PC Tools Spyware Doctor 2009

by PC Tools

Product Features

• Recommended by experts and editors around the world
• FREE customer support for all users from PC Tools
• Frequent advanced updates ensure that you are always protected
• Detects, removes and blocks all types of identity theft, stealthy spyware, aggressive adware
• Easy to use with intelligent automatic protection

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001CUCZPK
• Item model number: PSDX601F
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 17, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,618 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #3 in Software > Computer Security > Anti-Spyware
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

PC Tools Spyware Doctor is award-winning and trusted protection against unwanted spyware, malware and other privacy threats. Protect yourself with the best. (3 User)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good bad and ugly, January 15, 2009

By 

Stephen R. Scheffler "Alki food connoisseur" (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PC Tools Spyware Doctor 2009 (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

Positive points regarding Spyware Doctor.

This software removed extra spyware that CA securities, adware, and Spybot missed. It actually found a good amount of additional spyware.

The software was easy to load and operate.

The spyware detection runs through its cycle relatively fast.

Negative points

The option to use active protection causes conflicts and near crashes apparently.

At different times at least 50% of my processing power was being dedicated to running the software.

I have a modern up-to-date computer with Intel dual processors 2.5 gigs of RAM. Therefore the computer should easily be able to run this software without bogging down.

Overall I like the idea of removing extra spyware I just wish the program was fully functional and could prevent spyware form entering my system.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In the Slow Lane, January 24, 2009

By 

Spudman (Pasadena, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: PC Tools Spyware Doctor 2009 (CD-ROM)

(What's this?)

On the surface this looks like a great program, being recommended by "experts worldwide", and being able to detect, remove, and prevent spyware and adware. Spyware Doctor promises 24/7 protection as well as ease of use, free updates and upgrades, and free 24/7 support. How can you go wrong?
I first tried to install the Doctor on my Windows 64 computer, but there were some compatibility issues so the marriage never took place.

The next suitor was my Windows XP laptop. The Doctor didn't take long to move in, unpack, and organize all of his files. Next he surveyed his new surroundings and detected over 200 "infections." Almost all of the infections were of the low risk adware/cookie variety.

I deleted all of the germy intruders en masse, but I wish I could have figured out a way to only delete selected infections. I wanted to keep some of the benign cookies.

The program is easy to install, and easy to use with an clear,easily understood interface.

However, even with two of the automatic scanning tools turned off, it slowed all internet activities to a crawl. The next time the Mrs. uses this laptop, she'll most likely want me to uninstall the cause of the traffic slowdown.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spyware Dr. "smacks down" spysweeper on a daily basis, April 30, 2009

By 

DISenchanted (NM USA -Land of DISenchantment) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PC Tools Spyware Doctor 2009 (CD-ROM)

I used both webroot's spysweeeper and PC tools Spyware Dr.

Last year it seemed they were close in detections.

Now Spyware dr is giving spysweeper a daily smackdown.

Spyware dr consistently finds things that my other AV and/or anti-malware scanners miss.

At work, I run 2 anti-malware scanners for precisely the conclusion someone might draw from the above writeup.

No two scan tools are the same in detection capabilities.


Unlike anti-virus scanners, you CAN have more than one anti-malware detectors installed on a PC; (but you would probably want to limit things to only having one software pkg running in the background, in realtime).


And if by chance they WERE close in detection abilities; then there is a good chance that the actual REMOVAL of the detected "pests"
might go well for one product, while another product fails miserably at removing detection "pests".



I will say that even spyware dr had some problems in removing an ActiveX trojan and I had to use JV powertools to remove the registry infections, at the registry level.

May 1st,2009 Update:

Incredible detection and removal in an ACTUAL, real world circumstance just a day ago.

A co-worker got infected and gave his drive to me to clean.

I hooked it up as an external hard drive, via a USB external hard drive chassis.

I first scanned it with webroot spysweeper, then kaspersky AV and then Norton internet security 2009. Kaspersky and norton found trojans and deleted them.
[In case you are wondering, I have 3 home PCs, each with a different internet security suite.
But all with a secondary malware scanner, which is Spyware Dr.]

I was ready to give it back, but since I was not going to see my friend until the later, I decided to give it a final scan.
So as a final scan I used Spyware doctor.

I could not believe it.

Spyware dr found a #%^$#& "Rootkit".
Plus, it removed the rootkit.

I was happy for my friend, but very unsettled that the other 3 programs did not find & delete the rootkit.
After all, how many IT techs would scan a hard drive as many times as I did, and with as big a variety of software scanners as I did?

I went ahead and did a clean install of XP on a different (new) hard drive, for my friend.
I advised him to install and update an Internet security suite before hooking up the external hard drive and importing any of his old data.

Pros:
1. excellent detection - beat out 3 other programs in an actual test.
2. good cleanup/removal ability
3. new updates either daily, or close to daily.

Cons:
It can add some extra overhead to your pc and depending on what it is scanning, can slow your pc.
Best to set up a scheduled update and scheduled scan during your off hours (like when you are sleeping).