When does 100% not mean complete?

Box Brownie

Box Brownie

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When using McAfee anti virus scan ...!

SWMBO laptop, running a full scan it has reached 100% but instead of saying 'finished' it is still scanning in the 100th part of its 100%
Edit ~ it has scanned a few 1000's files whilst showing 100% !!!

Completely barking IMO:(

PS it has been running for over 3 hours......yes the laptop is quite old, though an i5 and HDD not SSD. When it renews next I think I will install Eset which I use on my PC
 
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Cockney said:
I do home computer repairs.
McAfee screwing up computers has paid for my car. Awful programme.
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Sounds like another cludge that I found Norton was some years back.

I have found Eset much better behaved and less demanding on resources & memory.

PS her laptop has become quite slow........I surmise that McAfee 'realtime' scanner is a drag on resources= slow PC. It is licenced until Jan 2025 so seems she renewed for 2 years last time........might have to waste that money and get it sorted with less demanding AV software?
 
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Box Brownie said:
Sounds like another cludge that I found Norton was some years back.

I have found Eset much better behaved and less demanding on resources & memory.

PS her laptop has become quite slow........I surmise that McAfee 'realtime' scanner is a drag on resources= slow PC. It is licenced until Jan 2025 so seems she renewed for 2 years last time........might have to waste that money and get it sorted with less demanding AV software?
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My advice would be to uninstall McAfee and reinstall. mcAfee is not very good at cleaning up after itself though. Instead of just uninstalling it normally, go to the McAfee site and download their removal tool (MCPR). It will do a much better cleanup. Reboot and reinstall McAfee. After reinstalling, force it to look for an update. Unless it really dislikes your setup that should sort it.

Edit. P.S. run ADW cleaner, it's a free adware remover from the Malwarebytes guys. Her laptop may have some adware running. McAfee would never catch them. ADW is not resident, only active when you scan with it, so it doesn't conflict with anything.
Also hit ctrl/alt/del to bring up task manager. Go to startup tab and stop anything she does not need from starting at boot up.
 
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Thanks for your insights and guidance :)

Edit ~ the scan is still running at 100% and scanned approx another 10,000 files in the last 60 odd minutes.....if it goes on much longer I will cancel the scan
NB quite early on it found and fixed 1 threat....I was hoping/anticipating it's completion so that I could then see the log and what the found & fixed threat was???
Note ~ the scan has been running approximately 5 & 1/2 hours....,!

I will have to download the most current installer as it's origins were installed as from new by Dell.

I have read, like I did yonks ago with Norton, about using a special remover/uninstaller to truly cleanup.

I use Malware Bytes so the ADW cleaner as an ad hoc non installed cleaner is a good idea.

As for tidying up the Start Up, a good heads up as I only tend to 'care for the laptop' when issues arise.
 
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Box Brownie said:
Thanks for your insights and guidance :)

Edit ~ the scan is still running at 100% and scanned approx another 10,000 files in the last 60 odd minutes.....if it goes on much longer I will cancel the scan
NB quite early on it found and fixed 1 threat....I was hoping/anticipating it's completion so that I could then see the log and what the found & fixed threat was???
Note ~ the scan has been running approximately 5 & 1/2 hours....,!

I will have to download the most current installer as it's origins were installed as from new by Dell.

I have read, like I did yonks ago with Norton, about using a special remover/uninstaller to truly cleanup.

I use Malware Bytes so the ADW cleaner as an ad hoc non installed cleaner is a good idea.

As for tidying up the Start Up, a good heads up as I only tend to 'care for the laptop' when issues arise.
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Make sure that Malwarebytes is not running on startup. Untick the relevant box in the Malwarebytes settings. (The startup menu under taskbar won't stop it.)
Feel free to pm me or post here if I can be any more help.

Re the installer. When you've uninstalled and rebooted, log into you McAfee account and it will give you an option to install. Click the link and you're away. (Don't forget to force it to check for update after.)
 
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Cockney said:
Make sure that Malwarebytes is not running on startup. Untick the relevant box in the Malwarebytes settings. (The startup menu under taskbar won't stop it.)
Feel free to pm me or post here if I can be any more help.
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No MWB on her laptop, I have it on my PC and to date I have only used as you say "on demand" :

Thanks for all your insights.... I will download ADW, McAfee installer & the remover onto a USB stick in readiness to do the house cleaning on the laptop.

It runs like walking through treacle most of the time from what she says and I have been reminded of today!

Unless it finishes it's scan in the next 5 mins I am going to cancel it and action as you suggested:)


NB when you use the McAfee remover does leave the registration in place (in the OS registry i.e. so that it will recognise the reinstall as "registered"?
 
Box Brownie said:
No MWB on her laptop, I have it on my PC and to date I have only used as you say "on demand" :

Thanks for all your insights.... I will download ADW, McAfee installer & the remover onto a USB stick in readiness to do the house cleaning on the laptop.

It runs like walking through treacle most of the time from what she says and I have been reminded of today!

Unless it finishes it's scan in the next 5 mins I am going to cancel it and action as you suggested:)


NB when you use the McAfee remover does leave the registration in place (in the OS registry i.e. so that it will recognise the reinstall as "registered"?
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From memory it does not give you that option ( Norton does). Even if it does, I would let it remove all. When reinstalling, your McAfee account will give you a new activation code with the installer. I usually copy the code onto notepad, just in case. It's built into the new installer though and It gets it from there. I've never had to input it.

Be careful to make sure you're logging into the real McAfee account login site, check the URL is really McAfee. There are a lot of fake ones that Google will drag up.
 
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Cockney said:
From memory it does not give you that option ( Norton does). Even if it does, I would let it remove all. When reinstalling, your McAfee account will give you a new activation code with the installer. I usually copy the code onto notepad, just in case. It's built into the new installer though and It gets it from there. I've never had to input it.

Be careful to make sure you're logging into the real McAfee account login site, check the URL is really McAfee. There are a lot of fake ones that Google will drag up.
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Thanks:)

FWIW I did cancel the scan and checked the scan results. It had found a suspect .zip file on the Windows temp folder. It was a Trojan: PDF/phish.a

From the current gui the 'go to account' take me to McAfee login page.

At this stage I am surmising that I can go to the website on my PC and download the McAfee Live safe installer etc onto a USB stick and once installed on the laptop it will be self evident as to registration with McAfee.

PS my practice would be to install without WiFi connection and only restart the WiFi once installed.
 
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Box Brownie said:
Thanks:)

FWIW I did cancel the scan and checked the scan results. It had found a suspect .zip file on the Windows temp folder. It was a Trojan: PDF/phish.a

From the current gui the 'go to account' take me to McAfee login page.

At this stage I am surmising that I can go to the website on my PC and download the McAfee Live safe installer etc onto a USB stick and once installed on the laptop it will be self evident as to registration with McAfee.

PS my practice would be to install without WiFi connection and only restart the WiFi once installed.
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You will need the WiFi on. The installer downloads the programme.
I would do it from the pc you wish to install on. It will then be registered in your account.
 
Cockney said:
You will need the WiFi on. The installer downloads the programme.
I would do it from the pc you wish to install on. It will then be registered in your account.
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Ah! so not a "full installer" but a precursor type. A little more forward planning will be required.......!

And subject to 'actually' doing it I will see what I can see with her logged into the McAfee account.
 
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Honestly just uninstall it, the worst antivirus I’ve ever tried.
Had to uninstall it from wife’s laptop, it was making the computer lag like mad. Same with my desktop and laptop.
Windows security is much lighter.
.
.
By the way why do you scan your files?
As long as you don’t download random files on the internet you’re fine.
 
I just bought a new laptop and it came with McAfee partially installed. I don't want McAfee and I'll never use it, I have a paid subscription to Malwarebytes security software and it has served me well for several years. I didn't want the laptop to keep pestering me to take up a McAfee subscription so attempted to get rid of it using Windows 'Add or Remove programs' -- it didn't work. After uninstalling, there was McAfee stuff all over the place and I wanted it gone. Sod it, I reloaded the operating system but because it was registered via Dell and Dell wanted me to take McAfee, it reloaded McAfee (I presume during the reload some old bit of the Dell-provided Windows was hanging on to the McAfee information. Once it had all reloaded and settled down, I went to McAfee and found their MCPR and ran that instead; wish I'd done that first! McAfee has gone, hopefully never to reveal its ugly head again. Over the years I've tried both Norton and McAfee and had terrible experiences with both of them. It's probably me just being paranoid, but it's almost as if software from these two companies behaves like a virus itself. It just gets everywhere, it's as bad as bloody Facebook (something else I don't use).
 
Marino said:
Honestly just uninstall it, the worst antivirus I’ve ever tried.
Had to uninstall it from wife’s laptop, it was making the computer lag like mad. Same with my desktop and laptop.
Windows security is much lighter.
.
.
By the way why do you scan your files?
As long as you don’t download random files on the internet you’re fine.
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As mentioned above she does have the license paid until Jan 2025

As for why I decided to run a full scan.....it was behaving worse than usual and though not the reason it did a spurious file with Trojan in the Win Temp folder.

........so if it can be tamed as @Cockney seems to outline, until the end of 2024??? A moot point until tried!
ShinySideUp said:
I just bought a new laptop and it came with McAfee partially installed. I don't want McAfee and I'll never use it, I have a paid subscription to Malwarebytes security software and it has served me well for several years. I didn't want the laptop to keep pestering me to take up a McAfee subscription so attempted to get rid of it using Windows 'Add or Remove programs' -- it didn't work. After uninstalling, there was McAfee stuff all over the place and I wanted it gone. Sod it, I reloaded the operating system but because it was registered via Dell and Dell wanted me to take McAfee, it reloaded McAfee (I presume during the reload some old bit of the Dell-provided Windows was hanging on to the McAfee information. Once it had all reloaded and settled down, I went to McAfee and found their MCPR and ran that instead; wish I'd done that first! McAfee has gone, hopefully never to reveal its ugly head again. Over the years I've tried both Norton and McAfee and had terrible experiences with both of them. It's probably me just being paranoid, but it's almost as if software from these two companies behaves like a virus itself. It just gets everywhere, it's as bad as bloody Facebook (something else I don't use).
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Norton was my nemesis experience a long time ago.

I found Kaspersky a lighter touch program but IIRC when I went from W2k to W7 they were not able to support W7 immediately, I researched and found Eset and have stuck with that on my own PC's :)
 
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Box Brownie said:
As mentioned above she does have the license paid until Jan 2025

As for why I decided to run a full scan.....it was behaving worse than usual and though not the reason it did a spurious file with Trojan in the Win Temp folder
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ah sorry didn’t read that. You’re stuck with it Bummer:p
 
The microsoft security built into win10 and 11 is pretty good now and its all I use. Back stuff up either locally or on a cloud and you should be fine. The biggest threat is from ransomware and most ISPs guard against them.

In general I clear scam dodgy cookies and PUPs like adware.
I can't remember the last time I saw a real virus or bootloader.
If you have files backed up win10/11 is so easy to reload it's easier to start again and restore your files.
I undestand people feeling more comfortable with a dedicated AV though. Currys tell all sorts of lies to sell one with a PC.
Other crapware to avoid is driver updaters and pc optimisation stuff like that pushed by Norton and AVG.
Don't start me on why most normal users think they need a VPN, (or 2!).
 
Just a point on updates.
Windows is now pretty good at driver updates. However I do suggest going to updates/advanced/ optional updates/drivers, and see if there is a firmware update from your pc manufacturer. If there is it will be a BIOS update, that one you should select and install. It's the only one you need that windows won't handle. It will do the install when you restart, before loading windows.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. .
 
Cockney said:
Don't start me on why most normal users think they need a VPN, (or 2!).
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Usually because they want to circumvent regional licensing on Netflix (etc.), but no-one would do that here as this is a photography forum so everyone will understand the importance of copyright :rolleyes:.
 
onomatopoeia said:
Usually because they want to circumvent regional licensing on Netflix (etc.), but no-one would do that here as this is a photography forum so everyone will understand the importance of copyright :rolleyes:.
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Most of my customers are not power users who understand regional ip addresses and cloaking. Turning it on is a struggle for some. :D
 
onomatopoeia said:
Usually because they want to circumvent regional licensing on Netflix (etc.), but no-one would do that here as this is a photography forum so everyone will understand the importance of copyright :rolleyes:.
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Most of the people doing this that I know of are Brits living abroad who want their UK programs to watch.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Most of the people doing this that I know of are Brits living abroad who want their UK programs to watch.
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When I am in Crete and want to watch sky on my tablet it understandably fails using the hotel wifi.
If I tether it to my o2 moble, voila, no problem, must present a uk ip. :D
 
I have used a VPN for severa years now; I use it because I trust nothing and nobody connected with internet use. I have used it to find out how certain countries are looking at the world as you can view news pages as if you were in, say, Albania, and get a foreign view of world affairs; it's nice to see another slant on news items. VPN's can be a little inconvenient sometimes though. For example, even this forum tells me occasionally that my IP address has been 'banned', or that BBC iPlayer can't be watched 'in your location' even though I am actually using a UK server. However, it is easier to turn it off or find a new server than to be identified everywhere you go and with everything you do, even though it be completely innocuous. In the days, now long gone, when I used Facebook, I always used to log in from Morrocco and under an assumed name with a secure email address -- Zuckerberg got nothing out of me!

Yes, probably a bit paranoid but just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me :cool::)
 
ShinySideUp said:
Yes, probably a bit paranoid but just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me :cool::)
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That has induced me to wonder if proving that no one is out to get them, is actually cruel to the paranoid... :tumbleweed:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
That has induced me to wonder if proving that no one is out to get them, is actually cruel to the paranoid... :tumbleweed:
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If one is truly paranoid, there is never enough proof.
 
Bill Gates is tracking me?!!!! I thought it was just Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and that Indian guy, Nikesh Arora, who has shedloads of money from something internetty, Google, I think.
 
Box Brownie said:
Tosh, you are inflating the problem........................ :thinking: :confused:
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He's wrong anyway, the whole wheel is stuffed with trackers and this...

RAC van with front wheels removed Ixus 70 IMG_4402.JPG

...is the only way to deal with the problem. (as recommended by a well known car recovery service). ;)
 
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