McAfee VirusScan 2006

McAfee VirusScan 2006 (v10.0.27) nabbed an impressive 95% of adware and spyware in our tests, 99% of all viruses in the AV-Test.org zoo collection tests, and 100% of in-the-wild viruses. McAfee VirusScan has a relatively small install size, at just over 52Mb, and supports Windows XP, 2000, ME, or 98. McAfee now offers daily signature updates - a huge plus from the weekly updates offered in the past. McAfee VirusScan 2006 offers exemplary protection at an affordable price.

McAfee is one of the most recognizable names in the antivirus industry and one of the most respected names in corporate protection. But previous versions of the home-user VirusScan have been laden with advertising, remiss in spwyare/adware detection, and slow to offer signature updates - maintaining a weekly update schedule similar to Symantec. This has always been unfortunate, as these drawbacks had marred an otherwise near-perfect virus scan engine.

Thankfully, all that has changed in McAfee VirusScan 2006. Not only is McAfee now offering daily updates to home users, adware and spyware detection is a stellar 95%. McAfee VirusScan 2006 still contains a bit of advertising in its Security Center console, but its more tastefully and clearly marked - now simply offering an upgrade path for those wishing to purchase additional coverage (i.e. McAfee Firewall or Spam protection).

McAfee VirusScan 2006 includes all the standard features you would expect: on-demand/manual scans, realtime on-access scanning, scheduled scans, right-click context scans, as well as scanning POP3 email. (Outlook Express, Outlook, Eudora, and Netscape). Moreover, McAfee goes a step further, offering specific protection for Instant Messaging, including AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Microsoft Windows Messenger.

Retailing at $40 USD, McAfee VirusScan 2006 offers robust protection at a competitive price.