PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 9.0

Several antivirus vendors have recently switched from sequential version numbers to year-based editions. PC Tools is going in the opposite direction, giving them the freedom to release a new version any time it's ready. PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 9.0 ($39.99 direct for three licenses) also introduces a brand new look and logo. Reversing a common pattern, Spyware Doctor scored better in my hands-on testing than in testing by the independent labs.

One visible change in the new user interface is a banner that (by default) states "Balanced Mode On." This refers to the balance between performance and protection. If you wish, you can dig into the settings and move the slider to emphasize performance or protection.

Fighting for Installation
Spyware Doctor comes with a substantial collection of tools to aid in removing entrenched malware. To get the product installed on my dozen infested test systems I wound up using most of them.

Spyware Doctor's installer reported failure on more than half of the test systems, with a suggestion to use the PC Tools Threat Removal Tool to clean up before retrying. Oddly, several of those that reported failure actually installed just fine. I used the Threat Removal Tool on the rest. Tech support pointed out another tool, the Hidden Intrusive Threat (HIT) Scanner, which fixed install problems on one system.

Two others systems needed a scan by the antivirus component of the PC Tools Alternate Operating System Suite. This suite includes tools for file management, file recovery, and secure full-disk erasure in addition to the rescue-mode antivirus. It took a while, but I did get Spyware Doctor successfully installed on all twelve systems.

Lengthy Malware Removal
A full scan of my malware-infested test systems took over an hour apiece, and in some cases Spyware Doctor automatically scanned again after reboot, to ensure thorough cleanup. Scanning my standard clean test system didn't take nearly as long, though at 35 minutes it took a bit longer than average.

Including all malware types, Spyware Doctor detected 82 percent of my samples. With 94 percent, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus ($39.95 direct, 4.5 stars) has the highest detection rate among current products. GFI VIPRE Antivirus 2012 ($39.95 direct, 3 stars) and Panda Cloud Anti-Virus 1.5 Free Edition (Free, 3.5 stars) are tied for second place with 91 percent.

Those lengthy and repeated scans apparently paid off. Spyware Doctor was significantly more effective at cleaning up found threats than VIPRE or Panda. It scored 6.5 points for malware cleanup compared with 6.2 for VIPRE and 5.9 for Panda. With 7.1 points Norton AntiVirus 2012 ($39.99 direct, 4.5 stars) has the current high score; it detected 85 percent of the threats.

Spyware Doctor detected all of the scareware samples and scored 8.8 points for scareware removal. That's good, but Norton and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Free 1.51 (Free, 4 stars) scored a perfect 10 against scareware.

Spyware Doctor also detected all of the samples that use rootkit technology. Although a couple of the rootkits samples remained fully functional after their supposed removal, Spyware Doctor's score of 6.9 points is among the highest for the current collection of products. Only Webroot and Norton, with 7.3 points and 8.9 points respectively, have done better. To better understand where these numbers come from, please read How We Test Malware Removal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/O9Kr6a5DOMM/0,2817,2396060,00.asp

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