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Ad-Aware by Lavasoft |
Ad-Aware should be installed on every computer that communicates through the internet. It's power to dig deep into your system to find adware and spyware is absolutely massive! Don't be without it! |
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1.7 megs HERE |
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Ad-Aware by Lavasoft What is one of the biggest topics discussed today on the internet you may ask?? Spyware and adware!!! These pests can slip into your computer system completely unnoticed and create havoc, especially with communication connections and processor speeds. In order to alleviate these problems, good people like Nicolas Stark at Lavasoft develop great software such as Ad-Aware. Here, read on and take a look!: Platform..... Their site states that Ad-Aware is compatible with Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000 and XP Pro and Home! Has been known to run in Win 95 also! Web Site.......... The Ad-Aware site is very informative and nicely designed using basic colors, fonts and clipart, all organized on what looks like multiple tables. The left link bar remains constant throughout your tour of their site and there is a link from their main page that goes directly to the freeware area. Upon that page you will find related links on the right to the various sections of their site that include info on the freeware version. Downloading........ The
downloaded file is processed through download.com, which at times
can be slow depending on your connection and how busy they are.
Being only 1.7 megs in size, even a slow connection should get
you this file quite fast. There are links to other downloads too
such as the language pak and plugins. These files are not
processed through download.com but from the site server itself.
These are quite fast. Installation.......... The downloaded file is a self install .exe file. Just find the file and give it a couple of clicks with your mouse. The Wise Installation utility will start with all of the basics such as description window, contract window, where you want to install it, in what language (there's tons!), etc. and within seconds, it's installed. No rebooting is necessary but as usual, I do one anyway, just in case! Help Files.......... The help that is available for Ad-Aware users can be found in a couple of flavors! The standard help file that is installed with the program is actually a user manual and is very informative, explaining all of the features of Ad-Aware quite fully, without screenshots. Here's a pic of the help file with a display of the different sections available:
Help for Ad-Aware does not stop there. Their web site is a virtual treasure chest of information on this great program including a F.A.Q. File and a link to a huge forum including a section for Ad-Aware Standard Edition help and assistance. The forum is obviously up to date as there were postings in this section current to the date of this review! Help for Ad-Aware is really only a click or two away! Interface & Features ........... Ad-Aware uses a frequently updated reference database to check and compare what is on your computer with what is listed on the file using it's extremely powerful engine! This combination will weed out problems such as data miners, intrusive advertising, key counters and, in more generic terms, adware and spyware. Time and experience has proven that these two items alone can slow down computers to a crawl. Ad-Aware starts with a nicely designed opening screen. Here's a pic of the startup window:
This is your main control and information center where you will place your settings and options, begin and end your scan, and obtain general information on your results. The icons on the top right are for your option screens, Ad-Aware update, viewing of the quarantine list, and of course, the 'i' is for information on this great program. The options icon will take you to the area for Ad-Aware settings and options. As you go along these windows, you will notice that there are options not highlighted. These features are only available in their pro edition however, that doesn't take away the effectiveness of this 'lite' version. Here's a few pics of the options windows with a few notes after each:
As noted in this pic, Ad-aware allows you to scan inside archived files (those 'zipped' up things!), inside your active processes (anything that is running), a general scan of the registry and a through 'deep' scan of the registry. From here you can also pick specific drives and folders too!
This options window is your settings for saving the log file which is generated every time you run Ad-Aware. You can also specify where the program will find the reference file, as well as setting the language, safe mode and part of the automation of Ad-aware. Here's a couple of pics of the log files including the current file and one opened from the archived dates. All log files are named for the date and time they were ran:
After Ad-Aware does a scan of your system, you'll get the opening screen displaying a small bug informing you that something was found! This window will also let you know how many processes were scanned and in exactly what category your problems are placed into. One click on the 'next' button brings up the list screen giving you a bit more detail of each bug. Here's a pic:
Now lay your mouse along one of the listed items and right click. Now a window will show you detailed information about the adware or spyware that is installed on your computer. Another pic:
From here, this information can be passed to the clipboard for further work a different program. Ad-Aware also has the ability to quarantine your bugs. This will keep them away from the running areas of the computer and will prevent them from working however, it will not get rid of them just yet! The reason to quarantine a file and not delete it straight out is that unfortunately, there are some programs and games out in the cyberworld that HAVE to have spyware or adware installed in order for them to operate. With the bug quarantined rather than deleted, you have the ability to RESTORE the file or files in order to be able to use that specific program. Personally, I completely stay away from programs that operate like this but this allows a users choice in the matter of spyware and adware. Here's a pic of the restore window:
The window lists all of your quarantined files. These can be permanently deleted from this window also. Once gone, they are gone forever!! Ad-Aware also has an auto update feature keeping you constantly current on the reference file. Here's a pic of the update window:
Autoupdate, complete computer scanning, quarantine and restore, super support and most important of all, peace of mind and a optimum computer system is what you'll receive from using Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. Personally, I use this in tandem with Spybot: Search and Destroy to ensure that all spyware and adware are eliminated from my system! Plugins..... Ad-Aware allows for the use of plugins which can enhance your security. The plugin page is HERE and includes 'hexdump' which allows you to view a hexidecimal version of a problem file, an 'LPS (layer service provider) viewer, and 'messenger control', a nice add-on for controlling Microsoft Messenger. Uninstall...... Uninstalling Ad-Aware is done through the usual 'Add/Remove Programs' icon in the control panel. The “Unwise” utility allows custom removal of the program. Problems...... Using Ad-Aware in tandem with Spybot: Search and Destroy can cause a bit of confusion due to Ad-Aware's optional ability to search archives, including the compressed quarantined files stored from running Spybot. If you are not using Spybot, this quark is nothing to worry about. In Closing .......... There are even more features to this security utility that I haven't even covered yet so I suggest that you download a copy today and install it. You're computer will be very grateful. Enjoy!! Buzzy J |
