How to remove Device Doctor

Device Doctor – a potentially unwanted program that pushes its full version by displaying pop-ups

Device Doctor is an application that may seem extremely useful. If offers to automatically update drivers, help with program uninstallation, prepare backups, boost Windows startup speed, clean cache, and otherwise improve computer performance. However, besides its handy functions, this app is also considered to be a potentially unwanted program by multiple anti-malware vendors, and there are several reasons for that:

• distribution practices
• deceptive operation model
• integrity of app's actions.

In this article, we will explain the aspects of this program and let you decide whether you want to keep or remove Device Doctor from your Windows computer.

Device Doctor is a system optimizer and is advertised as an all-in-one tool capable of performing various system tune-up features. Such apps generally have a very bad reputation in the info-security community, although they are generally admired among less experienced computer users, as they are convinced that such apps can magically fix all the issues on their Windows machine.

Windows is a complicated operating system, and, in most cases, when the program claims that it can fix everything, it is unlikely to be true. There are sure applications of a similar nature that can indeed be useful when dealing with various issues, for example, driver updating.

However, many programs of such type tend to overstate the importance of various components – driver updates and registry cleaning are good examples of that.

Many software developers claim that drivers are important and should be updated constantly. The truth is that nothing should be fixed that is not broken, and regular computer users rarely need to update drivers.

You could download Device Doctor from various third-party sources, as well as its official website. Alternatively, you might find it running on your device see seemingly out of nowhere. This happens due to a deceptive technique software distributors use – it is known as bundling – users are offered several components that are disguised from their view.

Once installed, the program would perform a full system scan, providing a list of drivers found. At the bottom, users would find a button to update them, and all they have to do is press Fix All button. However, as soon as they do that, they will be redirected to the payment page.

The same thing happens when users attempt to use features within the toolbox – such as Startup Manager, Cache Cleaner, etc. In the meantime, Device Doctor developers advertise the app as follows (note the highlighted word):^[1]

FREE DRIVER UPDATER

Device Doctor is a free Windows application that scans your computer hardware and checks to see if there are new driver updates available for your devices. It also locates drivers for “unidentified devices” in the Windows Device Manager.

None of the mentioned features we found during the research were free, as they all led to the payment page. We believe that if something is claimed to be free, it should be so, and not the other way around. All that happens is that users are tricked into installing this app and then tricked into believing that their systems need updating.

Finally, Device Doctor is straight out blocked by several security applications. According to Virus Total, it is recognized under the following names:^[2]

• PUA:Win32/SpeedingUpMyPC
• A Variant Of Win32/Avanquest.C Potentially Unwan
• Generic/HEUR/QVM42.3.60C7.Malware.Gen
• Program.Unwanted.4896
• PUP.Win32.SpeedUpMyPC.dd!n, etc.

Therefore, all things considered, we recommend Device Doctor removal from the system. If you never performed an uninstallation before and the app ended up on your device without permission, follow the instructions below. If you have Windows issues, such as lag or slowdowns, we recommend trying FortectIntego – it can also fix problems that could come up after a virus infection.

Here's how you can avoid installation of potentially unwanted programs

As previously mentioned, various system optimizers and bloatware regularly end up on users' computers without their permission or knowledge (or at least it seems so from the consumers' point of view). In reality, users themselves allow potentially unwanted programs to be installed on their devices, even though it does not occur intentionally. While we do believe that deceptive distribution practices are unfair, it is also users' responsibility to be attentive and prevent the infiltration of PUPs.

First of all, it is important to mention that most shareware and freeware sites bundle software.^[3] It means that, during the installation of the desired app, you will be provided with a suggestion to install optional components. The catch is that this choice is often deliberately hidden from view within the fine print, pre-ticked boxes, misleading button placements, and other tricks.

Hence, you should always be attentive during the installation of new apps, especially if they come from third-party websites. Always opt for Advanced or Custom installation steps instead of Recommended/Quick ones, decline all the offers on the way, and untick all the checkboxes that warrant the installation of optional apps.

Uninstall Device Doctor from your Windows computer

We do believe that developers who misleadingly advertise their product as free should not be trusted, especially with the update of such important Windows components as drivers. If incorrect ones are downloaded and installed, it might mess up the operating system pretty badly. Thus, we recommend you remove Device Doctor from your system – this is particularly important if the app was installed in a bundle.

Device Doctor removal should not be a difficult process, as long as you dealt with the uninstallation of other programs before. All you have to do is reach the Add or Remove Programs section within the Control Panel. If you need help, check the instructions we provide below. Keep in mind that some security applications can also delete the app and all its components automatically, so you can try this method for a quicker solution.