Signature Files have expired. Can't Register McAfee

I'm about to have the same problem on my E521 running XP PRO! My signature files are 'between 8 and 29 days old'. I wasn't connected to internet at first so couldn't register. I never got any registration screens but now I get a box that tells me 'Registration Pending' with the option to Register Now but that doesn't do anything. I've tried all the possible fixes on the Mcafee site including running the Virtual Technician. The VT tells me my DAT file is out of date and supposedly fixes the problem but the same problem re-appears. I use the PC for business and I've wasted enough time trying to sort this out  - as have a lot of other people it seems from other threads.

I too have tried the dellfix.bat and the Mcafee fixes but neither had any effect.  I did notice that my pc came with the Mcafee media (CD).  I wonder what the ramifications would be if I uninstalled/reinstalled Security Center.  I wonder if I'd lose the connection that indicates I purchased from Dell or if they'd want to charge me again to register.

 

Typing while on hold with support for exact same issue on E521 running xp pro.  Hours chatting online with Mcafee support and on the phone w/ dell support have gotten me nowhere.  Uninstall & reinstall has not solved the issue.  If you want to try, though, you should probably use McAfee removal tool to uninstall rather than Windows uninstaller.  http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

You are running xp, right?

 

I had enough problems with McAfee and McAfee support helped less then Dell did with the problem. Apparently I had a corrupt registry key that wasn't removed, I tried removing it manually, and everything McAfee said, including the removal tool, but nothing had worked. So I gave up.

Likewise.  Just installed Norton instead. 

Same problem I had, I gave up on McAfee and downloaded AVG Free Edition. Works like a charm. McAfee has too many problems

I have a brand new Inspiron running XP SP2 with the same problem. From what I can see, this is actually a very widespread problem; it crops up under both the Dell and McAfee forums under a variety of titles in different threads.

 

Like others I have also wasted many hours of my own time with the McAfee and Dell support channels getting nothing but frustrated. From what I can gather, dellfix.bat is actually for Vista, but nevertheless every other support person tries to have me install it, even though I tell them I've already tried and it doesn't work. A major shortcoming in the Dell and McAfee support channels is that they don't call back to find out if their last suggested fix (typically requiring a reboot) actually worked. Hence, whenever I re-engage them, I get a different support person and the whole saga starts again from scratch. There's very poor continuity.

 

I've found this whole episode soul destroying and when I think of the money I've spent it makes me furious. Bottom line, from my point of view, McAfee's Security Center does not work on XP SP2 on a Dell, and hence Dell should not be selling it. I think that Dell and McAfee should be reimbursing us for the hours and hours of time we're spending trying to find the workaround to this major bug in their product, but like, that's really going to happen, isn't it?

 

The workaround to the bug (the bug being that the McAfee registration wizard fails to run) is to phone McAfee and have them register the product for you by hand. However, in order to do this they require proof-of-purchase in the form of a FAX of your original Dell order. So far, I've refused to send this because I've already paid for the software: why should I spend more money to fix something that I already bought? No, the answer is to get Dell to FAX McAfee with proof-of-purchase. So far, I have failed in this noble endeavour, despite participating in a 3-way conference call between a Dell rep and a McAfee rep. The Dell rep agreed to send the FAX but then didn't. In retrospect, I don't think she actually knew how to send a FAX; or maybe she wasn't authorized to. Who knows? In any case I'm still sitting here with McAfee still telling me my computer's not protected and I need to register my McAfee product.

 

And so my nightmarish experience is rumbling on into it's third week. If I don't get any joy next week I'll be asking for my money back.

 

I just wonder how long this widespread problem will go on for before Dell (a) notice and (b) do something about it.

 

More technical details below. Stay sane.

 

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I have a brand new Dell laptop running XP SP2 (Professional edition) on which McAfee is preinstalled. Toast keeps popping up telling me my computer is not protected. When I launch McAfee Security Center, the Computer & Files section contains the message: The detection signature file is between 8 and 29 days old. When I click Fix, another piece of toast pops up telling me McAfee isn't registered. When I select the option to register now, nothing happens.

I've tried McAfee support several times, but they have failed to fix the problem. At their suggestion I've installed two patches: dellfix.bat and MSCPRXFIX.exe. Neither patch appears to have made a difference.

 

One thing I've noticed is that DCOM errors are appearing in the Windows System event log (see eventvwr.exe). The errors contain the following description: The server {D859E279-0112-4E2B-BA62-89F79C0817B7} did not register with DCOM within the required timeout.

 

If I look in the registry {D859E279-0112-4E2B-BA62-89F79C0817B7} turns out to be the CLSID for: c:\program files\mcafee\msc\mcoemmgr.exe.

 

With the help of the wonderful Process Monitor tool from Microsoft / SysInternals, I found a log file here: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McAfee\MCLOGS\mcregist\mcregist

Everytime Product Setup fails to do anything a message appears in the log, like the following: 07/03/2007 10:46:30 PM$ -- (Error)$ [ mcregist.exe]$ Error creating oemmgr object.

 

In summary a McAfee component called McOEMMgr.EXE is crashing and that's why the registration applet doesn't appear. That's a bug. Pure and simple.

 

 

 

Well I've "fixed" my issue without the help of Mcafee or Dell (both of which seem incapable of helping in any way at all).  I simply uninstalled the Mcafee that I paid for and downloaded the free version that Comcast (my isp) provides their customers.  I will use this until the offer goes away (if it does) and at that point find someone else (actually anyone other than Mcafee) to get my virus protection from.  Unfortunately this is not a fix for anyone not using Comcast so it's not a universal answer.  I did contact Dell customer service (not tech suppport) requesting that I be reimbursed for something I purchased that is unusable.  I have not heard from them and expect I won't.

 

This whole fiasco has left me with very little faith in Dell and none in Mcafee.  This will, of course, factor heavily into future purchases.

Sigh. I'm giving up too. One problem I have is that both the Dell and McAfee call centres are closed by the time I get home from work. I can only speak to them, with my computer in front of me, on the odd day that I work from home.

 

So... I've posted Dell an Email via their Customer Services web site asking for my money back for the Security Center component, and asking them for an apology for selling me broken software.

 

Let's see how far I get...

 

I wish you good luck on trying.

After a further couple of rounds with the Dell Help Desk (and an Email from McAfee curtly denying all responsibility because the software was preinstalled by Dell) I finally got my money back for the McAfee Security Center component.

 

This has been one of the worst "shopping experiences" of my life, with many hours of my time spent in fruitless chat sessions, Email conversations, and on the phone with Dell and McAfee support. While I found both the Dell and McAfee Help Desks polite, they were ineffective at understanding and resolving the fault.

 

I'm glad it's over and feel sorry for anyone else who has to undergo a similar ordeal.

 

Next stop... AVG.