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"Inefficient resource hog"
0.5 starson by durf786Pros: Easy installation
Cons: Hogs resources, simplistic configuration
Summary: I was impressed with cnet's rating of PC-cillin (PC-c) - 8.3, excellent! So I bought 4 licenses for PC-c Internet Security 2005 and replaced Zone Alarm Pro and McAfee VirusScan, respectively. It turned out to be a disaster, although I didn't realize it immediately.
I wasn't happy with the firewall, because it was difficult to tell which programs it was monitoring. Unlike even the free version of Zone Alarm, PC-c hides what it's doing. After digging in the configuration, I learned that PC-c lets anything go out, unless you specifically configure it otherwise. It's hard to figure out what it blocks from coming in. Eventually I got around to doing some research, and I learned that the PC-c firewall was causing a delay of 10-30 seconds when I first accessed other computers on my LAN. I decided to go back to Zone Alarm, starting with the free version (later I bought the pro version). It is much superior.
I stayed with the PC-c virus checker. Then my wife mentioned that her Outlook was loading very slowly, and I knew mine was, too. As a test, I timed loading Outlook with the PC-c virus checker installed and uninstalled. The results were astonishing - 3:03 with and 0:40 without PC-cillin. I checked boot times - 4:24 with and 3:17 without.
Then I discovered an even worse problem. I use a program called SECSIM which simulates Ethernet communications between a host computer and semiconductor processing equipment. I run SECSIM on my laptop, and it had been acting strangely. Although timing is critically important in the application, SECSIM responses were delayed by a factor of 3 to 5. That occurred even after I replaced the PC-c firewall. Then I uninstalled the PC-c virus checker and responses were normal again.
Prior to my tests, I'd had a problem with PC-c's email checking. It had intercepted and destroyed two emails from a trusted source, changing them to text. There is supposed to be a way to recover such messages, but I was unable to do so. I contacted PC-c support twice, and neither time did they address the issue - both responses were basically form letters suggesting basic procedures unrelated to my question.
Now I am using Zone Alarm Pro for my firewall and AntiVir Guard for my virus checker. Performance is excellent. I basically threw away the $80 or so it cost for the PC-cillin licenses, but it was well worth it. If you're thinking about your own use, the freeware version of Zone Alarm is excellent. AntiVir Guard is also free for personal use, and it is superior to any other virus checker I've used (Norton, McAfee, and PC-c).
Maybe the most disturbing thing about my experience is the cnet rating for PC-c. They said specifically that it is easy on system resources, but it really trashed performance on all 4 PCs that I installed it on. I guess I'll go elsewhere for my ratings.
- 6 replies to this review
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despite the replies to this comment it is very valid.<br><br>The suite runs 5 processes they are<br><br>pcctlcom.exe 6,176 kb<br>Pccguide.exe 5,588 kb<br>Tmntsrv.exe 3,892 kb<br>tmproxy.exe 66,852 kb<br><br>tmproxy will also balloon out to 80MB used when running outlook and othe programs<br><br>So just on a normal day the suite takes around 82MB of ram!!! <br><br>Thats more than nortons or mcaffee and as such trend micro now gets on my no buy list for internet and system security. So whereas its not as bad as Nortons is still bad considering the resources it takes. For one standard run back ground processes to take almost 100MB of ram is deplorable. <br><br>As a result I will not be renewing and will instead go with a set of free utilities as per http://www.castlecops.com ( check forums and general security forum). I have tested these products out on other computers and found they give just as good protection if not better than Trend mircos 2005 suite.
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My "client" laptop networked to my desktop, after an update from Trend Micro slowed to a crawl. 100% of resources used. I had to remove PC Cillin completely. <br><br>I also suffered from numerous configuration issues and never did hear back from Trend Micro after three weeks of exchanging emails. They would only reply to with "canned" one liners... "look here" or "try this link". In over twenty years of using software I've never seen a program written so poorly and I've never experienced customer service so bad. I bought three licenses and gladly will throw them into the garbage. <br><br>Save yourself some grief. If you like to waste time and money, I can save you some time. Just take four twenty dollar bills and rip them up, that's what you'll be doing if you buy from Trend Micro.
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By simply moving the slider on the firewall's Security Level tab from Medium to High, you can be notified of all attempts for inbound and outbound connections on your computer and decide how those should be handled, either on a one-time or go-forward basis. <br><br>By using the Exceptions tab, you can manually adjust and configure how any program is allowed to access the internet and/or network.<br><br>With respect to your comments that PC-cillin was slowing how long it took your Outlook to load from 40 seconds to more than 3 minutes, my Outlook loads in less than 3 seconds with PC-cillin installed. Given the slow responses of several aspects of your system (Outlook, LAN, and the mysterious SECSIM??), it would appear that you have far bigger issues than anything that could be attributed to PC-cillin.
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By simply moving the firewall Security Level slider from the default Medium to High, you can be notified each time a program attempts to access the internet or each time an inbound connection is detected. You can also manually configure or modify the applications that are allowed network access by clicking on the Exceptions tab.<br><br>With respect it it slowing your Outlook from loading in 40 seconds to more than 3 minutes, my Outlook loads in less than 3 seconds using PC-cillin, so it would appear that you have bigger problems than anything that PC-cillin could cause. The same is true for your comments about slowing your LAN connections.
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Get your technology lingo straight before you go assuming a piece of software is causing your issue. Ethernet is not a communication protocol, it is a network topology! Read the manual and you would be suprised what you are capable of. Books and the internet are where they hide information. You would be suprised once you have that information, you could actually apply it prior to bashing software. 99% of errors on a pc are PEBKAC (Possible Error Between Keyboard And Chair).<br><br>If you trust your security to freeware and think that only a piece of software is going to take you to security bliss- wow you are a victim in waiting.<br><br>I only take this tone in the commnet because your review is filled to the hilt with technology ignorance. Read a book or two, then give your opinion.
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There was one very bad review for this product, from a very technically knowledgeable user it sounded like. That was wonderful to see, as it warned me of the same sort of garbage I've gotten with Norton. However, CNet's interface didn't register anything when I clicked the button indicating the article was useful. Oh well, I'm going to get something aside from Symantec or Trend products. I just wish there was a product that worked.
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