I have a possible virus on my desktop. How will the McAfee process work and what will i have to do?

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January 14th, 2010 - Posted by Kent

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question.

Q: I have a possible virus on my desktop. How will the McAfee process work and what will I have to do? I am not abreast on all the computer literate info. Can I do this my self or do you have tech support who can talk me through the process if i buy the McAfee total protection package? I want protection, firewall, spam, malware, phishing, virus, trojans. Please advise!

A: A few days ago, we talked about signs of virus infections and some of the free virus scans available. A free virus scan from a reputable company is a good first step. Whether your machine is infected or not, you need Internet security software. While it seems you like McAfee, we recommend taking a good look at Norton. While more expensive, its new security suite is amazing.

In general, it's not difficult to install Internet security software. While it's been a while since we installed McAfee, we remember the process being pretty simple: go to the site, enter your billing info, download the program. McAfee has its own installer. You should be fine just following the on-screen prompts. Then, make sure the first thing you do is update your virus definitions and run a full system scan (which should be automatic).

As we mentioned above, McAfee requires that you enter your credit card and other personal info before you start the download. If you're concerned that you have a virus that may steal your credit card info, you may want to purchase and download McAfee from a computer you know to be safe and virus-free, and then copy the McAfee download file to your infected machine for installation (use a new CD, just to be safe). In fact, if your machine is infected, it's best to keep it disconnected from the Internet as much as possible. If you don't have access to a clean, trusted computer, consider downloading Kaspersky's Internet security suite; it does not require your credit card info for your initial installation. It also scored better in AV-Comparatives' 2009 Malware Removal test than McAfee did.

NextAdvisor does not have tech support. Since we're a product review site, we don't actually provide the software we review. McAfee does offer some tech support, but it's largely a collection of help documents. Both McAfee and Norton offer "expert" or "guided" installation, but it will cost you around $130 (depending on the product).