Every computer that's used for e-mail and Internet browsing needs an antivirus program. There are dozens to choose from, and McAfee VirusScan 6.0 is a solid and feature-rich option. Unfortunately, a frustrating interface and minor technical glitches keep VirusScan 6.0 from reaching the lofty, user-friendly peak inhabited by the superior Norton Antivirus.
VirusScan 6.0 had a few minor issues from the onset. For one of our test installations, we upgraded a Windows 2000-based PC from VirusScan 5.x and it didn't go smoothly. The installer attempted to uninstall the earlier version, generated an error, and afterward it was impossible to automatically uninstall version 5.x through the Windows Control Panel Add/Remove applet.
Meanwhile, on a Windows XP machine, we performed a clean VirusScan 6.0 installation to a location on our E drive. Unfortunately, each time we started Outlook 2000, it generated errors indicating that it couldn't find the McAfee e-mail scanning add-on, although it had been configured to look in the default location on the C drive.
Lastly, HAWK, a module that looks for suspicious activity to detect viruses that McAfee isn't yet aware of, caused Outlook XP to error and shut down when we tried to open several safe, non-infected e-mails.
Judging from past experience, McAfee will probably iron out most of the technical issues and incompatibilities with a series of timely updates.
Like several of the latest McAfee products, VirusScan 6.0 presents users with an HTML-style interface, complete with Forward, Back, and Home buttons. McAfee was aiming for intuitiveness, and truly amateur users might find it. But most Windows users are probably more familiar with conventional pull-down menus and shortcut bars. The page- and shortcut-based interface makes it frustrating to locate options quickly.
But beneath the minor glitches and the ugly interface lies a powerful, comprehensive antivirus program. McAfee VirusScan 6.0 had no trouble detecting and neutralizing dozens of common viruses we threw at it. It offers to take a number of actions upon discovering one: an infected file can be repaired (if possible, depending on the nature of the virus), deleted, ignored, or quarantined, which means it's placed in a special folder that effectively isolates it from the rest of the hard drive.
McAfee's generous feature set and pocketbook-friendly price are both commendable. Its technical issues and goofy interface, however, are not. VirusScan 6.0 is a solid product that probably needed a little more testing before its release, and while it accomplishes what it sets out to do, several competing products serve the same purpose with fewer headaches. --Joel Durham, Jr.
