Problems reinstalling/registering McAfee Security Centre on new Inspiron laptop

Question

My girlfriend's dad has just bought her a new Dell Inspiron laptop with Windows XP and paid for a fifteen month subscription to McAfee Security Centre at the same time.

McAfee came preinstalled, but while she was downloading some software (iTunes, Windows Live Messenger, etc.) she uninstalled it as it seemed to be stopping some websites from working correctly. Now it has been reinstalled it seems to be asking for her to register and suggests it will only work for 30 days. There is some sort of option to login as an already registered user, but this just brings up a blank box.

I've read after a quick search that you can login to the McAfee website and download the entire thing again from there, but you need an email address and password. My girlfriend's dad doesn't remember having to enter any of that for McAfee when he bought the laptop so what details does he need to use? Would they be included in the paperwork somewhere? Is it that she never registered properly in the first place, before she uninstalled it?

I'm having to help her over the phone and obviously don't have any of the details in front of me. Any help would be much appreciated.

Message Edited by toby_jones on 11-10-2007 01:13 PM

dgkpcon · Answer

Go to Mcafee.com register as a user and after registration log in your account and click to downlad the product purchased it will be on the page you log into half way down.Click on the download icon next to the product name.If it comes back and says you cant download log out and uninstall it from the mcafee utility in start program then log back into mcafee and click the download link it should go thru.register the product after downloading.

tomron · Answer

Did you try this link?   http://software.mcafee.com/us/support/cust_care/reg_intro.asp

toby_jones · Answer

Thanks for the answers. If I follow that link or and / or do as dgkpcon says, how will McAfee know that a fifteen month subscription has been already paid for? Does it use your Dell service tag or somehow identify your computer? As I say I don't think they already have a password for the McAfee site. Thanks again.

Dr. Lawrence Ho · Answer

You need to access your account.  It should reflect what you have on McAfee.  To access your acount, you must register a user name and password.  From McAfee support, click account.  If there is an error on the amount of time you have left, contact support via one of the free options and it should correct for you.  Until you register, the new install will not update.

kjharris · Answer

See the private message I sent to you.

toby_jones · Answer

Thanks again for the replies. I've just spoken to her again and found out that she reinstalled from disc (after uninstalling) and that it said on the disc that it could be used to do so if necessary. It now pops up with a message on starting up saying she must register and that her computer "comes with 30 days" worth of subscription (or something similar). There is a license agreement and then the option to either login as an existing user with an email address and password or to register as a new user. I guess my questions now are:

1. Which option should she use? Try to login as an existing user or register as a new user?

2. If she tries to log in as in an existing user, presumably that would preserve the 15 months she has paid for, but what email address and password is she supposed to use if she didn't specify one when her dad bought it (it just came preinstalled and seemed already to be registered and working)?

3. If she registers new details how will McAfee then know that she has paid for 15 months worth and not just expire after the 30 days it talks about at the beginning of the process?

Sorry if I've just gone over old ground, but I would appreciate any answers.

Message Edited by toby_jones on 11-11-2007 09:52 PM

Windows General

Problems reinstalling/registering McAfee Security Centre on new Inspiron laptop

Was this post helpful?