Network Associates listened to users when it designed its latest version of McAfee VirusScan, the antivirus, firewall, and real-time backup suite. McAfee VirusScan 6.0 automatically notifies you when new virus definitions are available and installs them with a single click.

Other improvements abound. Network Associates has finally replaced the distracting nonstandard interface of previous versions with a design that looks like the folder views in Microsoft Windows XP, with lists of common tasks in the left panel and options for the current task in the right panel.

Like Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2001, which includes Norton AntiVirus 2001, McAfee VirusScan now combines traditional viruscontrol features with wide-ranging Internet protection. McAfee Firewall, installed by default along with AntiVirus, can be configured to permit or block Internet access to individual applications, or to block individual IP addresses from accessing your system. With two mouse clicks, you can block all access from the Internet in case you need to stop a hostile intruder.

The Vshield background scanner can be configured to detect viruses in incoming and outgoing mail or on floppy disks. HAWK (Hostile Activity Watch Kernel), a new virus detection feature, finds mass mailings from Microsoft Outlook that may be viruses replicating themselves to all contacts in your address book. The program optionally scans data exchanged between your computer and handheld device, based on the Palm OS, Windows CE, Pocket PC, or the EPOC OS used on Psion devices.

Alerts are clear and easy to navigate, with options to clean, quarantine, or destroy affected files. The Safe & Sound real-time utility backs up files as you create them, but it also slows system performance.

In informal testing, VirusScan matched Norton AntiVirus in its ability to detect and remove common viruses. Neither program detected the SirCam worm in an Outlook Express message that was already present on our test disk when the programs were installed, but as soon as we opened the message and tried to save the infected attachment to a disk, both programs instantly detected and quarantined it. Both programs also instantly detected and cleaned incoming and outgoing messages that contained the infected file.

McAfee's interface still lags behind Symantec's, and many important options are hard to find without browsing through multiple dialogs. Version 6.0 is an essential upgrade for current users, but if you have Norton AntiVirus on your system, don't be tempted to switch.