Anyone going to give the new PC Tools AV a spin?

[Wordward]

I know there have been a few problems in the past and it has had only average detection rates, but it sure looks promising now. This is one of the few AV's I haven't tried, but it now somehow looks a bit more tempting. LOL. http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50220

[deanmartin]

I have never tried there AV, but like there Firewall and use it.

[C.S.J]

yes, YOU are going to try it :)

Dont forget to mention its pros and cons when you return back ;)

[Dieselman]

Any and all of PC Tools software will slow your pc to a crawl. Spyware Doctor slowed my pc way down and the boot times take forever. The virus was the same. Never tried the firewall. The only thing PC Tools makes good is Registry Mechanic.

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> Any and all of PC Tools software will slow your pc to a crawl.

<snip>

Never tried the firewall. <-QUOTE}
I rest my case.

[djohn]

{QUOTE-> yes, YOU are going to try it :)

Dont forget to mention its pros and cons when you return back ;) <-QUOTE}
Lmao I second that

[EASTER]

Any AV's as useful as they been over the years (tongue in cheek), IMO will never be practical enough untill they too apply a layered approach with HIPS, Sandboxing, and virutaliziing.

Signature based apps like those alone, even with pro-active features simply are no match on their own. Plus they have to wedge deep into the system to be of any real use and that always leads to conflicts/issues that can (speculation), deteriorate normal performance.

[Wordward]

I'm flattered to be picked on. CSJ and djohn. LOL. It is deserved though as I am notorious for trying out different stuff, but I must say I am still a little afraid to try this one yet. Besides the low detection rates it has had in the past, it has also had some troubles. That's why I was hoping for someone else to tell me how it is. LOL.

[C.S.J]

LOL you think it will mess up your machine, so you want someone else to mess up thier machine first ;)

- dont worry, you ain't being picked on ;)

[aigle]

{QUOTE-> LOL you think it will mess up your machine, so you want someone else to mess up thier machine first ;)
<-QUOTE}
No problem in that as many users have dedicated test machines or VMs.

[bigc73542]

I ran PC-Tools AV on this computer for two weeks to give it a run. I had no problems with it at all, it didn't find anything but that didn't surprise me as I haven't been infected in over six years and even then it was my fault not my av 8) PC-Tools AV did run light and seemed to be doing it's job.

bigc


Vista Premium
AMD Sempron 64 3200+
1250 mb' ram

[Wordward]

No I don't want anyone to mess up their machines, but at the same time I don't want to mess up mine as I can't fix it like some of you are able to do because I'm dumber. LOL. You guys with your VM's are to be envied IMO. Also thanks bigc73542. I have been using AVG Pro that I still have 9 months left on its license for the last couple of days, but you know me,gotta keep trying stuff. Not sure if it's worth swapping AVG for PC Tools just yet, although solcroft did tell me in the PC Tools Forum that PCTAV has heuristics, and the new version is suppose to be much lighter and have an improved engine.

[EliteKiller]

{QUOTE-> I ran PC-Tools AV on this computer for two weeks to give it a run. I had no problems with it at all, it didn't find anything but that didn't surprise me as I haven't been infected in over six years and even then it was my fault not my av 8) PC-Tools AV did run light and seemed to be doing it's job. <-QUOTE}

I can name a few craptastic AV's that run light and seemed to be doing its job, but in the end crap is still crap no matter how much you try and polish it. ;)

[Wordward]

I don't know if your implying PCTAV is crap, but until the new version has been tested we won't know how good it's detection is. For free this may end up being as good as AVG Free or even Avast Home.

[bigc73542]

Some people don't trust any testing site except av-comparatives but PC-Tools AV was tested here. http://www.westcoastlabs.com/checkmark/ And PC-Tools av has also been tested by ICSA Labs and has passed their malware detection test. I realize this doesn't make it the AV for everyone. But it has been tested. Oh and before I forget it also passed at Virus Bulletin

[bigc73542]

And trojan test

[19monty64]

PCTAV used with TF should provide sufficient protection. They work well together, even with the FW. I favor AntiVir and eventually went back. Give the PCTools-suite a try, it may surprise you how light it is compared to "the doctor"...ya know ya wanna!!!

[Wordward]

Where have you been 19monty64? I finally hear from you and already your pushing me to try some security software. LOL. I am finding it hard not to try PCTAV, but AVG is running good and I'm just to tired to uninstall it for now. Maybe if I hear that PCTAV does well in some more tests I'll give it a spin. I'm actually down to using only TF and the AV component of the AVG ISS someone gave me a license for over a year ago. be sure to check out all of my posts to catch up with everything I've installed since you been here. LOL. I would like to know more about the heuristics PCTAV is suppose to have for both real time detection and scanning. See ya and take care.

[NAMOR]

What av engine is the new PCTOOLS AV using. Still using Virus Buster or whatever it was called?

[19monty64]

{QUOTE-> What av engine is the new PCTOOLS AV using. Still using Virus Buster or whatever it was called? <-QUOTE}
It's hard to say. The lack of info on PCTool's-apps (especially from their forum) is the drawback to using their AV. Honestly though, Wordward, using TF to compliment ANY AV would be a safe bet. It is only for testing purposes and you are behind a router

[19monty64]

{QUOTE-> Where have you been 19monty64? <-QUOTE} I'm always lurking... {QUOTE-> I finally hear from you and already your pushing me to try some security software. LOL. I am finding it hard not to try PCTAV, but AVG is running good and I'm just to tired to uninstall it for now. Maybe if I hear that PCTAV does well in some more tests I'll give it a spin. <-QUOTE} It did good on tests I did....is that enough convincing??? {QUOTE-> I'm actually down to using only TF and the AV component of the AVG ISS someone gave me a license for over a year ago. be sure to check out all of my posts to catch up with everything I've installed since you been here. LOL. <-QUOTE} TF & AV is all I use... {QUOTE-> I would like to know more about the heuristics PCTAV is suppose to have for both real time detection and scanning. See ya and take care. <-QUOTE}
as I said, info on it is really lacking. The good thing is though, that they offer an entire suite free for the testing. Posting results here (instead of their forum) would be a good bet.

ciao4now...back2xboxlive...

[Wordward]

Thank you kind sir. AVG is getting better and I am slowly losing my urge to try PCTAV. LOL. I can wait until the next AV Comparatives to see how it does. If of course it's tested.

[Dieselman]

{QUOTE-> Thank you kind sir. AVG is getting better and I am slowly losing my urge to try PCTAV. LOL. I can wait until the next AV Comparatives to see how it does. If of course it's tested. <-QUOTE}
NOD32 and KAV always own the top spots.Not sure if PC Tools or AVG free will be even on there. I know AVG Pro is.

[Fly]

{QUOTE-> Any and all of PC Tools software will slow your pc to a crawl. Spyware Doctor slowed my pc way down and the boot times take forever. The virus was the same. Never tried the firewall. The only thing PC Tools makes good is Registry Mechanic. <-QUOTE}

I'd disagree about the Registry Mechanic, I've tried it, and it clashed with my McAfee software and possibly Counterspy.

[aigle]

I asked on their forums. It,s till based upon Virus Buster.

[Woody777]

I tried this AV with Sygate Firewall. Sygate barely loaded. Finally on reboot got it going then I thought I would try DSA with it. Snapshot wouldn't even boot, errors all over the place. Overwrote the Snapshot & gave it up. Then later I tried with Windows Server 2003 in a VM, believe it or not it loads fine & seems to work fine. Tried with another VM in XP Pro along with the PCT Firewall, at last report that worked even better. It seems to run a little better than the first time I tried it. As for effectiveness it found a trojan the first time I ran it. Then I loaded Kaspersky SOS along with it. Kaspersky found nothing so I guess this AV might work ok. I suspect it works just fine with the PC Tools firewall. However when I installed the AV first the PCT Firewall would not load its drivers. I would be careful using this product. BUT it is free & seems to work with Windows Server 2003. If you are going to use it with a firewall maybe you should install the Firewall first.

[NAMOR]

{QUOTE-> I asked on their forums. It,s till based upon Virus Buster. <-QUOTE}

Thanks for the info.

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> Thanks for the info. <-QUOTE}
Unless he sent a private message to a mod or something like that, his question was asked AGES ago.

[aigle]

Solcroft, see my post here!( Shaheen)

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50229

Two weeks can be ages for u, but not for me.

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> Solcroft, see my post here!( Shaheen)

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50229

Two weeks can be ages for u, but not for me. <-QUOTE}
I stand corrected.

Why not ask the PC Tools staff instead of the Novatix staff, though?

[C.S.J]

Whether a question or comment is made somewhere else, it still should be posted here.

Personally, wilders is #1 and covers most of the topics, so I would hate to keep searching/registering on other forums for answers.

Why do that, when the answers are right here ;)

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> so I would hate to keep searching/registering on other forums for answers. <-QUOTE}
That's your problem.

[C.S.J]

I dont have a problem thank you.

[trjam]

{QUOTE-> That's your problem. <-QUOTE}
that remark is really uncalled for and not fair. Even if a person posted in the forum for any vendor they have the right to also post here. The reality is you may get a better answer here at Wilders. Geez, the arrogance of some here.:ouch:

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> The reality is you may get a better answer here at Wilders. <-QUOTE}
... That certainly made me laugh.

trjam, this place is filled with misinformation like little other. Reading the forums is oftem more of a test of critical thinking ability to sift the bullshitting majority from the valuable information, rather than a process of any real learning. This place is entertaining, but if you're seriously trying to learn I sincerely suggest you try your luck elsewhere unless you're very good at cutting through crap.

But point taken anyway, even if I disagree with you.

[BlueZannetti]

{QUOTE-> trjam, this place is filled with misinformation like little other. Reading the forums is oftem more of a test of critical thinking ability to sift the bullshitting majority from the valuable information, rather than a process of any real learning. This place is entertaining, but if you're seriously trying to learn I sincerely suggest you try your luck elsewhere unless you're very good at cutting through crap. <-QUOTE}Learning is messy business wherever you attempt to do it, be it a public site or in the privacy of your home. When anyone tries to stretch their understanding of a topic, incorrect information is bound to appear. In time, the discussion is usually vetted to some reasonabley correct level. This happens in classrooms on a daily basis.

An important point to retain is that much of the discussion here and elsewhere is not based on purely factual elements. It's based on aesthetic perceptions (ease of use, convenience, alignment with desires), operational use in an unnormalized heterogeneous environment (it may be the fastest thing on the planet, but it slows my PC to a crawl...), emotional perception (that's risky behavior), and so on. Lots of times people try to squeeze these discussions into a factual context that is inappropriate.

As for the pure BS content..., being able to discriminate that from the pure factual content, being able to perform those minimal reality checks on information, and so on, is itself a learning experience for many. It's learning how to teach yourself an area, on your own, and without definitive expert guidance. That's a fairly valuable skill.

Blue

[ErikAlbert]

I gave PC Tools AntiVirus a one-time spin to verify my e-life without scanners.
After a full scan of 38 minuts, it told me, I was infected with one false positive :
Jesterware DVD Ripper Professional (DVD-AVI converter)
http://www.jesterware.co.uk/dvd_to_avi.htm
which is infected with a "Packed Molebox - suspicious"
I ran alot of scanners, but PCTAV is the first one that reported this software as a malware.

38 minuts ::) , I clean my system partition 19 times in 38 minuts.

[aigle]

Eric you are a good spammer!

[dogma]

I'm going to give this a spin. Just installed it.

[C.S.J]

{QUOTE-> I'm going to give this a spin. Just installed it. <-QUOTE}
let us know how you get on ;)

[RejZoR]

{QUOTE-> I gave PC Tools AntiVirus a one-time spin to verify my e-life without scanners.
After a full scan of 38 minuts, it told me, I was infected with one false positive :
Jesterware DVD Ripper Professional (DVD-AVI converter)
http://www.jesterware.co.uk/dvd_to_avi.htm
which is infected with a "Packed Molebox - suspicious"
I ran alot of scanners, but PCTAV is the first one that reported this software as a malware.

38 minuts ::) , I clean my system partition 19 times in 38 minuts. <-QUOTE}

That was a packer detection. It's quiet unusual for legit software to use Molebox packer for it's "protection"... It's simply begging to be detected as false positive...

[DasFox]

{QUOTE-> I asked on their forums. It,s till based upon Virus Buster. <-QUOTE}

Is this good or bad?

[EliteKiller]

{QUOTE-> Is this good or bad? <-QUOTE}

Have you ever tried using the excellent SEARCH feature for answers to your common questions? :-\

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=194028&highlight=virusbuster

[aigle]

{QUOTE-> Is this good or bad? <-QUOTE}
I have no idea but i did not read good things about it here!

[RejZoR]

{QUOTE-> Is this good or bad? <-QUOTE}

Their VirusBuster engine is heavily modified. And it's not bad. But also not superb. It should be enough for most regular users that aren't high risk.

[debls]

I'm new to Wilders and no expert. That being said, I was running Norton Internet Security which was provided free by my ISP. I previously had very bad experiences with Norton thought this recent version was o.k.
I have used Spyware Doctor 4.0 for over a year and found it to be great. I recently decided to try PCTIS and so far so good. It runs light on my PC. There have been a few glitches that I've read about in their forums but I have had any problems yet. Right now I am running PCTIS and TF on XP2.
I think with the fine tuning now taking place this will evolve into a good product. I've also recently read the malware has become more of a threat than actual virus's. That being said, I chose PCTIS because of the Spyware detection at which the company has always excelled.
That's my humble opinion.
This is a fantastic website.

[computer geek]

{QUOTE-> Their VirusBuster engine is heavily modified. And it's not bad. But also not superb. It should be enough for most regular users that aren't high risk. <-QUOTE}
Still, i wouldn't like to use it as a permenant av :-\

[dogma]

{QUOTE-> let us know how you get on ;) <-QUOTE}

Is there anything, specifically, you want to know. Don't have the technical knowledge (or time atm) to do a review.

[C.S.J]

{QUOTE-> Is there anything, specifically, you want to know. Don't have the technical knowledge (or time atm) to do a review. <-QUOTE}
just your general experience with it :)

the good, the bad, the 'could be improved' etc.

[RejZoR]

{QUOTE-> Still, i wouldn't like to use it as a permenant av :-\ <-QUOTE}

I would though. It's pretty good free AV thats not crippled like most of others. Sometimes pure functionality means more than raw detection rate. But i like avast! a bit more. Donno why, probably because i put lots of time and ideas in it and its tailored to my needs. ALWIL guys are like a family to me hehe :)

[C.S.J]

is it just me, or is it still called VirusBuster 2006?

---------------
anyway, back to PCTOOLS.


VERY respectable for a free AV though.

[RejZoR]

And so far only free actually worth using in corporate/business environments.
Others are allowed only for home use and ClamWIN and Comodo do not really meet the detection. PCTools does and is not limited to home use.
That could be a major plus for those who want to protect their work laptop and not paying anything.

[computer geek]

{QUOTE-> I would though. It's pretty good free AV thats not crippled like most of others. Sometimes pure functionality means more than raw detection rate. But i like avast! a bit more. Donno why, probably because i put lots of time and ideas in it and its tailored to my needs. ALWIL guys are like a family to me hehe :) <-QUOTE}
would ya? Well, i suppose its just a different opinion and if you aren't a risky user, maybe your right/wrong. Depends on the user really doesn't it? ;)

[dogma]

{QUOTE-> just your general experience with it :)

the good, the bad, the 'could be improved' etc. <-QUOTE}

I've uninstalled it. I can understand why they are offering it for free. It's got a long way to go before it can be considered a finished product.

Both Avast home & Avira personal run better on my notebook.

smart update annoyed me
doesn't offer much in terms of features compared to competitors
didn't block eicar test file, whatever I tried. Although it (only) detected it with on-demand scan
UI is not as polished as competitors aswell

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> smart update annoyed me <-QUOTE}
Er... any further comments?

{QUOTE-> doesn't offer much in terms of features compared to competitors <-QUOTE}
The essentials are there. What else do you need?

{QUOTE-> didn't block eicar test file, whatever I tried. Although it (only) detected it with on-demand scan <-QUOTE}
The realtime guard is configured only to scan active processes by default. If you want it to scan newly-created files, even if they're not executed, you need to change the settings.

{QUOTE-> UI is not as polished as competitors aswell <-QUOTE}
I don't like the fact that it doesn't respect font smoothing either.

[dogma]

{QUOTE-> Er... any further comments? <-QUOTE}

Update notification used to pop-up everyday, to okay updates.

The bottom line is that it didn't run as well as nor better than Avast Home or Avira Personal on my system. (one e.g. boot time took longer)

[solcroft]

{QUOTE-> Update notification used to pop-up everyday, to okay updates. <-QUOTE}
A setting is available to automatically update without asking you. By default the program only checks for updates and asks for your approval.

{QUOTE-> The bottom line is that it didn't run as well as nor better than Avast Home or Avira Personal on my system. <-QUOTE}
You're welcome to your opinion, but you do have some rather... ahem... interesting justifications for that opinion.

[dogma]

{QUOTE-> A setting is available to automatically update without asking you. By default the program only checks for updates and asks for your approval.


You're welcome to your opinion, but you do have some rather... ahem... interesting justifications for that opinion. <-QUOTE}

well this is just my experience on my system with PCTOOLSAV. It's not a technical review. Nor prejudice against the company.

System performance is the most important thing to me. Every system, setup, and user is different that's why there's no magic (security) solution for everyone.