I just bought a brand new Dell desktop. I haven't had it for more than 2 or 3 days. I have Windows Vista 64 bit Home Premium, an Intel Quad Core processor, and 4 GB RAM.
It came with a 30 day trial of McAfee installed. I uninstalled it using Windows Control Panel and then installed Total Protection 2009 by disk. I ordered it from Dell and received it by mail the day after the PC got here.
It didn't install correctly. I contacted chat support and was told I needed to uninstall all traces of McAfee. I started out uninstalling through Windows Control Panel. I restarted, then downloaded the MCRP tool and ran it. It was successful, or so it said, so I restarted again. Then I went to McAfee.com and went to My Account. I downloaded Total Protection through the website rather than by the disk. It installed and showed I was fully protected.
I also used the disk to install the program on my other desktop at home with no problems. It's also a Vista computer, but it never had a McAfee product installed on it.
As for my new PC, according to McAfee, I was fully protected. Then, last night, McAfee popped up showing that I was not protected and that Computer&Files and my Email&IM needed attention. Same error as before. McAfee could not fix it, neither could Virtual Tech. Sooo, I followed the same uninstall, using both Control Panel and the MCPR tool, then reinstalled. It installed and showed no problems and that I was fully protected.
THEN, this morning my Windows updated and prompted me to restart. I did, and now McAfee is saying I'm not protected. It says the same thing about the Computer&Files and the Email&IM as well as the following in the box on the right side of Security Center:
* Real -time scanning is disabled
* Spyware scanning is disabled
*IM scanning is disabled
*Script scanning is disabled.
If uninstalling and reinstalling twice now hasn't solved the problem, tech support telling me to do those things again isn't helpful. Obviously there is an issue somewhere, perhaps having to do with compatibility? HELP. This is absolutely ridiculous and I have never had this much of a headache with protection software before.