Why Does McAfee Keep Turning Off?

By Mark Taylor

Anti-virus protections protects your personal data.
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McAfee protects your computer from viruses, spyware and other hazardous invaders using a firewall and by scanning your computer. If McAfee is turning off, you are susceptible to these hazards and risking your personal information. There are several reasons that McAfee may not consistently work on your computer at all times. Troubleshooting each of these problems will resolve any malfunctions you may be having with this security product and increase the protection on your computer.

Real-Time Scanning and Firewall Are Off

If McAfee's Real-Time Scanning or Firewall have turned off, the anti-virus software will not work. You will have to have to turn them back on using the McAfee SecurityCenter. Turn on the Real-Time Scanner by clicking "M" on the SecurityCenter taskbar. Select "Navigation | Real-Time Scanning | Turn On" to enable the scanner. Click "Navigation" again to do the same for the Firewall. You can check if the status for both the scanner and the firewall is on using the status on the SecurityCenter home screen.

McAfee Virtual Technician

The McAfee Virtual Technician diagnoses and fixes any problems that cause McAfee to turn off. Downloading the "oas-disabled-fix.cmd" file to your desktop from the McAfee service page will install it on your computer for usage. You then need to restart your computer and right-click the program to run it as an administrator. If you receive an error message while attempting to run the program, press "Ctrl-C", then press "Y," and then press Enter. The program will stop and allow you to run it again.

Check for Other Anti-virus Software

Some other security and anti-virus software interferes with the functionality of McAfee. A list of incompatible software is available on the McAfee website (See References). To remove a software program click on the Start Button to go to your computer's program list. Right click the icon of the program you wish to remove and click "Uninstall." After completing all necessary software removal, delete and reinstall your McAfee software. You may have to restart your computer to introduce all changes.

Check Your Internet Connection

If you are not connected to the Internet, McAfee will not work. There will be no need to protect you from Web-based viruses if you are not on the Web. Check your wireless or hard-wired connection for loose or unplugged Ethernet cords, for turned off routers, or to see if your computer is enabled to access the Internet. McAfee's "off" status will change to "on" upon connecting to the Web. If it does not, manually turn on the scanner via the SecurityCenter home screen that appears upon launching McAfee. Switch the slider from "Off" to "On."

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