Windows 10: Preinstalled McAfee LiveSafe on laptop - Should I Uninstall?

I bought a new laptop, it came with McAfee LiveSafe.
I heard only bad things about McAfee and apparently it just slows everything down.
Should I uninstall it and replace it with any free AV?

If yes, what Free AV is best (lightweight on system resources yet reliable) for Win10?

:)

 

Problems using net user's time command to control access times for multiple days

1. What's the full name of the McAfee application (e.g., McAfee LiveSafe) and when does your current subscription expire?

2. In File Explorer [WinKey+E], navigate to & right-click on:

. • C:\Program Files (x86)\\McAfee <=this folder

Select PROPERTIES: What's the CREATED date displayed on the resulting GENERAL tab?

3. Was the McAfee application preinstalled on the computer when you bought it or did YOU install it?

Most Dell computers come with McAfee LiveSafe preinstalled which includes a one-year (not free forever) prepaid subscription. Fact: McAfee (and Norton) applications are notorious for not uninstalling (or upgrading) cleanly. The "leftovers" may be your troublemaker
here.

 

Malicious Removal Tool

The computer came with a McAfee free-trial preinstalled. You then "upgraded" to the paid version. The "leftovers" are from the free-trial - and possibly McAfee LiveSafe 2016.

Why did you mark my previous reply as ANSWER (I've since unmarked it) and that it "solved [your] problem?"

 

Hi there

for PRIVATE users McAfee is known as Mc AWFUL --horrendous resource hog and not very good anyway. Uninstall - and I know I have a difference with about 90% of people on this forum in regard to A/V software but IMO Windows defender plus safe surfing is good enough --however if you MUST install A/V software there's loads of better alternatives than "Mc AWFUL" which really is simply HIDEOUS in any way shape or form you care to name.

The best protection IMO is still HUMAN BRAIN !!!.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I have McAfee installed on my corporate laptop )no choice)... it's constantly trying to download or upload stuff. (I'm on my home network ATM but it's still looking for ePO... go figure)






I won't get drawn into what's the best, just giving some info to help you make a decision.

 

I agree with you, even John McAfee the founder of McAfee don't even know how to uninstall McAfee completely. What a epic failure founder.

 

A link to help you uninstall McFubar

Knowledge Base

Download the MCPR tool from http://us.mcafee.com/apps/supporttools/mcpr/mcpr.asp and save it to a temporary folder on your computer.

 

Yep, @Borg 386's advice to use the MCPR tool is the way to go.

As a McAfee refugee/survivor from many years back, I always remove it from my OEM computers.
I just did so on this new Dell 8900 Win10 box.

A couple of "pearls" from the "been there, done that" camp:

1) It's not a bad idea to "activate" and "register" the OEM McAfee on the system BEFORE you uninstall it, as explained in the TS article for which @Borg 386 provided the link. That way, in the unlikely event that you do ever reinstall McAfee on that system, you will still have your download and activation rights.

2) If you plan to replace McAfee with a more robust 3rd-party AV/security suite, it's not a bad idea to get all of your 3rd-party productivity and other programs/apps installed first. My experience is that McAfee is far less "finicky" about software installs than -- for example -- the Kaspersky with which I replace it. So, as with this new system, I got most/all of my programs installed first, and THEN I replaced McAfee with Kaspersky.

3) It's a good idea to exactly follow the steps detailed in the TS article provided in @Borg 386's post, in order to get a proper, clean uninstall of McAfee. Occasionally, one needs to run the MCPR tool more than once (rebooting in between), and (rarely) it must be run from Windows Safe Mode to clean up remnants.

Cheers,
MM

 

When I uninstalled McAfee I found it hard to get rid off how I did it was.
Go to file explorer, then programs including X86
Then click on each folder that is named McAfee
I then used Revo Uninstaller
Clicked on the folder and that removed all traces of it
You will probably have to do it in both lots of Programs
Once done
Do a restart and you should find Windows Defender kick in
That is now what I use on all my systems and it does a far better job than McAfee and very light on resources

 

Thanks guys for your replies.
I will be removing it today.

Once I remove it, will Windows Defender start automatically? (got the answer)

Is there any free option of reliable and lightweight antivirus that you guys would suggest?

 

Yes it should start as soon as you restart your system you may have to update and then scan with defender

 

Windows Defender + Malwarebytes Anti Malware free is the best free option that many people use. Antivirus now these days render almost to the point that cannot protect you 100% all the time, but rather causing more harms.

Common sense = 90%

Keeps everything on your system up to date = 10%

If you use your common sense + Windows Defender that should be enough.

Here is the list of bad things about Antivirus:

1) System performance decrease

2) Antivirus vulnerability leave system unprotected, and it took vendor very long time to patch it.

3) Bugs

4) Software incompatibility.

5) Can't protect you all the times.

6) Annoying pop ups and ads.

 

I was blissfully unaware of all of the hate for McAfee when I purchased my new laptop last year so I activated and have been using it ever since. My first year was free and I renewed for 20 bucks. It does not bog down my system (except on occasion when it's updating) or cause any other issues. I've also never had a virus or problem and it actually blocked a couple of threats.

Now that I am aware of the McAfee hate, I can say I really don't understand it. It seems fine to me although this is my first PC for personal use so I have nothing to compare it to.

 

Security programs insinuate themselves deeply into the system, OS, registry, etc. That, to some extent, is necessary in order for the program to provide deep protection. Some of them -- McAfee especially -- can be hard to fully remove

That's why it's generally "best practice" to use the software vendor's own removal tool, when needed*.
While 3rd-party uninstallers can be used for difficult cases, it's probably a good idea in most circumstances to follow the software vendor's own, specific removal procedures, using their own special tool.
(*FWIW, I have not needed to use Kaspersky's special tool for several years, on several Win7 and Win10 systems. IOW, a proper, routine "uninstall" from the Windows Control Panel has worked just fine.)

Others may have additional advice.
MM

 

Choice of security applications lies with the user for his/her system hardware/software, computing habits, budget, etc.
There is no one "best" choice to suit all users and computers. It boils down to personal preference.

I prefer a more robust security suite with more user configuration control and more frequent database updates. (It used to be the case and might still be the case that McAfee updates only once per day, causing it to lag on protection against zero-hour and zero-day threats). But my main reason for moving to Kaspersky was a"routine" McAfee program update years ago that bricked my brand-new computer (and the computers of many other users). Once I recovered from that, I never went back.

The nominal cost of a robust AV does not drive my decision-making. A few cents per day per computer is a worthwhile investment factored in to the cost of owning and operating a PC. It is much cheaper than the time, aggravation and money spent to recover from a security breach, malware incident, identity theft or other catastrophe. Every AV has its fans and detractors. There are many fine choices. Most/all of the "free" AVs (except WD) come with ads, toolbars, reduced features, reduced support or other potential disadvantages.

Nor does the "resource consumption" issue resonate for me. I do not game. But my systems (and nearly all modern PCs) are robust enough to run a modern version of a robust AV. I have never had a "slowdown" issue running McAfee or Kaspersky (or other AVs) on my recent or current systems. I suppose, however, that "resource usage" might be an issue for some users on older hardware.

Ultimately, each user must choose the security strategy and programs that work best for him/her and the computer on which they will be used. (If you search this forum and many other computer support fora, you will find 100s of passionate debates on the subject.)

As many have pointed out, no one security program or group of programs can protect 100% of computers from 100% of malware 100% of the time. The most critical key is the computer part between the chair and the keyboard.

Cheers,
MM