McAfee removal on new PC and Dell warranty

Changing your software should not affect your warranty.  Only the operating system has to stay the same if you ever need support.

If you have any trouble removing McAfee, performing a clean Windows installation will get rid of all bloatware.

@Chino de Oro​ Thanks for your reply, it's very helpful, and I would like to go ahead with removing and replacing McAfee. I've read lots of comments saying removal should not affect warranty, but wondered if it was possible to get confirmation of that. As a worrier, that would give peace of mind.

If you're worried, capture a disc image using something like Macrium Reflect (and verify it).  If you then have to revert, you can do so in just a few minutes.

 
The only way to completely eliminate McAfee (and Norton, etc.) is a complete, clean install of Windows.  

@garioch7​ As a first time community member, I did not expect such clear and helpful answers so quickly, so thank you, and thanks to all for this help.

I already have a paid subscription to Norton 360 Advanced on my laptop and other desktop, so can download and install it on my XPS at no extra cost. As Norton seemed to have worked fine for me, that's my plan, but I would be really interested to know of any alternative recommendations.

Thanks to you all again.

@RoHe​ Thanks, I will definitely do that before I uninstall.

@jangarrack​ 

I've done the same. Wife's PC has a 3 license Norton, and only 2 used.

I did this about 7 months ago what I had a problem with McAfee that was not fixed (I now don't recall what that way?) so I used the McAfee Removal tool, rebooted, and deleted its folders and then install Norton 360 Deluxe.

Only problem I have now is emails from McAfee about my subscription expiring :-)

I was out of warranty of course, but that removal would not have done any harm if I was.

@jangarrack ,

Thank you for your kind words.  I base my selection of AV solutions these days on my experience since 1988 with PCs, starting with DOS 3.1.  I have used many products over the years, including Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, McAfee, etc.

My current AV product is ESET Smart Security Home Premium.  I also complement that with the premium version of Malwarebytes.  Exclusions must be created in the AV product and Malwarebytes Premium to avoid conflicts, and Malwarebytes should be prohibited from registering in the Windows Security Center.

Also, it is useful to consult reputable independent AV testing companies for their assessment of the various products in that highly competitive market.  This link might be of interest to you:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/summary-report-2023/

The newest report should be available in January 2025 that summarizes their 2024 findings.

Have a great day, and thank you again for your positive feedback.

Regards,
Phil

@garioch7​ ,

That's interesting reading. I stuck with Norton as a previous PC came with Bullguard installed and at some point Bullguard automatically migrated to Norton, which I found quite easy to familiar myself with and did not give me any problems.

I thought of changing, but for me, trying to decide on products from endless written and video reviews can be a confusing nightmare, so more often than not, I just stick to what I know.

The one thing that annoys me about Norton is that it keeps trying to sell me addons, particularly Norton Utilities Ultimate. Despite this PC being only 2 months old, Norton tells me I already have 3,5129 unnecessary files and applications slowing my PC down. It seems to do much the same as the Dell Support Assist, which is already installed.

I did also have Malwarebytes Premium once, which I really liked and would be happy to have again.

I will check back again in January 2025 with the av-comparatives.org reports.

Thanks again for your help.

Regards,

Jeff

@jangarrack ,

You are most welcome.  Stay safe in cyberspace, and remember that the most important defense against malware is a robust backup strategy.  No one program or combination of programs can detect every malware species.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

@jangarrack​ 

Yeah, I get that stuff too with Norton 360 Deluxe. Now pestering me to enable Auto-Pay and they will add 3 months to our Subscription. I don't do that at it has been in the past at full price. However, when I didn't have that, they usually offer a much lower price ($89.99 I think it normal and now just got a $49.99 offer but it was around there as I deleted the emails). Usually I can get it near Black Friday and even a lower price, and then save it to install at the end of this one. Used to be able to enter the NEW license and it would automatically update... but the last time it didn't have that option. So I called Support and they did it adding any days we had left.

As for the 'push' to upgrade for the 'junk' removal. I wouldn't do it... as I have Glary Utilities and some other like Wise Care 365 and I see stuff like this:

As you can see, I've unchecked some, like the Fonts... most programs consider ones you do NOT have assigned to an application and not needed.... and then when you get a program that would use the font it is gone if you allow it to be deleted.

You HAVE to know and LOOK at every suggested removal and why it is on the PC and what it is for. Otherwise you might break something now or later with a new program have a problem.

I don't consider ANY of these programs 'safe' to use and blindly OK.

Glary Utilities, well, look what is 'suggests' for its one step clean-up:

Use any of these at your own risk...

I'm not saying any or any of the above wouldn't 'clean up' you PC without a problem, but I wouldn't really want to try.

As for the Registry one, well, there are many areas of the Registry that have 'lists'. Command lines you enters, Power Shell commands saved, LRU (Least Recently Used), and others. Yes, you can REMOVE them and places that use them will 'open' faster, however, over time, they just re-populate and there is no lasting 'savings'.

CCleaner is a another program (free), https://www.ccleaner.com/, is another program what does about the same too. Some people 'swear' by it, but I've been burned by it once before. Still, the same rule should apply, do not blindly allow a program to remove anything without checking and verifying it could be done.

Oh, if you want to get some good Utilities, go to https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/ and register. Occasionally they post some 'good' one. That is how I got Glary Utilities. Sometimes the license is good for only a year, or it has NO Support for them, but occasionally you do get a full license, and occasionally it is for the present release. Well worth it to sign-up and get emails daily and then get the ones you want. Never had a problem with any other than I didn't like them or they didn't work well on my PC. Offering change daily and you only have that day to get them.

There's always Windows Security (aka: Windows Defender).

Free, no ads, no popups and Windows Update installs the updates automatically....

Dell never forces you to run any software on the PC you purchased.

You don't even have to run the licensed copy of Windows.

They give you what they think most people would want but you are free to run whatever you like (legally, of course).

@ispalten​,

I had not heard of Glary Utilities, so just had a look at their site and a few reviews. It looks to be a very comprehensive utility and a step up from CCleaner, which I have only ever used on old PCs.

I'm always a bit wary of free utilities as I always worry that they may either not be safe or cause further problems, as CCleaner registry cleaner did once for me. At the moment, on my new XPS 8960, I currently stick to the Dell Support Assist.

I find the amount of recommended actions highlighted by Norton quite unbelievable for a new PC, especially as the Dell Support Assist shows so few issues remedied when I run it.

Jeff