Installed new OpenLP 2.94 and McAfee says openlp.exe is a virus

JohnnyFowler

See Attached photo. Running with new HP Laptop i7 processor with Windows 11.

raoul

That's a false positive. We'll see if we can report it to McAfee.

raoul

Hey @JohnnyFowler could you submit this as a false positive to McAfee? I run Linux, so I don't need antivirus software, and McAfee doesn't run on Linux.

https://service.mcafee.com/?locale=en-US&articleId=TS103032&fromSearch=true&page=shell&shell=article-view

JohnnyFowler

Attached is a pdf copy of email I sent to McAfee as a false positive per your request.

Christina

Anti viruses are the worst viruses.

These "plugins" are not able to detect viruses, they only slow your work, clutter your PC and empty your wallet.

Instead of protecting you, they detect legit apps and quarantine them.

It is a joke.

Uninstall them, before they stop you of using your own PC to do what you need to do.

JohnnyFowler

I’m using the new OpenLP 2.9.4 on Windows 10 & 11. However, the new McAfee Antivirus updates show the “OpenLP.exe” as a virus in Windows 10 & 11. I have contacted the OpenLP Forum, and they assure me that this is a FALSE Positive, and that OpenLP.exe has no virus. I filed this False Positive with McAfee, to no avail. However, you can exclude the OpenLP.exe file from McAfee scan as follows.

(1) Download OpenLP 2.9.4 for Windows Installer 32 or 64 bit Direct Download from https://openlp.org and install. Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may try to prevent the installation. Select “More info” and click “Run anyway.”

DO NOT try to Start OpenLP at the Finish step of installation, because McAfee will quarantine and/or delete OpenLP.exe.

(2) Open McAfee Protection program.

(3) Select Real-Time Scanning settings.

(4) At the Excluded Files window, click “Add”

(5) File Explorer will open, navigate to “C:\Program Files\OpenLP” folder and select “OpenLP.exe”

(6) It may take a little while for McAfee to the ADD of OpenLP.exe to Excluded Files, just wait.

When OpenLP.exe appears in Exclude Files, then you are ready to go.

I’ve been promoting and using OpenLP for many years, and our ministry tries to help small churches with limited budgets in installation and setup. I hope this helps you!

Johnny

JohnnyFowler

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I was able to get OpenLP 2.9.4 to work on Windows 10 with the McAfee fix above. It fixed the issue of seeing OpenLP 2.9.4 as a virus on Windows 11, but McAfee also protecting Windows 11 from some other issues when OpenLP is started. Still researching this one.

Johnny

Christina

Hi Johnny,

The best solution is to uninstall the culprit: McAfee antivirus.

You certainly know tons of people telling that their antivirus program has protected them against a "virus", a "trojan", a "worm", or maybe even a "snake" and what not.

99.9999% of the time, it is the antivirus app boasting of having protected you, when actually nothing bad really happened. It needs to do that so that people are buying into it. Think of it.

PaulRowell

I wouldn't recommend using your PC without any antivirus software. You need to whitelist OpenLP.

The built in antivirus software in Windows also gave a false positive but I think this has now been resolved, so you could just use that.

JohnnyFowler

Thanks everyone, in Windows 10, I excluded the OpenLP.exe file which is the same as whitelisting. It works great in Windows 10 now. See my previous note above. As for Windows 11, I'll try fixing it later.

raoul

The built in antivirus software in Windows also gave a false positive but I think this has now been resolved, so you could just use that.

Yes, I reported it, and Microsoft removed it almost immediately.

McAfee, on the other hand, seems to purposefully make it difficult to remove false positiives. You have to actually be a McAfee user in order to report the false positive, and they generally don't seem to respond.

JohnnyFowler

I downloaded the OpenLP 2.9.4 from gitlab as a zip. I extracted it to my Windows 10 and ran McAfee on everything in the zip and no virus was found. It must be added by the Window packaging you are using to make the .exe or .msi. Also, it could be the debug functionality that is added to received reports of problems. Is there any way you can send me a compiled OpenLP.exe for the Portable App without the debug functions. I can get everything that I need in 2.94 as it is (except the Custom use for YouTube display).

Thanks,

Johnny Fowler

405-620-3765

JohnnyFowler

I uninstalled McAfee and Malwarebytes due to no responses to my request to whitelist OpenLP.exe. I have install AVG Premium Antivirus and it does the job of the previous two and less costly. No problems on Windows 10 or Windows 11 with Openlp.exe. It scans a NO virus now. Love it.