also comes with some helpful extras, such as a secure file shredder, encrypted local storage, online backup, some basic Wi-Fi protection on home-based wireless networks, and tools for tweaking system performance.

This was the strongest part of the McAfee 2012 efforts, making the suite visually distinct without sacrificing usability. Click on one for more configuration settings. Mouse over the big subcategories at the bottom and a general status message appears next to the name. Click on any of the four categories just below the status bar and the pane just to the right reveals links that let you drill deeper into your security status. The 'Your computer is secure' message is bolstered by 'No action required,' a helpful tip. For example, firewall settings control how you access the Web, so they're listed under Web and E-mail Protection.Īlso, McAfee stands out for not only color-coding what your status is, but also adding in what that means. Features have been clearly delineated, and potentially confusing names have been jettisoned. To its shame, McAfee's uninstallation process left a few Registry keys behind, too.įirst introduced in 2010, the unusual vertically oriented design is surprisingly easy to use. We also had problems when running other essential programs, such as a Web browser, while installing. While there are legitimate security and performance problems that can be created by running two competing suites simultaneously, this is the kind of trouble that is not acceptable from with a expensive security suite. If it can't find them, you'll have to reboot and reinstall McAfee. If that happens to you, it will attempt to find the offending remnants.

Twc antivirus for mac registration#

The registration process was simple enough, but it also aggressively detects competing suites to the point where the slightest bit of Registry detritus will cause the installation to freak out.

Installing McAfee was where our problems with the suite began. Meanwhile, the suite's performance on tests both from CNET Labs and independent sources calls into question how effective it really is. McAfee Total Protection 2012 adds some new features, but these are frankly more about keeping up with the Joneses-or at least, keeping up with the Nortons and Kasperskys-than actually pushing any kind of innovation. Since then, the annual updates have been incremental at best, improving the feature set yet not making substantial changes overall. McAfee released a major overhaul to its security suite back in 2010, coming up with a new vertically oriented interface that made navigating much easier. The bottom line: McAfee takes aim at blocking bots in its latest version, although weak test scores mean that we don't recommend this year's McAfee suite.