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KevinKitts
Contributor
Message 1 of 7

Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

Recently, I tried to run an update in the background, and as usual (>=50% of the time), Mcafee locked up on shutdown.  However, on using a hard reset, Mcafee started having problems...so I uninstalled it and re-installed it from the original CD and updated it.  I also did the full load of updates via Microsoft Update so there wouldn't be any problems.

My problem is that the real-time scanner is running on one of my video games (Star Wars Empire At War: Forces of Corruption) when it has no business doing so, and didn't before this total reload of the McAfee software.  Having run McAfee Virtual Technician and come up with no errors, I can only assume that the most recent set of updates is to blame - nothing else has changed on my computer.

What happens is when I double-click on the icon to start the program, I get an hourglass icon for a mouse cursor, and it sits there...forever.  Invoking the Task Manager program, I see immediately that the On-Demand Scanner Service (mcshield.exe) is running at 25% constantly.  It shouldn't be running at all...the program is installed directly on the hard drive.  On disabling real-time scanning through the McAfee program, the problem disappears and my game runs as before the recent updates.  Prior to the recent updates, I didn't have to turn off McAfee in any way to get my games to run.  Hopefully you can fix this.

On the topic of fixes, I would also like to complain about McAfee becoming extremely bloated in the 2010 version as compared to 2009.  It runs too slow, and it takes my CD drive approximately 15 seconds just to do an auto-run anymore.  I don't have the detailed logs of the previous version, and several features disappeared completely.  The software also does too many large communications across the Internet while I am running my other programs (mostly high-performance games), which sometimes causes crashes.  This didn't happen in the 2009 version, which is why I bought it in the first place.  I'm seriously starting to have second and third thoughts about using this software.  I yearn for the days when all I needed was just to update the DAT files and avoid the engine updates - this new interface SUCKS.  Period.  Updates are about adding more features, not taking them away; making the software easier to use, not harder and more obfuscated.

I hope 2011 will bring about a better core UI and all of the features back from 2009, and the slowness removed.

6 Replies
Mayne
Former Member
Message 2 of 7

Re: Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

KevinKitts wrote:


I hope 2011 will bring about a better core UI and all of the features back from 2009, and the slowness removed.

+ better detections or/and new technologies to stop malware please , a lot slips passed 2010!

3r1ig
Former Member
Message 3 of 7

Re: Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

I feel your pain. I just recently bought a new computer from dell and got suckered into getting a 3 year BS Mcafee protection plan. I bought this computer for one thing and one thing only, TO PLAY GAMES!!!

After at least 20 hours of dell software solutions dell.com/dc1 and dc2 tech support (not to mention 500 dollars added to my brand new "broken" computer - dell solutionstation 230.00 dollars, window 7 ultimate upgrade 200 dollars) i finally got an answer... Although I had to get the morans at dell dc1 and dc2 to finally sell me off to iyogi.net.

I have a top of the line processor with 12 gigs of ram and win 7 64bit(now ultimate).

I've been on a cat and mouse chase the whole time. I had to upgrade from home premium to ultimate just so I could try and run games via the virtual pc / xp mode . Which in itself was a whole new nightmare just to try and run my games. Didn't work. All the while this damn pop up from mcafee kept saying that my computer is at risk due to my real time scan not running properly. Literally every 30 seconds.

It wasn't untill dc1 and dc2 support gave up and sold me to iyogi did the problem get fixed. IT WAS MCAFEE. So now I have microsoft security essentials to protect my computer.Hey guess what it's free.And after spending 500 dollars to fix a brand new computer I must admit I will never use MCAFEE again, even though I got jipped by a 3 year contract.

KevinKitts
Contributor
Message 4 of 7

Re: Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

"It wasn't untill dc1 and dc2 support gave up and sold me to iyogi did the problem get fixed. IT WAS MCAFEE. So now I have microsoft security essentials to protect my computer.Hey guess what it's free.And after spending 500 dollars to fix a brand new computer I must admit I will never use MCAFEE again, even though I got jipped by a 3 year contract."

Interesting.  I might have to try out their software.  I used to run Norton's bloatware, but it slowed things down so much that my games and other apps were nearly unusable.  I still have a couple of months left on my subscription, so I can uninstall McAfee for a while to give MSE a test-run - provided that it works on XP Professional, that is.

And I feel your pain on Windows 7...I refuse to get Win7 until the first service pack arrives.  Every new incarnation has its own major bugs, and I refuse to give myself a headache by going through the post-beta beta that is Win7.

Note to McAfee:  when you dump a new UI on us, it's the same as changing OS's.  DON'T DO IT.  Or for God's sake, give us the option to opt out and just get virus definition updates.  If I can't play my games, and your software runs slower and slower, and my most valued features are missing or hidden so deeply that I can't find them, me and my wallet are jumping ship.  Again.

3r1ig
Former Member
Message 5 of 7

Re: Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

That's a big 10-4!!!

You don't even have to uninstall mcafee to test your computer. Simply go to "msconfig" then "services" and click on the "Hide all Microsoft services" from there you pretty much disable all services or pick and choose until you find the culprit. Mcafee was my culprit.

Granted now you remember to run the game in the

proper compatiblility mode "XP" in the games properties menu.

But thats only if you have windows7 i mean window sucks.

Try it out it's a free 230 dollar tip!

KevinKitts
Contributor
Message 6 of 7

Re: Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

Update:  Star Wars: Forces of Corruption (SW:FOC) still doesn't load, despite being up-to-date.  While my computer reboots better now (still locks up on shutdown about 25% of the time), McAfee still scans my CD/DVD drive on putting in a new CD/DVD.  This causes a 15-30 second delay in being able to access my content.  There isn't a checkbox to turn off scanning of CD/DVDs on spin-up - I looked.  Also, McAfee is STILL scanning the SW:FOC executable on load, causing it to *endlessly* scan the program.  The only way out is to call up the Task Manager and spam the Restart command from the pull-down menu (thus shutting down and restarting the computer).

Come on, programmers.  Either fix it to where I can run my games, or make it to where I can stop your program from real-time scanning my games that I installed from my virus-free discs.  If you don't, I'm not going to re-subscribe in November.  You have that long to fix it.  It's been this way since before I first posted on August 29th.  The old McAfee program never had this problem, and this one didn't until I updated it in late August 2010.

I'm getting tired of user interface upgrades that break the software.  This program sucks.

KevinKitts
Contributor
Message 7 of 7

Re: Recent Update causes unnecessary real-time scanning

Well, that does it.  On October 27th, I was loading up the MSNBC website, when a Java installation prompt came up, and things just started happening to my computer.  I found a file on my desktop that I didn't put there, my computer showed three new processes that I can't get rid of because they reappear every time I reboot (even after deleting the files and removing the registry links).  My computer's been invaded and McAfee has dropped the ball for the LAST time.  I will have to get other AV software and probably WebRoot Spysweeper to remove this mess, and maybe have to perform a total reinstall of my entire computer to get rid of it.  And yes, I updated McAfee and did a total scan of my computer, which showed a WINHOST infection and a GameSpyArcade infection that McAfee did NOT catch previously.  It still hasn't removed the offensive processes from the 27th, and I'm sick of this program.  I will be going to Best Buy today to purchase an alternative, even if it is Norton.  I will not let my computer be hacked because I have crappy AV/AS software.  If I had the time, I'd track down where it came from and see if McAfee did it themselves just because my subscription's about to run out (in an attempt to scare me into re-upping my subscription).

McAfee, you suck.  Goodbye.

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