84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove PC Tools Firewall Plus?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
27% remove it73% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Very good
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #13,352
United States Rank #17,146
Reach 0.0229%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 2.32 days
68.33 days >
Average installed length: 35.90 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
7.0 100.00%

Other programs by PC Tools Software

PC Tools Firewall Plus 7.0

What is PC Tools Firewall Plus?  (from PC Tools Software)

PC Tools Firewall Plus is a powerful personal firewall for Windows that protects your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. By monitoring applications that connect to the network Firewall Plus can stop Trojans, backdoors, keyloggers and other m...  Read more

Overview

PC Tools Firewall Plus 7.0 is a software program developed by PC Tools Software. During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. The primary executable is named firewallgui.exe. The setup package generally installs about 26 files and is usually about 27.09 MB (28,408,845 bytes). The installed file Update.exe is the auto-update component of the program which is designed to check for software updates and notify and apply them when new versions are discovered. Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 7 (SP1) and Windows XP. While about 28% of users of PC Tools Firewall Plus come from the United States, it is also popular in France and Germany.

Program detailsProgram details

URL: www.pctools.com
Help link: www.pctools.com/contact/support/product/firewall
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\PC Tools Firewall Plus\
Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\PC Tools Firewall Plus\unins000.exe /LOG
Estimated size: 27.09 MB

Program filesFiles installed by PC Tools Firewall Plus 7.0

Program executable:firewallgui.exe
Name:PC Tools Firewall Plus
PC Tools Firewall GUI
Path:C:\Program Files\pc tools firewall plus\firewallgui.exe
MD5:7599b51c870ee3a1b26789ff40bf28d7
Additional files:
  • InnoHelpers.dll - InnoHelpers Dynamic Link Library
  • InnoUtils.dll - InnoUtils Dynamic Link Library
  • PPSupport.dll - PPSuppor Dynamic Link Library
  • UpdateHlpr.dll - PC Tools Smart Update Helper
  • PCTWSC.dll - PCTWSC Dynamic Link Library
  • FirewallPlugin.dll - PC Tools Firewall Plus (PC Tools Firewall GUI plugin)
  • FirewallSDK.dll - PC Tools Firewall engine
  • FirewallWrapper.dll
  • FWService.exe - PC Tools Firewall Plus service
  • Objects.dll - PC Tools Firewall common objects
  • PCTFW.exe - PC Tools Firewall Plus Vista administrative support
  • PluginDllFW.dll - PC Tools FW plugin DLL
  • Update.exe - PC Tools Smart Update
  • Upgrade.exe - PC Tools Upgrade
  • unins000.exe - Setup/Uninstall
  • Driver.exe - Installer for FireWall Drivers (PC Tools Firewall Plus driver installer)
  • Driver64.exe
  • Alert.exe - PC Tool Smart Alert
  • DllRunner.exe

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

Service
  • FWService.exe runs as a service named 'PC Tools Firewall Plus' (PCToolsFirewallPlus) "PC Tools Firewall Plus service".
Startup File (All Users Run)
  • FirewallGUI.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name '00PCTFW' which loads as "C:\Program Files\PC Tools Firewall Plus\FirewallGUI.exe" -s.

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

FirewallGUI.exe
Memory:16.03 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0001119244%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00004050%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00007143%
0.015104% average
FWService.exe
Memory:18.6 MB
Total CPU:0.0004246080%
Kernel CPU:0.00023608%
User CPU:0.00018853%

How do I remove PC Tools Firewall Plus?

You can uninstall PC Tools Firewall Plus from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
  1. On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
    • Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
    • Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
  2. When you find the program PC Tools Firewall Plus 7.0, click it, and then do one of the following:
    • Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
    • Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
  3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove PC Tools Firewall Plus.

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 61%
Win Vista 1%
 
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 27%
Keep it 73%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 70.51%
Windows XP 19.07%
Windows Vista 6.43%
Windows 10 3.99%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Ultimate 29.82%
Windows 7 Home Premium 27.35%
Microsoft Windows XP 19.06%
Windows 7 Professional 8.30%
Windows Vista Home Premiu... 4.71%
Windows 7 Starter 2.47%

Distribution by countryGeography

28.02% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 28.02%
  France 7.26%
  Germany 6.05%
  United Kingdom 6.05%
  Spain 5.24%
  Japan 4.23%
  Russia 4.03%
  Italy 3.83%
  Poland 3.63%
  Netherlands 3.23%
  Argentina 2.62%
  Brazil 2.42%
  Canada 2.42%
  UA 2.02%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Dell 20.82%
Hewlett-Packard 20.82%
Acer 18.59%
ASUS 8.55%
GIGABYTE 7.06%
Lenovo 6.32%
American Megatrends 4.83%
Sahara 3.35%
Intel 2.23%
Samsung 2.23%
Toshiba 2.23%
NEC 1.86%
Common models
HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... 4.64%
HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... 4.64%
HP G62 Notebook PC 3.31%
MSI MS-7267 3.31%
Dell Inspiron 1525 2.65%
LENOVO 20023 2.65%

About PC Tools Software

PC Tools, a subsidiary of Symantec Corporation, develops security utilities for consumers and enterprises whose products include Spyware Doctor which provides spyware protection to secure Windows personal computers, Registry Mechanic, a registry cleaner to fix Windows errors, PC Tools AntiVirus which offers protection against virus infections and File Recover, which recovers files from hard drives, floppy drives, and fixed media.
Publisher URL: www.pctools.com

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