A common problem that arises for computer users is how to remove McAfee antivirus or associated McAfee security products from their computer. This is likely due to the free trial versions that are bundled with various laptop and desktop manufacturer software bundles. Once the trial runs out, many users will want to use a different variant of the software or that of another antivirus company.

I’ve found that computer users normally hold religious views on their antivirus product of choice, so do not read anything into this article on my like or dislike of the McAfee product. The company has been around for a while, so many users lilke using a product with the reputation that a McAfee product brings to the table. If, however, you need to remove McAfee the following instructions will help you do so:

1 – Open your computer’s Control panel by choosing the Start menu and selecting Control Panel.
2 – Open the Add or Remove Programs menu option and then click on the McAfee or Network Associates product on your computer’s list of applications.
3 – Select the “Add/Remove” or “Change/Remove” menu option depending on your computer’s version of Windows.
4 – Left click once putting a check mark beside each McAfee product you desire to remove from your computer. Then, acknowledge the subsequent warning and choose the “Remove” button.
5. – You will see the software removal process on Windows step through the process of removing the McAfee application(s) from your computer. When it is complete it will ask you to restart your computer to complete the application removal. After you reboot the computer, McAfee Antivirus should be removed.

Automatic McAfee Product Removal

If your computer does not allow you to remove the McAfee product for some reason, the company also produces an automatic software removal tool that you can download and run on your computer for free. It will only work on Windows versions that are newer than Windows ME, but will remove the following McAfee products from your computer:
-McAfee Security Center
-McAfee VirusScan
-McAfee Personal Firewall Plus
-McAfee Privacy Service
-McAfee SpamKiller
-McAfee Wireless Network Security
-McAfee SiteAdvisor
-McAfee Data Backup
-McAfee Network Manager
-McAfee Easy Network
-McAfee AntiSpyware

Steps to Automatically Remove McAfee Antivirus from Your Computer

1 – Download the McAfee removal tool from:
http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

2 – Save the program to your computer’s desktop.
3 – Close all of the McAfee program windows that you have open on your computer. Then, double click the removal program to start the tool.
4 – You will then be prompted to restart your computer after the tool runs.
5 – After rebooting your computer, McAfee will be removed.

Can’t seem to navigate your way around the available 2009 anti-virus programs? Well, the following is a short review of 10 of the best anti-virus programs on the market today intended to help get you going with choosing your computer security software! Protect yourself from malware today!

Top 10 2009 Anti-Virus Programs

#1 2009 Anti-Virus Program – Kapersky Labs Anti-Virus 2009
The Kapersky 2009 Anti-Virus program features a brand new GUI(graphic user interface) and has new application filtering features. If you don’t require parental controls and have a anti-spam service already, this may be the right anti-virus for your needs.

#2 2009 Anti-Virus Program – BitDefender Internet Security 2009

BitDefender now comes with remote configuration and online backup features that weren’t there in the previoius version. Overall decent performance and may be your best bet if you need the special features.

#3 2009 Anti-Virus Program – ESET Smart Security 4.0

ESET 4.0 has one of the smallest performance impacts on your computer speed of all of the combined security products on the market. An all-in-one product, you get a firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-spam features in the tool.

#4 2009 Anti-Virus Program – Norton 360 Version 3.0

Norton 360 is the premier tool offered to the public by Symantec. It has a very low hit on your computer’s performance, and has a great industry reputation. If you want to try out one of the proven computer security tools on the Market, Norton 360 may be the anti-malware program for you.

#5 2009 Anti-Virus Program – Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2009

Trend Micro is well known for the free version of their tool, however, the premium edition doesn’t disappoint this year. Its not quite as efficient as Norton, but it gets the job done for malware prevention and removal.

#6 2009 Anti-Virus Program - ZoneAlarm Extreme Security
Zone Alarm Extreme Security combines Check Point Software’s previous tools into one software package. It is very competitive with Norton 360 and just lags the Norton product in overall performance.

#7 2009 Anti-Virus Program – McAfee Total Protection 2009
McAfee really improved their malware detection with their 2009 software package and it has one of the best anti-spam tools on the market. The software interface is still a bit sluggish and takes up a significant amount of your computer’s resources.

#8 2009 Anti-Virus Program –

CA Internet Security Suite Plus 2009

A combination of a number of anti-virus tools, the CA suite is ok. If you have another option, you may want to consider another anti-virus package.
#9 2009 AntiVirus Program – Panda Global Protection 2009
The Panda 2009 anti-virus suite has great Artificial Intelligence with improved spam filtering. The spyware and malware protection was a bit off this year.

#10 2009 AntiVirus Program – ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009

ZoneAlarm has an excellent firewall. Reviews state that it still has problems with removing malware your computer is already infected with, but is still assessed as a strong anti-virus program.