PC Tools Internet Security Suite is an all-in-one security solution that includes virus protection, antispyware, identity protection, antispam, website ratings and file transfer protection. A single license purchase can protect up to three PCs or laptops for one year. However, we researched their most recent third-party test results and did not see the kind of scores we were looking to find in a top internet security product.

Though we download and install all of the internet security suites in our own test labs, we also check third-party test results since they can cover a range of years and testing methods to help give us an overall view of how well a security product performs. Unfortunately, PC Tools has not tested well recently. They have not earned VB100 certification since 2008 and have not been tested by them since 2009. In the August 2011 AV-Comparatives tests they produced many false positives and only received an average score of 88.4 percent, which may see adequate. However, having your computer infected by nearly 12 percent of the malware it encounters is not OK. In addition, in the most recent Windows 7 AV-Test, PC Tools only earned an average of 59 percent. At this time, we cannot communicate with confidence that this security software can reliably secure your PC or laptop.

The actual security suite does include the most common components of a full security suite such as file scanning, website ratings, behavior monitors, antispyware, rootkit protection, a browser guard and email protection. Our initial scan also ran rather quickly. It scanned over 250,000 items in about 5.5 minutes, which is relatively fast for a first scan. It also provides helpful site reports that can inform you in advance about the reputation of a website, including download experiences. PC Tools Internet Security also provides identity protection by recognizing phishing scams, blocking cookies and preventing intrusion. This version has an improved firewall from the last update as well. To improve performance it also has optional game and fullscreen modes that can pause or delay scans when the PC is in fullscreen mode. This suite does not include parental controls.

We did not encounter major challenges installing and configuring this security software; however, should you need assistance you can contact PC Tools through your account. They don't post customer support phone numbers or email addresses in an obvious location. You have to submit your license number or the email address you registered with to view their contact information. They relate the average wait time for chat is 10 minutes, phone response is 30 minutes and email response is 24 to 72 hours. For indirect support you can view video tutorials, visit their forum, search user guides or read their features articles. You can also follow PC Tools on Twitter and Facebook.