Google Pack is free and includes PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor security software and Norton Security Scan from Symantec. Here you find all you want to know about Google Pack including how Google Pack compares to other free security programs, and much more.
What is Google Pack ?
Google Pack is the term for a free collection of essential pieces of software available from Google but including applications from third party vendors. Google Pack software, for instance, includes Google Chrome, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Skype as well as Norton Security Scan just to name a few. Google Pack is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 and contains the two security programs Spyware Doctor and Norton Security Scan.
Google Pack is extremely easy to install. On the Google Pack web site simply select the applications you want and hit the download button. Then click Run on the button which appears. Your software is then being queued for download and install so that when the installer completes both, Norton Security Scan as well as Spyware Doctor, are up and running.
As with any antivirus-software and anti-spyware protection you should then run update to have the latest signature files installed. Whereas program upgrades can be managed trough Google (Pack) Updater use the Norton Security and Spyware Doctor Interfaces to download and install the latest malware signatures.
We are first going to have a look at Google’s free security software items, and then elaborate on how Norton Security Scan and Spyware Doctor perform compared to other free Security programs.
Spyware Doctor
Google Pack includes PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor Starter Edition which provides a malware scanner as well as real-time protection against a variety of threats including rootkits, browser hijackers and, partially, Trojans.
However, the Spyware Doctor Starter Edition lacks any virus and worm removal capabilities! Along the same lines are most of PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor IntelliGuard real-time protection features only available if you upgrade to Spyware Doctor or to Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus editions. Please see the feature comparison screenshot below:
Turn IntelliGuard on if it has not been automatically enabled by selecting the IntelliGuard menu point from the left side of the interface and then clicking the link Click to activate IntelliGuard in the right pane. This enables the PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor Starter features File Guard and Immunizer Guard.
As, for instance, Startup Guard, Browser Guard, and Process Guard can only be activated in the full versions a computer running PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor Starter Edition with an anti-virus software such as Norton Security Scan also found in Google Pack is not as safe as it could be, and perhaps should be.