PC Tools

Short description: Australian software company

PC Tools

Type| Sàrl
Founded| 25 February 2003; 23 years ago (2003-02-25) (as WinGuides.com)
Headquarters|

Australia

Number of locations

| Luxembourg
United States
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Ireland

Area served

| Worldwide

Key people

| Dave Cole
(Vice President and General Manager)

Number of employees

| 200+
Website| pctools.com

PC Tools (founded in 2003),[1] formerly known as WinGuides.com,[2] was a software company acquired by Symantec in 2008; the new owner eventually discontinued the PC Tools name. Company headquarters were in Australia, with offices in Luxembourg, the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Ukraine. The company had previously developed and distributed security and optimization software for the Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows platforms.

## Contents

* 1 Products
* 1.1 PC Tools Browser Defender
* 1.2 PC Tools iAntiVirus
* 1.3 PC Tools Internet Security
* 1.4 PC Tools Registry Mechanic
* 1.5 PC Tools Spyware Doctor
* 1.5.1 PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus
* 1.6 ThreatExpert
* 2 Acquisition by Symantec
* 3 Reception
* 4 Criticism
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Products

By 29 November 2006 software owned by PC Tools had been downloaded over 125 million times.[3]

Products  | Name | Version | Last Release Date | Notes

|
|
|

Browser Defender | 3.0.0.312 | 12 May 2011 | [4]
PC Tools Antivirus | 9 | Unavailable | [5]
PC Tools Desktop Maestro | 3.1.0.232 | 16 November 2009 | [6]
PC Tools File Recover | 9 | 31 October 2011 | [7]
PC Tools iAntiVirus | 1.36 | 28 August 2009 | [8]
PC Tools Internet Security | 9 | Unavailable | [9]
PC Tools Performance Toolkit | 2 | 31 October 2011 | [10]
PC Tools Privacy Guardian | 4.5 | Unavailable | [11]
PC Tools Registry Mechanic | 11 | 31 October 2011 | [12]
PC Tools Simple Backup | 3 | Unavailable | [13]
PC Tools Spyware Doctor | 9 | Unavailable | [14]
PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus | 9 | Unavailable | [15]
Miscellaneous Products  | Name | Notes

|

PC Tools Browser Explorer | [16]
Startup Explorer | [17]
ThreatExpert | [18]

### PC Tools Browser Defender

PC Tools Browser Defender,[4] also called Browser Defender for short, is a browser toolbar for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers on Windows based computers. Browser Defender allows for safe web surfing.

### PC Tools iAntiVirus

iAntivirus was updated in 2012 and rebranded under Symantec's Norton brand.

PC Tools iAntiVirus is free antivirus software for Intel based Apple Macintosh computers running Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) initially released in June 2008, used to detect and remove malware, spyware and malicious exploits, using both signature-based and heuristic detection.

AntiVirus was criticized because it only scans for Macintosh viruses, ignoring Windows and Linux viruses. It was praised for its speed and low usage of system resources.[19][20][21][22]

### PC Tools Internet Security

PC Tools Internet Security,[9] was the combination of the Spyware Doctor product the Firewall product and the Anti Spam product. It provided the functionality of all three stand alone products into a single seamless product. Symantec is no longer offering this product as of 18 May 2013. It was payware designed for Windows 8 (32-/64-bit), Windows 7 (32-/64-bit), Windows Vista (32-/64-bit) and Windows XP (32-bit).

### PC Tools Registry Mechanic

PC Tools Registry Mechanic,[12] the first software PC Tools released,[23] scanned the Windows registry to find errors. Version 11, released on 31 October 2011, is the last one.

### PC Tools Spyware Doctor

Screenshot of PC Tools Spyware Doctor

PC Tools Spyware Doctor,[14] is anti-malware software. Spyware Doctor detects malware based on indicators of compromise using its spider technology.[24] The most recent version of Spyware Doctor is 9, which was released on 31 October 2011. Symantec is no longer offering this product as of 18 May 2013.

#### PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus

Screenshot of PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus

PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus[15] has the same features as Spyware Doctor, with added anti-virus capabilities.[25] Symantec has not sold this since 2013; v9 is the last one available.

### ThreatExpert

The ThreatExpert[18] Web site says that it is an advanced automated threat analysis system (initialized ATAS) built to analyze and report the actions of malware in a fully automated mode.[26] As of March 2015[update] the latest version was beta version 1.0.1.0 of 1 March 2008. There have been no updates since March 2008, and the Web site seems inactive.

## Acquisition by Symantec

On 18 August 2008, Symantec announced the signing of an agreement to acquire PC Tools such that PC Tools would maintain separate operations.[27] The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Symantec acquired PC Tools for US$262,000,000 on 6 October 2008.[28]

Symantec withdrew the entire PC Tools security portfolio, comprising PC Tools Internet Security, Spyware Doctor and Spyware Doctor with Antivirus, on 18 May 2013;[29] PC Tools was not sold and could not be renewed from 4 December 2013. Symantec said that this would not affect PC Tools Utilities products.

## Reception

Spyware Doctor received the PC World Best Buy award in the October 2007 issue of the magazine saying "PC Tools' Spyware Doctor 5.0 was the winner, outperforming the competition at detecting and removing our test set of adware and spyware samples."[30]

Spyware Doctor has received several Editors' Choice awards from PC Magazine,[31] including one for Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 5.5 in 2008.[32] The product has also received numerous other awards from around the globe.

Not all reviews have been positive and early versions of Spyware Doctor 5.0, which the company rewrote from scratch, received some negative commentary.[33] CNET's Download.com reviews, justifies the 3-star rating by saying, "in our trial scans, Spyware Doctor repeatedly flagged several dozen harmless cookies as potential threats, more than any other antispyware product we tested. We were also unable to learn more about each threat or why Spyware Doctor flagged each."

## Criticism

Symantec was unsuccessfully sued by a Washington resident for running fake scans to get people to pay for subscriptions to PC Tools's Registry Mechanic, Performance Toolkit, and Norton Utilities[34] The lawsuit claims the company intentionally ran the fake scans and the results were not real.[35]

## References

1. ↑ "PC TOOLS RESEARCH PTY LTD". Australian Securities and Investments Commission. http://www.search.asic.gov.au/cgi-bin/gns030c?acn=103_856_882&juris=9&hdtext=ACN&srchsrc=1.
2. ↑ "PC Tools Guides for Windows". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/guides/.
3. ↑ "PC Tools' software passes the 125 million download threshold". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/news/view/id/152/.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Browser Defender™". PC Tools. http://www.browserdefender.com/.
5. ↑ "PC Tools™ AntiVirus Free". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/.
6. ↑ "Release of Desktop Maestro v3.1.0.232". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?53102-Release-of-Desktop-Maestro-v3.1.0.232.
7. ↑ "PC Tools™ File Recover". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/file-recover/.
8. ↑ "PC Tools iAntiVirus". PC Tools. http://www.iantivirus.com/.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "PC Tools™ Internet Security". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/internet-security/.
10. ↑ "PC Tools™ Performance Toolkit". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/performance-toolkit/.
11. ↑ "PC Tools™ Privacy Guardian Internet Privacy Software". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/privacy-guardian/.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "PC Tools Registry Mechanic™". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/.
13. ↑ "PC Tools™ Simple Backup™ Automatic Backup Software". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/simple-backup/.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "PC Tools Spyware Doctor™ AntiSpyware Software". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "PC Tools Spyware Doctor™ with AntiVirus". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/.
16. ↑ "PC Tools Browser Explorer". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/browser-explorer/.
17. ↑ "Startup Explorer". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/startup-explorer/.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "ThreatExpert". PC Tools. http://www.threatexpert.com.
19. ↑ iAntiVirus 1.0 Antivirus & Security Software Review | Macworld
20. ↑ PC Tools iAntiVirus review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of Anti malware software
21. ↑ "iAntiVirus for Mac (Free) – Worth Using? » TipsFor.us". http://www.tipsfor.us/2008/12/04/iantivirus-for-mac-free-worth-using/.
22. ↑ iAntiVirus is lean, simple antimalware protection for Macs | TechBlog | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
23. ↑ "Registry Mechanic Released". PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/news/view/id/8/.
24. ↑ "News". http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070319005514/en/PC-Tools-Newly-Released-Spyware-Doctor-Designed-Knockout.
25. ↑ "PC Tools AntiVirus engine". http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?49444-PC-Tools-AntiVirus-engine.
26. ↑ "ThreatExpert: Introduction". ThreatExpert. http://www.threatexpert.com/introduction.aspx.
27. ↑ "Symantec to Acquire PC Tools". Symantec. http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20080818_02.
28. ↑ "SEC Form 10-K, Symantec Corp, period: April 3, 2009, p. 82". Symantec. 1 June 2009. http://symantec.q4cdn.com/c4c9f442-a705-4d86-a311-960d1a71d1cc.pdf.
29. ↑ "Official Site | Norton™ - Antivirus & Anti-Malware Software". http://www.pctools.com/en/product-eol/index/faq/security/.
30. ↑ Naraine, Ryan. "PC Tools Spyware Doctor 5.0 Review", PC World, 21 August 2007
31. ↑ Rubenking, Neil. "Weeding out the spys - Editors' Choice: Spyware Doctor 3.2", PC Magazine, 19 June 2005
32. ↑ Rubenking, Neil. "Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 5.5 - Editors' Choice Review", PC Magazine, 22 January 2008
33. ↑ Vamosi, Robert. "Nettlesome glitches sink Spyware Doctor 5", CNN, 29 March 2007
34. ↑ Yin, Sara (12 January 2012). "Symantec Sued for Scareware Tactics". PC Magazine. http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/292826-symantec-sued-for-scareware-tactics.
35. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (11 January 2012). "Lawsuit Claims Symantec "Scareware" Warns Of Fake Threats To Sell Upgrades". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/01/11/lawsuit-claims-symantec-scareware-warns-of-fake-threats-to-sell-upgrades/.Forbes]&rft.aulast=Greenberg&rft.aufirst=Andy&rft.au=Greenberg, Andy&rft.date=11+January+2012&rft_id=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/01/11/lawsuit-claims-symantec-scareware-warns-of-fake-threats-to-sell-upgrades/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Company:PC_Tools">

## External links

* ThreatExpert
* iAntiVirus
* Browser Defender

* v
* t
* e

Antivirus software

Companies|

| Major|

* AhnLab
* Avast
* AVG Technologies
* Avira
* Bitdefender
* Comodo
* Dr. Web
* ESET
* F-Secure
* Kaspersky
* McAfee
* Microsoft
* NortonLifeLock
* Panda
* Quick Heal
* Qihoo 360
* Sophos
* Trend Micro
* VIPRE

|

Minor|

* Agnitum
* Cisco
* Check Point
* ClamWin
* Fortinet
* FRISK
* G Data
* Intego
* Kingsoft
* Lavasoft
* Malwarebytes
* NANO Security
* Padvish
* TrustPort
* VirusBlokAda
* Webroot
* ZoneAlarm

Products|

| Desktop,
server|

* 360 Safeguard
* AhnLab V3 Internet Security
* Avast Antivirus
* AVG AntiVirus
* Avira Internet Security
* Bitdefender
* ClamTk
* ClamWin
* Clam AntiVirus
* Comodo Antivirus
* Comodo Internet Security
* Dr. Web
* Element Anti-Virus
* ESET NOD32
* F-Secure
* F-PROT
* Fortinet
* G Data
* Immunet
* Mac Internet Security
* K7 Total Security
* Kaspersky Anti-Virus
* Kaspersky Internet Security
* Malwarebytes
* McAfee VirusScan
* Microsoft Security Essentials
* NANO Antivirus
* Norton AntiVirus
* Norton Internet Security
* Panda
* Sophos
* Symantec Endpoint Protection
* Spyware Doctor
* Trend Micro Internet Security
* TrustPort
* Vba32 AntiVirus
* VirusBarrier
* Windows Defender
* ZoneAlarm

|

Mobile,
tablet|

* AhnLab Mobile Security
* Avast Antivirus
* AVG AntiVirus
* Avira Free Android Security
* Bitdefender Mobile Security
* CM Security
* Comodo Mobile Security
* Dr. Web Mobile Security Suite
* ESET Mobile Security
* F-Secure Mobile Security
* FireAMP Mobile
* G Data Internet Security
* McAfee Mobile Security
* Trend Micro Mobile Security
* TrustPort Mobile Security
* VirusBarrier

Related|

* Comparison of antivirus software

* v
* t
* e

Firewall software

* Application firewall
* Context-based access control
* Personal firewall
* Stateful firewall
* Virtual firewall

Linux|

| Apps|

* FireHOL
* Firestarter
* firewalld
* Netfilter
* ipset
* iptables
* L7-filter
* NuFW
* MoBlock
* nftables
* Privoxy
* Shorewall
* Squid
* Uncomplicated Firewall

|

Distros|

* Endian Firewall
* IPFire
* LEDE
* OpenWrt
* SmoothWall
* Untangle
* Zeroshell

BSD|

| Apps|

* IPFilter
* ipfirewall
* NPF
* PF
* CARP
* pfsync

|

Distros|

* M0n0wall
* OPNsense
* pfSense
* SmallWall

macOS|

* Little Snitch
* NetBarrier X4
* PeerGuardian
* VirusBarrier X6

Windows|

| Commercial|

* Check Point Integrity
* Kaspersky Internet Security
* McAfee Personal Firewall Plus
* Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway
* Norton 360
* Norton Internet Security
* Norton Personal Firewall
* Outpost Firewall Pro
* Symantec Endpoint Protection
* Trend Micro Internet Security
* Windows Firewall
* Windows Live OneCare
* WinGate
* WinRoute

|

Freemium|

* Comodo Internet Security
* ZoneAlarm

Open-source|

* PeerBlock
* PeerGuardian

Appliances|

* Palo Alto PA-Series
* F5 BIG-IP iSeries
* FortiGate Series
* Novell BorderManager
* Vyatta
* ZoneAlarm Z100G
* Zorp firewall

* Comparison of firewalls
* List of router or firewall distributions

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