How to remove McAfee Security Scan Plus*
Added 7/13/11
How to remove McAfee Security Scan Plus* Added 7/13/11 |
Problem: An icon appeared on the desktop for McAfee Security Scan Plus. How did it get there, and how can I get rid of it?
Note: I had this incident on one of my personal computers, and after checking with a few clients found that they have had the same thing happen to them. The McAfee program piggy-backed onto one of the latest Adobe updates through the Adobe Download Manager.
First, rest assured, you did not do anything wrong the caused this program to get installed onto your computer! The fault here lies completely with ADOBE and MCAFEE. For some reason these companies think by installing a program onto your computer WITHOUT your permission, you are going to run right out and buy it! Now this might sound totally ridiculous, but in reality, this must be their thinking, or why else would they do it?
The aggravating part of this is that in order to have a full internet experience, you need to have these updates install, so you can't just say no, or ignore them. Eventually, you will need to install the updates in order for your various Adobe plug-ins to work properly.
Why Isn't it criminal? In my mind, I do not understand why the powers at be that are making all these new intellectual property rights laws do not see this as a criminal act. Why is this unauthorized installation any different than a program getting installed by a computer hacker? In either instances, a program is being installed on an individuals computers without their permission. And this "act" itself is the definition of hacking:
At least a computer hacker is doing everything discretely. In this case, Adobe DID ASK for your permission to install the (Reader or Flash) update (you had to check a little box before the download), but they did not ask your permission for the installation of the McAfee program. After you agreed to allow the Reader or Flash update, they used that opportunity to piggy-back and install the McAfee program. In my mind, this is just as or even more devious than the hacker.
OK, now that I got that off my chest... Lets get rid of that program!
You can uninstall the program from one of two locations, but the safest is doing it through the Windows Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel:
Step 1. Open the Windows Control Panel:
Click on START > CONTROL PANEL.
Step 2. In the CONTROL PANEL click on ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS.
Step 3. After the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS window opens, it may take a few seconds for it to build the list of programs. After it is completely open, look for "McAfee Security Scan Plus". See below for what the entry should look like the pic below. Click on the CHANGE/REMOVE button:
Step 4. In the window that opens, click on the UNINSTALL button:
Step 5. After the uninstall is completed, you may or may not be ask to restart your computer. whether you get this message or not, you should restart your computer to complete the uninstall.
Step 6. AFTER the uninstall, it is a good idea to check to be sure the program has been completely removed. Go back to step 1, and follow through into the ADD or REMOVE PROGRAMS and check that the McAfee entry has been removed. If it is not there, then you should be OK (until Adobe doesn't try to install it again).
If you have problems with these instructions, or need further help, don't hesitate to contact me at:
support@jebswebsite.com
HAPPY COMPUTING...JEB