Secure Computing: Free Virus Protection with PC Tools Anti-Virus
So far in our series about free anti-virus utilities we've covered AVG, Avast, AntiVir and ClamWin, and today we're going to show you PC Tools AntiVirus, by the same people that made the well-known Spyware Doctor anti-spyware utility.
Installing PC Tools AntiVirus
Installation of PC Tools could not be easier, in fact I had everything installed and updated in less than 2 minutes. As of this writing the current version is 5.0.
PC Tools Anti-Virus uses an update feature called Smart Updates. This comes up right away during installation to get the latest database updates right away.
The user interface is attractive and easy to use. Every setting and action for PC Tools Anti-Virus can be accessed here.
For my first scan I used the Intelli-Scan feature which was enabled by default. Wow! A scan in under one minute? Well, according to the scan report (which is generated after every scan) turns out only 1,288 files were scanned. Intelli-Scan scans only the critical areas of your PC and looks for active threats.
Then I tested out a full system scan, and it completed in under 15 minutes which is the fastest out of any utility we have covered.
There is a feature to schedule scans as well. Daily, Weekly, or Monthly and at specific times during the day.
You can do a full system scan, Intelli-Scan, or a custom scan where you choose the files and directories.
Conclusion
PC Tools Anti-Virus Free Edition seems like a decent choice for an anti-virus utility since the features available are comparable, but they are not as abundant as others and are not enabled by default. There is also a real-time protection feature called Intelli-Guard. For $49.95 you'll get the entire security suite which includes Spam and Spyware protection.
We are getting close to wrapping up our free anti-virus utility series. If there are any you use or would like covered definitely leave a comment or contact us and we will see what we can do.
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I've been enjoying seeing write-ups of the various free A/V packages. I hope you'll wrap up with a side-by-side comparison of the relative advantages of disadvantages of each…. thanks.
I have to agree with Tom, a side by side would be great. Thanks for everything you have covered so far
And if side-by-side would be too much work then at least a summary plus a recommendation would be nice. Then i probably would change my NOD32 into that what you suggest.
@ zetapirate, rswrc & everyone else who has emailed us with a request to do an umbrella overview of each and recommendation:
That is a terrific idea! Look for one very soon!
mystic geek these are great articles and i love the series i just did a reinstall of xp on my desktop and needed a a/v and seen the series and it helped me choose one that fit my needs best
keep it up
I've enjoyed reading the reviews. However, some info on the amount of resources each programs uses, how many programs it runs in the background, and how it will impact your computer would be nice. I've found the ClamWin was the only one so far that I tried which did not take over my computer with programs running in the background all the time whether I wanted it running or not. AVG has some things that were downright impossible to kill. I would love a AV program to update and run when I want it to. Then I can shut it down and use my computer for whatever I want without the AV crashing half my stuff and slowing my computer to a crawl.
You mentioned Avira AntiVir's small footprint on the computer's CPU and memory usage. Is PC Tools Anti-Virus also light on the computer? Or is it resource-hungry like Norton or others?
Like JR, I'm looking for an AV that won't take over my computer and slow it down with programs running in the background. I've enjoyed the series thus far and would also like to see a side by side. Thanks for all the research!
i have been using the Norton anti-virus 30 day trial… well the trial just ran out… which do yall think will be the best over all? i'm not worried about how long it takes to scan, i just want to be sure i have a full scan, and its not going to skip anything… this one sounds good and fast, but fast normally means they are skimping on some areas… any recommendation? (but ill check out the side-by-side when it comes out for sure… but i need something for now…)
@Dcw329:
If you want something for now I would go with AVG. It is probably the easiest and feature rich one out of the lot.
I have spyware doctor with anti virius loaded and running, yet the screen will just go blank white or sometimes with stripes. Nothing works. Can't find a cure. anybody helps, doesn't matter what browser you use or what wesite your in. HELP!!!
i am interested in this anti-virus, but i wanna know if it is safe, coz i have downloaded a program it used to be an anti-virus, but it was downloading virus for me :S
thanks
@Mustafa:
We do not recommend anything that would intentionally harm your PC.
I have spywaredoctor starter edition (from google pack) and it says that antivirus engine is not installed. If I download this free edition and install it, will they merge together as one product?
which program should i choose?avg or pctools.send reply@ alzain13@gmail.com
I really liked this app, but it takes a ridiculously long time to start up.
I have been getting daily messages for a few days now stating that all updates for AVG are no longer free. Just a heads up!