Removing McAfee Anti Virus

[KathleenR]

Do I have to do all this to get rid of McAfee? Do I need to run the MCPR after removing the software? What a bother. It is worse than being infected with a virus to have McAfee on your machine.

Following is from: How to uninstall or reinstall supported McAfee consumer products using the McAfee Consumer Products Removal tool (MCPR.exe)



IMPORTANT: You must uninstall using the Windows software removal utility (Add/Remove Programs in XP, “Programs and Features” in Vista and Windows 7) before running MCPR. Failure to do so can result in the number of your licenses being incorrectly counted.
If you are cannot successfully uninstall using Windows Add/Remove Programs, or have already run MCPR without uninstalling, you can deactivate your machine so that McAfee knows that your license is no longer installed on your computer for use with a future install:
Open a web browser and go to http://home.mcafee.com.
Click My Account in the upper right corner.
Select the My Account option.
Type your McAfee user account and password.
If you want your browser to remember your password, ensure that you select the Remember Me option.
Click Log In.
Under the My Protection Products section, select the subscription from which you would like a license released.
Find the computer you want to deactivate and click Deactivate.
If you selected this machine in error, click Cancel. Otherwise click Deactivate to proceed.

 

[Anak]

Hi KathleenR, welcome to 7F

If you are sure you will not be re-installing it later or elsewhere I would.
Just using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel will leave fragments of the program, that can lead to problems later on down the road.

Quote from your link:

IMPORTANT: You must uninstall using the Windows software removal utility (Add/Remove Programs in XP, “Programs and Features” in Vista and Windows 7) before running MCPR. Failure to do so can result in the number of your licenses being incorrectly counted.

If you are not concerned about the licenses, even if you are, you seem determined.
Run the uninstall from Add/Remove, and then the MCPR.
Think of the MCPR as a final step in removing anything that was left.

If you had a subscription, your only concern would be having any part of it pro-rated, and refunded back to you.
I would get that straightened out before you remove the program, unless you can find them in a McAfee log file.
So in that sense you would need to know the license numbers to interact with McAfee Customer Service.

 

[FranzB]

You could try "pc-decrapifier" (google for it).
The only problem will be that McAfee apparently prevents the download! So you have to turn it off.
Be sure to have another real time protection running. e.g. Microsoft Security Essentials, before doing that.
I have used the program to get rid of some Norton programs.
After use of decrapifier you can always search whether any McAfee files are left (under Computer -local disk) and delete them.

 

[whs]

Yes, you must run the MPCR.exe - unless you want to have trouble when you install another AV program.

 

[FranzB]

Well..... maybe better safe than sorry although, imo, gone is gone. What is McAfee going to do about it? Except sending you emails that your license has expired if you have registered with them for a 60 day trial and given them your email address? Or are you telling me that i cannot get rid of programs on my own computer when i want to?
I even removed Norton Online Backup with pc-decrapifier. No other method worked (e.g. CCleaner). The emails i simply delete.
Some members here call it Muckafee. I can see why.

 

[killjoy]

I hate Mcafee. I was in Ireland and was cornered by security and asked who I was visiting and their address. I had Mcafee on my laptop, so I booted it to find the address and I swear, Mcafee MADE me do an update, which took about 10 minutes (and some swearing) on a slow wireless connection. And I was a bit frantic in trying to get around the update, which made things worse. As soon as I got to my hotel room, I took it off.

 

[FranzB]

Yes, you must run the MPCR.exe - unless you want to have trouble when you install another AV program.

I have to come back. I did the experiment or rather i had to do it.
So here it goes, above all out of fairness to the programmers of "pc-decrapifier".

Reason: after having reinstalled the works on my Acer from the factory backup, McAfee and Norton Online Backup were installed again and i wanted to get rid of them. I used "pc-decrapifier" to deinstall them; then did a search for left files (startup--->computer----> local disk C: ---->search with
"Norton" and then "McAfee" typed into the search box). Some files were still there and i deleted them. Then a search again and nothing was there any longer).

Procedure: before getting rid of McAfee i downloaded MSE, then went offline and deinstalled McAfee and Norton, then installed MSE. No Problem.
I then went online and downloaded + installed Malwarebytes. No problems.
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PS. If everything stays OK (which i think it will) i'll donate the $5 to those guys of pc-decrapifier they are asking for. After all, it's not even two beers in the pubs of my home town