Product Description

PC Tools Internet Security combines award-winning

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3239 in Software
• Brand: Red Frog Group
• Model: PISX601F
• Released on: 2009-02-04
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM
• Dimensions: .60 pounds

Features

• Offers powerful anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall and spam protection in one application
• Detects, removes and blocks all types of spyware, adware, viruses, Trojans, worms, keyloggers and other online threats
• Frequent updates ensure that you are always protected against the latest known threats; free friendly support for all customers
• Protection from hackers, intruders and other unauthorized software or network attacks; spam filtering for protection against unsolicited email
• Intelligent automatic protection makes it simple to use for novices but configurable enough for expert users

Amazon.com
All-in-one security suite featuring multi-award winning anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall and spam protection, PC Tools Internet Security provides a simple, streamlined user interface over a robust, powerful back-end. The individual components of PC Tools Internet Security are integrated into the home screen and can be quickly activated and configured with just a few simple clicks. This intuitive design gives users easy access to manage the security settings of their computer.

All-in-one security suite featuring multi-award winning anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall and spam protection. Click to enlarge.

Powerful scanning engine removes harmful threats and the real-time IntelliGuard tools keep them out. Click to enlarge.

The Intelli-Scan feature quickly hunts and kills running spyware threats. Click to enlarge.

Protects against identity theft, stealthy spyware, aggressive adware, browser hijackers, malicious ActiveX objects, malware Trojans, tracking cookies, keyloggers, dialers, and other malware. Click to enlarge.

Includes

PC Tools Spyware Doctor

• Exclusive--Behavior Guard stops threats that others miss.
• Powerful scanning engine removes harmful threats and the real-time IntelliGuard tools keep them out.

PC Tools AntiVirus

• Advanced protection with behavioral scanning and rapid database updates.
• Powerful scanning engine detects, disinfects, and destroys viruses, trojans, and worms.
• Automatically checks for threats in files received through instant messaging and email.

PC Tools Firewall Plus

• Use the built-in configuration or set your own advanced rules.
• Automatic protection without all the annoying questions.
• Comprehensive network shielding ensures your PC remains safe and hacker free.

PC Tools Spam Monitor

• Real-time blacklists keep your filters up-to-date automatically.
• Helps protect against phishing scams, email fraud and other identity threats.
• Unlimited POP3 and IMAP connections supported.

Anti-Spyware & Anti-Virus

Anti-Spyware
Protects against identity theft, stealthy spyware, aggressive adware, browser hijackers, malicious ActiveX objects, malware Trojans, tracking cookies, keyloggers, dialers, and other malware.

Anti-Virus
Protects computers from viruses, worms, Trojans and other malicious infections.

Real-time protection
IntelliGuard constantly monitors for malicious behavior involving spyware processes, tracking cookies, malicious ActiveX objects, browser hijackers, keyloggers, Trojans and more. IntelliGuard blocks these threats before they can cause any harm.

On-Demand scanning to clean infected computers
Unique, patent-pending spider scanning technology intelligently scans to identify all types of spyware and virus threats. The Intelli-Scan feature quickly hunts and kills running spyware threats.

Advanced rootkit detection
Using behavioral techniques, PC Tools Internet Security easily finds and removes hidden files and programs called rootkits and other items that attempt to hide themselves.

Email Guard
Protects against virus and spyware threats being sent or received through email. All popular e-mail applications (such as Outlook Express, Eudora & Netscape Mail and Thunderbird) that use POP, IMAP or SMTP are supported by Email Guard.

Site Guard
Protects against potentially malicious websites and phishing attacks where dangerous sites are masquerading as legitimate eCommerce sites.

Anti-Spam

Supports popular e-mail clients
Anti-Spam works with a range of popular email clients including all recent versions of Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla Mail and Eudora (for POP3 & IMAP).

Adaptive and automated behavioral technology
Anti-Spam is trained to automatically identify spam e-mails using intuitive behavioral (Bayesian) technology. The filter technology identifies spam e-mail with increasing precision as it is exposed to a greater number and range of spam e-mails.

Automated white-list for e-mails or domains
White-listed e-mails and IP addresses are those which Anti-Spam marks as safe and will never be marked as spam.

Custom settings for fine-tuning spam detection
Anti-Spam includes a number of customizable settings for the advanced user, which can be configured to enhance and fine-tune its ability to identify spam.

Firewall

Smart application Rules
Allows the user to create a behavior-based set of rules that control how applications connect to the Internet and networks.

Stealth Mode protection
Makes a user's computer invisible to other computers on the network and Internet. When in Stealth Mode, a user's computer is able to make connections to other computers on the network, but prevents other computers from connecting with theirs.

Data validation using SPI (stateful packet inspection)
If a special "handshake" is successful, data transfer is allowed. If not, all traffic is blocked ensuring no unauthorized data is transferred to or from a user's computer.

Software application protection
Firewall offers protection for applications by guarding them against unauthorized access. Enabling this option will shield applications from all unauthorized attempts to take control of them.

Additional Features

Automatic Smart Updates
Automatic, frequent updates to detect and guard against new threats and viruses as well as provide enhancements to Internet Security can be installed without the need for user interaction.

Scheduler tool to automate regular scanning and updates
Allows users to schedule scans or Smart Updates at their own specified times and intervals. These actions can be conducted in the background and set to begin only when CPU usage is below a specified level, ensuring minimal impact on system performance.

Software Application protection
Enabling this option will shield applications from all unauthorized attempts to take control of them.

Customer Reviews

Very good.
I'm kind of a personal computer security freak. It seems I've tried everything out there at least once: Norton/Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, Zone Alarm, Avast, Kaspersky, etc. I'll compare this product to the ones I have come across.

In terms of user friendliness, I give this product a 4.5/5. It's visually oriented, without any complex menus and submenus to deal with. Reminds me of Norton and McAfee in terms of the ability to quickly access what you need to get done with the program.

When it comes to your machine, handling this program, it's a 4/5. It's definitely not as lightweight as McAfee, Trend Micro, or Avast, but it's way easier on your memory and hard drive than the infamous destructive force "I need a new computer b/c my anti-virus program destroyed it" Norton or the "I'm afraid of my next door neighbor hacking into my computer" Kaspersky users.

In terms of personal security, this program is really the works: antivirus, firewall, spam, spyware. I give it 3.5/5. It has a wide variety of things it monitors, but as often is the case with such products, the more you spread out your resources, the fewer bugs you catch. In terms of variety of options, yet lack of a sophisticated and comprehensive database of bugs, this reminds me of McAfee, Avast, Trend Micro, Zone Alarm.

So, to finish off, see where you fit in:

If you are regular computer user, who doesn't go to "iffy" web site, doesn't download things from "iffy" sources, this is really an excellent program for you, especially for the money. If you don't like this program for some reason, I'd recommend Trend-Micro, Avast (which is free but not nearly as comprehensive), or McAfee.

If you are constantly under threat from viruses/worms/hackers/spyware and want an extremely powerful and comprehensive program designed by a certified genius that will basically allow you to control every 1 and 0 that comes into your computer, you have the time to set it up and maintain properly, and you have an extremely powerful computer that can handle it, get the Kaspersky Security Suite.

I wouldn't recommend Norton to even my worst enemy. Because it's the most popular program worldwide, virus makers and hackers love to target it with all sorts of new things, basically shutting down the program before it can even protect you (great, huh?). And not to mention, that this program buries into your hard-drive so far down, that not even a professional can't salvage your computer from the damage (i.e. slowing your computer down), Norton causes after you uninstall it. I beg you, if you are thinking of getting a new PC, DEMAND from the computer manufacturer that you DO NOT get a pre-installed free trial of Norton on your computer which is all too often the case as Symantec tries to purposefully dominate the market with its "superior" product.

Great scanning, problems setting up firewall on XP
Synopsis:
This product has a great set of tools, pretty much everything that you would want to have in an integrated security suite. I would give it 4, maybe 5 stars, for the scanning capabilities (antivirus, spyware, etc), but I had a lot of trouble getting the firewall to behave properly on Windows XP SP 3. The anti-malware scanning seems to be top-notch, with the anti-spyware being industry recognized as a best of breed product. The firewall leaves a bit to be desired and has too many pop-ups requesting permission. PC Tools offers a version of the product which is all the scanning without the firewall, I'd probably get that and then get the highly rated free "Sunbelt" software firewall (google it). I'd feel comfortable knowing that I had a high quality anti-malware program (PC Tools antivirus premium) watching out for me.

Details:
I reformatted a three year old computer and installed Windows XP with Service Pack 3. This meant I had a clean installation. I then copied my backed up "My Documents" folder onto the system. I then installed PC Tools. The initial install seemed to go great. I ran a scan of the system, which was quite speedy and very easy to do. The software found 4 threats which the previous free product (AVG antivirus) hadn't found. It also fixed the threats very easily. Given that AVG is a commonly recommended free scanning utility and PC Tools software immediately found and fixed problems that AVG missed, I've decided it isn't worth risking my computer to free anti-virus programs.

However, my internet connection did not work immediately following the install. After some investigation I determined that the firewall was being overly restrictive and was blocking absolutely everything. I had to turn down the security level and manually add in exceptions for things such as Internet Explorer. After that it seemed to run okay, but I was bothered with quite a few pop ups from the firewall asking for permission from quite a few programs that were legitimate programs. I tried doing the smart update on the product several times to update it, but was still actually quite dismayed when I found that the free firewall on the PC Tools site carried a newer version than the firewall included in this product. So, I'm not too sure why I would pay for their security suite with an older integrated firewall.

I've read a lot about security suites in the past year and it truly seems to me that you can either get the best scanning suites or the best firewall products, but you won't find a single vendor that offers the best of both worlds in single suite. It is a bit of a pain, but your best protection will come from mixing products. Just do NOT mix more than one firewall or more than one scanning suite unless your are quite sure of what you are doing or you may end up with a very, very slow computer.

You Can't Go Wrong with PC Tools
PC Tools comes complete with Behavior Guard which protects you against threats that have never been seen before (called zero-day) and that alone is a good reason to own this suite. The program is built on the ThreatFire technology which has won numerous awards, which combined with all the other benefits of PC Tools, like its anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, its firewall and its anti-spam protection, which not only works with Outlook, but Mozilla's Thunderbird as well, make this a suite well worth considering.

Throw in Browser Defender, which works with Internet Explorer to give you safety alerts when you go to a dodgy website and which also checks downloads for spyware, adware and viruses and warns you when you do both Google or Yahoo searches about dangerous websites, then you've really got a heck of a program. Well, you do if it works.

Installation on my XP machine went without issue. Then I downloaded the database of new viruses and threats, jeez they just keep making 'em, you'd think the people who think these up could find a more constructive use of their time. I rebooted and was good to go. I did an Intelli scan, which is supposed to go the usual places bad stuff hangs out on your computer and found and removed several threats and infections. Then I did a full scan and found a few more and in less time than I thought I was good to go.

All that being said, the real jewel of this software is Spyware Doctor. I've read that over 110 million people have it installed on their machines and 110 million people can't be wrong. It's just a gem of a program in it's own right. You can't go wrong with PC tools, however, it does uses a bit more memory than the two other security suites I've used, but if you've got plenty of ram, and who doesn't these days, then that's not a problem. five big stars from me.