downloading the game virus warning

[d4verman]

I have been gone for awhile, but I got a new PC for Xmas. When I went to download the client for this game I got a virus warning from MCAfee. Is there a problem with the game that I should be aware of? 

[KauaiJim]

If you are downloading the client from Homecoming you should be fine.  You may have to tell McAfee to play nice.  🙂

[d4verman]

2 minutes ago, KauaiJim said:

If you are downloading the client from Homecoming you should be fine.  You may have to tell McAfee to play nice.  🙂

Just checking. I just don't remember the warning on my old PC. (Which I still have, but the loader stopped working after an update. I never tried to reinstall it. I use that machine for storage now). 

 

[Techwright]

Never much cared for McAfee myself.  It's been a bane in the IT Desktop Support departments I've worked at, and false positives were one of the problems.

 

If you're still concerned, consider downloading a free copy of Malwarebytes and having it scan the file separately.  I've known many techs who use it as a backup malware scan, though I won't recommend having two malware scanners on the pc permanently.  It should do for an occasional check, though.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Techwright

[d4verman]

7 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Never much cared for McAfee myself.  It's been a bane in the IT Desktop Support departments I've worked at, and false positives were one of the problems.

 

If you're still concerned, consider downloading a free copy of Malwarebytes and having it scan the file separately.  I've known many techs who use it as a backup malware scan, though I won't recommending having two malware scanners on the pc permanently.  It should do for an occasional check, though.

I've used malwarebytes in the past once or twice. I'm not too worried about this game though as I did load it before on an older PC, though this time I loaded the client on an external drive. 

 

[TemporalVileTerror]

And to be sure, @d4verman; are you using the Homecoming Launcher, or Tequila (or possibly some other launcher that I'm not even aware of)?

 

If you're getting warnings for using Tequila, that's not too surprising.  Part of the reason the team has made the Homecoming Launcher is security concerns associated with Tequila.

If you're getting a viral warning from the Homecoming Launcher, you may want to post a report about it in the specific development board:  https://forums.homecomingservers.com/forum/103-homecoming-launcher/

[KauaiJim]

Yeah McAfee never really impressed me even back in its prime.  It works I guess but I remember it having a lot of false positives and then completely missing when an obvious virus was going around.  I've used several of them and honestly none of them is awesomesauce (imo).  For the last few years I've been successful running Kaspersky Total Security with Malwarebytes and Hitman Pro Alert and they all played nicely and kept me safe.  Last year Malwarebytes did an update that started crashing my pc and laptop.  I eventually ended up reloading Windows on both and leaving Malwarebytes off.  I still see threads out there about MWB crashing pc's.  Don't know if it's still a problem or would be one for you.  I love the MWB product and it has worked well over the years but in its current form it doesn't like my setups.  Your mileage may vary.

Edited March 25, 2021 by KauaiJim
I do want to mention though that probably the best thing about McAfee is waiting to see what stunt John McAfee will pull next...

[Techwright]

1 hour ago, KauaiJim said:

Yeah McAfee never really impressed me even back in its prime.  It works I guess but I remember it having a lot of false positives and then completely missing when an obvious virus was going around.  I've used several of them and honestly none of them is awesomesauce (imo).  For the last few years I've been successful running Kaspersky Total Security with Malwarebytes and Hitman Pro Alert and they all played nicely and kept me safe.  Last year Malwarebytes did an update that started crashing my pc and laptop.  I eventually ended up reloading Windows on both and leaving Malwarebytes off.  I still see threads out there about MWB crashing pc's.  Don't know if it's still a problem or would be one for you.  I love the MWB product and it has worked well over the years but in its current form it doesn't like my setups.  Your mileage may vary.

Thanks for the comments about MWB.  First I've heard of it, though I've had no need to go reading for several years now.  Looks like it is time to correct that.

 

I've lost computers to McAfee before.  Stripped them when trying to clean malware.  And, though it has been a few years, we've had problems before with it refusing to uninstall, necessitating a re-image (rebuild).  Not fun.

 

John McAfee: is he still in Belize?

 

[KauaiJim]

33 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Thanks for the comments about MWB.  First I've heard of it, though I've had no need to go reading for several years now.  Looks like it is time to correct that.

 

I've lost computers to McAfee before.  Stripped them when trying to clean malware.  And, though it has been a few years, we've had problems before with it refusing to uninstall, necessitating a re-image (rebuild).  Not fun.

 

John McAfee: is he still in Belize?

 

 

I still have a lifetime license for MWB and I am still reluctant to put it back on either comp.  It has been an excellent product for years for me however I am almost certain it caused me to have to reinstall Windows 10 on both (and leave it off).  It probably isn't fair to entirely pin it on them as both comps have Windows 10 (that means Win Defender) and Kaspersky Total Security and Hitman Pro Alert. 

 

This issue began on both comps after some type of MWB update but it really could be that the slightly over-the-top combo of Win Def + Kaspersky + Hitman Pro + MWB may have been the perfect storm to cause an issue.  Not really sure.  I like them and their product and don't want to deter you from using it, just maybe keep my experience in the back of your mind if you ever see something similar.

 

John?  Lol, no the Belize fiasco was a while back.  Now Spain has him and might lock him up for 30 years for tax evasion or some such and then the US wants to extradite him next for... does it really matter anymore?  lol...  The "Legal issues" section of his Wikipedia is rather entertaining.  In fact, the whole page is.  The man has lived an interesting life, that much is certain.  It's all I can think about when I hear the word McAfee anymore.  Not the lukewarm software (in my past experience), but the unusual man who started it up.  Can't call the guy boring!

[Herotu]

These days, virus checkers seem to have lazy warnings that pop up when you download from a site that's not in some safe list.

[Marshal_General]

I am still using tequila. Is the new launcher ready?

[tidge]

Add me to the list of "never impressed by McAfee from back-in-the-day". I felt that the combination of the false positives would lead to a "boy who cried wolf" situation, and then a few obvious misses was enough for me to remove trust in that product.

 

Maleware bytes is an acceptable modern solution, but after the trial period expires it begins to act like any other annoying piece of software asking for the subscription. It should still work to protect, but just be aware that you will have a new "friend" reaching out to you.

[Shenanigunner]

2 hours ago, Marshal_General said:

I am still using tequila. Is the new launcher ready?

I ran Tequila until about 2 weeks ago. Never was sure of the difference between the launchers, so I asked. Got a nice pointer to the full description of the Homecoming launcher, so when I built my new system, I used it instead of tequila. Does the same job, seems to have many advantages.

[Marshal_General]

26 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

I ran Tequila until about 2 weeks ago. Never was sure of the difference between the launchers, so I asked. Got a nice pointer to the full description of the Homecoming launcher, so when I built my new system, I used it instead of tequila. Does the same job, seems to have many advantages.

I will have to look and see if I can migrate over to it without needing to uninstall.

[Hyperstrike]

Pfft.  I use AVG.  Mostly because, while Windows Defender is an acceptable AV, my job requires a third party AV.
AVG is about the simplest.
Most of the others from my list of choices, like Kaspersky, can SEVERELY jack around OS function with their draconian "security" settings.
Is it secure?  Sure!  Now is it still USABLE?  *Uh...  Uhh...  OOH!  LOOK!  BIG BIRD!*

[Shenanigunner]

12 hours ago, Marshal_General said:

I will have to look and see if I can migrate over to it without needing to uninstall.

 

You have to do a full download; it's in a different folder and under a secure manifest. But like any modern game, all of your characters etc. are preserved.

[Shenanigunner]

12 hours ago, Hyperstrike said:

Pfft.  I use AVG.

Used AVG for years because they were of the few affordable options for WinServer. Finally let it go this year because i have better hardware-based security and very little exposure. And I couldn't justify $150 for two systems, two years.

 

But I recommend them way over all the others, from hard practical day to day experience.

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Shenanigunner

[Hyperstrike]

14 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

Used AVG for years because they were of the few affordable options for WinServer. Finally let it go this year because i have better hardware-based security and very little exposure. And I couldn't justify $150 for two systems, two years.

 

But I recommend them way over all the others, from hard practical day to day experience.

 

Sorry, to me, someone talking about "hardware based security" is someone saying "I bought a gimmick!"

 

[Shenanigunner]

8 minutes ago, Hyperstrike said:

Sorry, to me, someone talking about "hardware based security" is someone saying "I bought a gimmick!"

 

Yes, an SD-WAN built around Fortinet NGFWs with DPI-SSL and sandboxing is right out of the Spencer Gift Catalog. 😄

 

Which means I'm pretty content with Defender and Immunet on the systems.

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Shenanigunner

[DoctorDitko]

At least for me (on Verizon Wireless with a 15 GB/month cap -- the only show in town), I was delighted to have the new launcher copy from my old installation, rather than downloading everything again. It asks you first. The newer, more rational directory layout will throw modders off for a while, but once you are used to it, it's preferable.

 

5 stars from this curmudgeon!

 

McAffe, OTOH, is one of the worst-behaved rootkits I've run across. No stars for you!

(I've stopped try to eliminate Defender, and only want to run MWB on command, so the free version is preferable to me. I also use TinyWall and eliminate everything but tcp/ip v4 from my network adapters.)

[WanderingAries]

On 3/25/2021 at 7:49 AM, Marshal_General said:

I am still using tequila. Is the new launcher ready?

 

The Launcher is no longer Beta at this point as team is focused on furthering its development. They'll still be supporting Tequila unless something breaks they can't work with.

[WanderingAries]

On 3/25/2021 at 11:18 AM, Marshal_General said:

I will have to look and see if I can migrate over to it without needing to uninstall.

 

The new launcher is more portable than Tequila. Another reason for migration.

[WanderingAries]

While we're bashing AVs...True Story

 

I asked a Norton rep in the 90s what I could do to keep it from sucking on all my resources. They said to run it off the disc as needed. :p

[Shenanigunner]

11 hours ago, DoctorDitko said:

The newer, more rational directory layout will throw modders off for a while, but once you are used to it, it's preferable.

 

Having all the bindfiles load from \settings\live instead of \data gave me a WTF moment or two. 🙂

[Clave Dark 5]

Malware messages aren't uncommon for the Tequila.  When I first tried to set everything up, it would just NOT play nice no matter what.  A few days later I just happened to be switching net providers and viola, suddenly it was all ok. 

 

Computers be weird, brah.

 

(And I didn't know the HC launcher was already out there  👀)