Ad-Aware SE Personal v 1.05 from Lavasoft

Getting the software to work:

A user needs only to visit http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ and click the download link to find nine download mirrors for the software. After the setup file is downloaded, installing the program is a snap. Once Ad-Aware is installed the user just has to update their definition file and they are on the way to a cleaner happier computer. I have installed this program on many computers in the past and I have never had a problem with installation. Granted my only experiences were had with computers running Windows XP, and 2000. For this evaluation the freeware version of Ad-Aware will be used. To use Ad-Aware your system must meet the following requirements:

System Requirements

Processor: P166

RAM: Operating system + 24 MB

Hard Disk: 25 MB free space (minimal configuration)

Operating Systems:
Windows 98
Windows 98se
Windows Me
Windows NT4 Workstation
Windows NT4 Server
Windows 2000 Pro
Windows 2000 Server
Windows 2003 Server
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Pro
Windows XP (Home/Professional)
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
Windows Terminal Services

Other: Internet Explorer version 5.5 or higher

Software Description:

Ad-Aware SE Personal v 1.05

Ø Intended functionality:

Ad-Aware is a product designed mainly to remove adware, spyware, trojans, dialers, trackers, data-miners, and various other nasty things the average user picks up while browsing the Internet. These files are all referred to as “critical objects” by Ad-Aware. The tool is used to reduce the threats to privacy that a network or PC encounters while on the World Wide Web. Lavasoft (the company that created Ad-Aware) claims that they wish “to assure that everyone, regardless of economic status, has access to the most comprehensive and effective privacy solutions available.”

Ø Target Audience:

The target audience for Ad-Aware is just about everyone who uses the Internet on a regular basis. Ad-Aware can be implemented in large commercial settings, for personal use, and even the educational environment. The version of Ad-Aware being evaluated is intended generally for personal use yet is still a very powerful program.

Ø Cost:

The Ad-Aware SE personal edition being tested is freeware. A user may choose to upgrade Ad-Aware with additional modules or more comprehensive versions for $39.95 at: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/default.shtml.en.

Ø Features:

The major features in Ad-Aware, other than its basic scanning ability, include the full system scan and the alternate data stream scan. The full system scan searches everything the basic scan does with the addition of all fixed drives and archived files. The alternate data stream scan searches in two phases. The first phase is a regular disk scan where information is accumulated and cached. Second the detected streams are scanned including critical objects (bad files) and the files attached to the DataStream. In addition to the different types of scans Ad-Aware has free modules available for download that provide the advanced user more scanning options.

Software Effectiveness:

Ø Ease of Use: Ad-Aware is extremely easy to use. Even if a user chooses to not take advantage of the advanced scanning options, by simply clicking ‘check for updates’ and ‘next’ a few times a user can remain fairly “critical object” free. Once a user decides to take advantage of the other options Ad-Aware provides online support and a comprehensive help guide if problems arise. The simple check boxes, links, and radio buttons make Ad-Aware accessible to almost any level of computer user.

Ø Currency: Updates to Ad-Aware’s “threat database” or definition files are available quite often. In a medium where the technology is constantly changing it is a great advantage for Ad-Aware to be easily upgradeable. A user can ‘check for updates’ before a scan or set up automatic updates to keep their version of Ad-Aware current.

Ø Speed: The speed at which Ad-Aware SE personal scans, when compared to previous versions of Ad-Aware, is dramatically faster. On this computer, (Pentium III 900mhz, 128mb RAM) on average, a basic Ad-Aware scan took about three minutes. Scan times may vary depending on the amount of “critical objects” found on a computer during a scan.

Ø Effectiveness: Over the course of a week Ad-Aware found an average of 3.5 “critical objects” each day. The amount of time spent using Internet Explorer remained relatively the same so this average is a pretty good estimate of the effectiveness of Ad-Aware (on this computer). When a user installs Ad-Aware for the first time it will usually find about 100 to 500 critical objects depending on their browsing habits.

Ø Known Issues: One problem that is created by Ad-Aware I have noticed is a DCOM error that occurs during some Ad-Aware scans. It causes Windows to shut down. This problem is only seen in computers with Windows XP that have upgraded to Service Pack 2. This error is easily corrected, however, the average computer user will probably give up Ad-Aware after this error occurs. To correct this error the following code can be used in a file named ‘aribtrary_name.reg’:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;Disable DCOM

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole]

"EnableDCOM"="N"

Recommendation:

Ø I highly recommend this program to anyone. It is extremely easy to use and maintain. It is highly effective against spyware and adware. It is completely free, and help with the program is readily available. The folks at Lavasoft continually update this program to improve its potency. Just about any average Internet user has a need for Ad-Aware.