iTunes is incompatible with McAfee security software.

Question

Level 3

509 points

iTunes is incompatible with McAfee security software.

After much gnashing of teeth,I finally traced a problem with my advanced internet settings getting defiled to disable TLS 1.0, which iTunes needs to download purchased content reliably, to my McAfee VirusScan Plus software.

After a couple of hours on-line with McAfee, letting them control my computer, I was finally able to demonstrate to their 2nd Tier support guy that opening their "security center" did indeed disable this protocol, which was also disable at indefinite intervals by some background process done by the McAfee software, he checked with his superiors and got back to me that ALL McAfee software needed to disable this protocol.

Therefore, if you want to buy iTunes content, I would recommend using some antivirus software other than McAfee.

homebuilt PC, Windows 7, EVGA 780i mobo, 2.83GHz Core2Quad,6GB RAM, GeForce 8600GTS

Posted on Jan 24, 2010 2:59 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Robert Peters Author

Level 3

509 points

Jan 25, 2010 4:26 PM in response to Robert Peters

This is significant information.

Reply

Answer 2

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Jan 26, 2010 2:44 AM in response to Robert Peters

I'm no fan of McAfee, but that info can't be correct. I turned off TLS 1.0 and was able to download all the free singles of the week. Also, I've seen posts here where folks were able to use itunes once they'd set up McAfee correctly.
So....perhaps McAfee disables that protocol, but apparently iTunes doesn't need it. Like I said, I turned it off in IE and was able to get music, video, and also some apps with no hassle.

Reply

Answer 3

Robert Peters Author

Level 3

509 points

Jan 26, 2010 6:12 PM in response to Katrina S.

I've had problems with TV shows downloading at a rate measurable in bytes and have had Apple techs blame it on having TLS 1.0 disabled. (as indicated by the connectivity test results CCPed from the iTunes diagnostics)

So either it does matter, or an Apple tech was stretching to blame the client on a problem with one of their servers, such as not being adequate for a client load it gets.

After that, I had no problems for a while when setting it back beefore making the purchase, until a recent bunch of purchases when I noticed that not only was it back to inexcusably slow downloads, but my advanced settings (accessed through the control panel with IE left as unused as possible) kept getting disabled by some background process throughout the download.

Again, either it matters, or some advanced Apple tech latched onto that in order to blame a server inadequacy on the client and deny the problem rather than address it.

Message was edited by: Robert Peters

Message was edited by: Robert Peters

Reply

Answer 4

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Jan 26, 2010 11:59 PM in response to Robert Peters

Wait....now you're talking about an Apple tech. I thought it was McAfee techs that said their software disabled TLS when you were on the phone for hours?
If you turn off McAfee and itunes downloads content without issues, then McAfee isn't set up right.
I get your point, though - this stuff can be maddening!

Reply

Answer 5

Robert Peters Author

Level 3

509 points

Jan 27, 2010 3:55 AM in response to Katrina S.

You said TLS was irrelevant to iTunes, and I was simply pointing out where I've been told by a supervisor at Apple it was concerning an iTunes issue.

It wasn't a matter of whether any security software was turned off or on, but I did notice a difference at first of whether TLS was disabled or not, but only for the TV shows.

This was at the end of a longer history of issues with slow downloads of TV show purchases, spanning multiple ISPs, Windows versions and different security software choices installed on fresh systems.

I suspect this to be a case of two different companies not doing right and blaming everything on other things to avoid cleaning up their own acts.

It took a while to then trace out what was disabling TLS and that turned out to be McAfee. It took hours of guiding a tech through his control of my computer tampering with my settings to demonstrate simply that their software disables TLS, which causes other issues as well, but I'm only addressing the one with iTunes in this forum, and only then did he bother to check with his higher-ups who told him it was supposed to do that to a customer's computer.

Reply