PC Tools (formerly known as WinGuides.com [2] ) is a software company founded in 2003 [3] and acquired by Symantec in 2008. The new owner eventually abandoned the use of the PC Tools brand. The company was headquartered in Luxembourg with offices in Australia , the USA , Great Britain , Ireland and Ukraine . The company has developed and distributed security and optimization software for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows .
| Pc tools | |
|---|---|
| Type of | Limited liability company |
| Base | February 25, 2003 |
| Location | Luxembourg |
| Key figures | Dave Cole |
| Products | |
| Number of employees | 200+ |
| Divisions | Australia |
| Site | pctools.com |
Content
Products
By November 29, 2006, PC Tools-owned software had been downloaded over 125 million times .. [4]
|
PC Tools Browser Defender
PC Tools Browser Defender, also called Browser Defender for short, is a toolbar for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox on Windows computers . Browser Defender allows you to safely navigate the Internet.
PC Tools iAntiVirus
IAntivirus was updated in 2012 and renamed under the Symantec Norton brand.
PC Tools iAntiVirus is a free antivirus software for Apple Macintosh computers based on Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard), originally released in June 2008 and used to detect and remove malware using both signature and and heuristic detection.
IAntiVirus has been criticized because it only scans Macintosh viruses, ignoring Windows and Linux viruses. He is praised for his speed and low use of system resources. [17] [18] [19] [20]
PC Tools Internet Security
PC Tools Internet Security was a combination of Spyware Doctor, Firewall, and Anti Spam. He provided the functionality of all three stand-alone products into a single seamless product. Symantec no longer offers PC Tools Internet Security since May 18, 2013. It was a program 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, the first PC Tools software released [21] to scan the Windows registry to find errors. Version 11, released on October 31, 2011, is the latest.
PC Tools Spyware Doctor
PC Tools Spyware Doctor is an antivirus program. Spyware Doctor detects malware using Spider Technology. The latest version of Spyware Doctor is 9, which was released on October 31, 2011. Symantec no longer offers this product since May 18, 2013.
PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus
PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus has the same features as Spyware Doctor, with the addition of antivirus features [22] . Symantec has not sold the program since 2013; V9 is the latest version.
ThreatExpert
ThreatExpert - the website of the developers says that it is a modern automated threat analysis system ( ATAS initialization), designed to analyze and report malware actions in a fully automated mode. [23] As of March 2015, the latest version was beta version 1.0.1.0 of March 1, 2008. There have been no updates since March 2008, and the website seems inactive.
Symantec Acquisition
On August 18, 2008, Symantec announced the signing of an agreement to acquire PC Tools, so PC Tools will support separate operations. [24] Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Symantec acquired PC TOOLS for $ 262,000,000 on October 6, 2008. [25]
Symantec discontinued PC Tools security tools, including PC Tools Internet Security, Spyware Doctor and Spyware Doctor with Antivirus, May 18, 2013 [26]
Awards
Spyware Doctor received the PC World Best Buy Award in the October 2007 issue of the magazine, which said: “Spyware Doctor 5.0 for PC” was the winner, ahead of the competition when it detected and removed our test suite of adware and spyware samples. ” [ 27]
Spyware Doctor received several awards from PC Magazine editors, [28] including one for Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 5.5 in 2008. [28] The product has also received many other awards around the world.
Not all comments were positive and early versions of Spyware Doctor 5.0, which the company rewrote from scratch, received some negative comments. [29] CNET Download.com reviews, justifies the 3-star rating, saying: “In our test scans, Spyware Doctor repeatedly placed dozens of innocuous cookies as potential threats, more than any other product we tested. We also were able to learn more about each threat or why Spyware Doctor tagged each. "
Criticism
Symantec unsuccessfully sued a Washington resident for fake checks. He tried to get people to pay for a subscription to PC Tools Registry Mechanic, Performance Toolkit, and Norton Utilities. [30] The lawsuit alleges that the company intentionally performed a fake scan and the results were not realistic. [31]
New Wrinkle is an ad-displaying program (using stolen certificates) that disables protection from malware and viruses; technical remedies are available. [32]
Notes
- ↑ National Software Reference Library
- ↑ PC Tools Guides for Windows . PC Tools Date of treatment December 10, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools RESEARCH PTY LTD . Australian Securities and Investments Commission . Date of treatment August 21, 2008.
- ↑ PC Tools' software passes the 125 million download threshold . PC Tools Date of treatment December 10, 2011. Archived November 5, 2011.
- ↑ Browser Defender ™ . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools ™ AntiVirus Free . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ Release of Desktop Maestro v3.1.0.232 unspecified . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011. Archived January 31, 2013.
- ↑ PC Tools ™ File Recover . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools iAntiVirus . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools ™ Internet Security . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools ™ Performance Toolkit . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools ™ Privacy Guardian Internet Privacy Software . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools Registry Mechanic ™ . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools ™ Simple Backup ™ Automatic Backup Software . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011. Archived on August 14, 2010.
- ↑ PC Tools Spyware Doctor ™ AntiSpyware Software . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ PC Tools Spyware Doctor ™ with AntiVirus . PC Tools Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ iAntiVirus 1.0 Antivirus & Security Software Review | Macworld
- ↑ PC Tools iAntiVirus review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of Anti malware software
- ↑ iAntiVirus for Mac (Free) - Worth Using?
- ↑ iAntiVirus is lean, simple antimalware protection for Macs (link not available) . Chron.com . Date of treatment June 14, 2017. Archived March 19, 2011.
- ↑ Registry Mechanic Released . PC Tools Date of treatment December 10, 2011. Archived November 5, 2011.
- ↑ ア ー カ イ ブ さ れ た コ ピ ー . Date of treatment January 3, 2014. Archived January 3, 2014.
- ↑ ThreatExpert: Introduction . ThreatExpert . Date of treatment December 10, 2011.
- ↑ Symantec to Acquire PC Tools . Symantec Date of treatment December 9, 2011.
- ↑ SEC Form 10-K, Symantec Corp, period: April 3, 2009, p. 82 (PDF). Symantec (June 1, 2009). Date of treatment October 22, 2014.
- ↑ PC Tools - Download Anti Spyware, Antivirus, Firewall, Internet Security, Registry software
- ↑ Naraine, Ryan.
- ↑ 1 2 Rubenking, Neil.
- ↑ Vamosi, Robert.
- ↑ Yin, Sara Symantec Sued for Scareware Tactics . PC Magazine (January 12, 2012). Date of treatment January 22, 2012.
- ↑ Greenberg, Andy Lawsuit Claims Symantec "Scareware" Warns Of Fake Threats To Sell Upgrades . Forbes (January 11, 2012). Date of treatment January 22, 2012.
- ↑ Casey, Henry T. Latest adware disables antivirus software . Tom's Guide . Yahoo.com (November 25, 2015). Date of treatment November 25, 2015.