McAfee Apologizes for Crippling America, Offers Refunds

By Ryan Fleming April 27, 2010

After a hiccup in its virus software paralyzed thousands of computers last week, McAfee has announced on its website that it will reimburse “reasonable expenses” to customers that were forced to pay for software repairs. Affected customers are also eligible for a two year extension at no cost. Requests made will be processed within a few days.

In what may be one of the more extreme examples of irony in recent days, the computer security provider accidentally crippled thousands of professional and home computers last week when it released an update that misidentified a harmless file in Windows as a virus, causing a cycle of unending reboots. Some users also experienced the dreaded blue screens, non-functioning USB ports, and the lucky ones simply lost internet and network connectivity.

McAfee initially claimed that the mistake only affected a very small portion of McAfee Enterprise users, but it soon became apparent that the problem was much bigger than initially thought, and thousands of personal and professional services were affected.

At first the problems seemed more of a frustration, but it quickly became a serious issue when hospitals, police, and emergency services were reporting system-wide crashes. Suddenl,y a mildly frustrating, yet borderline funny mistake, became a national problem with severe consequences. A patch was soon released, and McAfee support was able to walk many people through the process of fixing the issue.

The anti-virus maker issued an apology the next day, and claimed that a recent change in its QA environment allowed a faulty DAT file through testing.

McAfee is also offering customer service and tech help to anyone still affected, and the company will express deliver a CD if downloading is not an option.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Deals

Secure your PC with McAfee Antivirus for $10 this Black Friday

mcafee antivirus deal best buy black friday 2020

What price do you put on keeping your computer safe from viruses? How about $10? That's how much McAfee AntiVirus costs right now as part of the Best Buy Black Friday deals and there's never been a better time to keep your computer secure for less.

McAfee AntiVirus is normally priced at $40 but right now, you can buy it for just $10 at Best Buy. That works out at a savings of 75% off the usual price. If you don't already have anti-virus protection for your PC, there's simply no reason to not snatch it up now. Think of it this way -- it's peace of mind for a whole year for basically the price of two coffees.

Business

Norton vs. McAfee: Which Antivirus software is best for your small business?

norton vs mcafee antivirus for small business

You wouldn't leave your shop or office door unlocked, and neither should you leave your business PC or Mac unsecured against anti-virus threats and other problems. Norton and McAfee offer extensive options for small business owners, and it's important you pick the right software package or subscription for your company's needs. Both companies have made our short list of the best antivirus solutions for small businesses.

A competent antivirus solution is the first line of defense against potential hacks or virus attacks, so you need it to work effectively for you.

Computing

The Razer Blade RTX 40 series gaming laptops are on sale right now

Player using Razer Blade 16 during intense gaming session.

When it comes to gaming laptops, Razer's Blade series is the crème de la crème. It offers lots of power, excellent video options thanks to NVIDIA graphics, and sleek, ultra-convenient designs. But all of that power comes at a hefty price, usually. At least, that is the case when there are no deals to be had, but today, there are. It's an excellent time to score an incredible gaming laptop to play some of the hottest titles out right now. You can save big on the Razer Blade series, from the Blade 14 to the Blade 18. For example, the Razer Blade 16 is usually $3,599, but today it's $400 off -- . Depending on which model you're after, you can save anywhere from $300 to $500, but these deals are only valid until April 27, so don't wait around.

Why you should shop this Razer Blade gaming laptop sale
Starting with the , you get an impressive Windows 11 gaming laptop with a 14-inch QHD+ 240Hz display, AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, all for $2,000. Normally $2,400, you're saving $400 with that deal. But it's not the only Razer Blade model on sale, and you can pretty much pick your size and configuration based on how large you want your gaming laptop and how much power you want tucked inside. Bigger isn't always necessarily better. But regardless of what size you choose, we regularly give Razer's Blade series high marks during hands-on time.