Ad-ware - Ad-Aware se pro
This news was posted on Apr 28, 2005 by Soft-Ideas.com in Ad-ware category.
Ad-Aware se pro |
Ad-Aware se pro - a tool created to organize reliable computer protection from stealing personal information, agressive advertising, sites-parasites, cheat programs, a number of traditional troyans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers and spy components. With the Code sequence itentification technology, Ad-Aware se pro will protect you not only from known troyans, but will build the strong protection from most unknown ones.
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Ad-Aware se pro user reviews: (1 total) Add new review
From: anonymous
Ad-aware by Lavasoft is one of the original anti-spyware companies and perhaps the most well-known. Although it didn't seem to find as many components as other products we reviewed, it is a good solution for detecting spyware. Ad-Aware comes with a well-rounded feature-set including real-time monitoring, automatic updates, and rollback capabilities. It doesn't offer as many useful features as Spyware Eliminator, however. For example, it lacks the ability to schedule scans and the real-time monitoring isn't quite as effective. It also is much higher priced and this product is targeted to IT professionals or technically-oriented users. In addition, the technical support is horrible. We've put in several email requests and they've either been ignored or taken much longer than they should have. We have also been unsuccessful with talking to a live person.
Feature Set:
One unique add-on to Ad-aware Professional is a built-in popup blocker. This is a wonderful addition for those that would otherwise go out and purchase a blocker. But, don't buy the product for its popup-blocking capabilities. It doesn't work as well as you would probably like. The software also comes with Ad-watch—Lavasoft’s answer to real-time monitoring. Ad-aware will monitor your Internet activity and warn you if your computer attempts to download spyware or adware; you have the preemptive option to cancel the installation. In addition, you can block ActiveX and web installations to minimize the risk of downloading spyware. But Ad-aware won't offer detailed warning information as Aluria's Spyware Eliminator will. It also provides rollback capabilities so you can restore components you may want to keep (deleting some components may disable some desired applications that are dependent on adware).
Effectiveness:
This product quickly finds many components that many other anti-spyware products do not. When Ad-aware finds spyware or adware the program provides a brief description and severity analysis. When possible, Ad-aware even provides a link to the original website so you can find out more. One feature that is missing from Ad-aware, however, is a scanning scheduler—you must manually scan your hard drive each time. This is less effective as it is easy to forget the scan altogether.
Ease of Use:
For the most part, Ad-aware is easy to use. It has a clean, simple main interface. Some of the advanced options are a little confusing because they are too technical, however, and you may need to consult the Help where it's available. Despite the fact that there is an icon indicating context-sensitive help, we found that it was lacking a lot of useful information. There is also a one-step update feature that you will need to click on every couple weeks to stay updated with the latest Spyware/Adware products; automatic updates would be more convenient.
Customization:
Ad-aware has several customization settings to choose from. Starting with the scan, you can speed up the process by selecting the types of files to scan or file sizes to skip. There are also several settings you can customize within the Ad-watch (real time monitor). In addition to the built-in customization features, there are several plugins that LavaSoft offers.
Ease of Setup/Installation:
Ad-aware is easy to set up; after one quick download automatic installation begins.
Help/Support:
There is an excellent FAQs page on the website. There is also an in-depth Help file, complete with graphics that will explain some of the product's features. If all else fails there is an email support option.
Our experience with technical support, however, has been less than desirable. In fact, we've reviewed hundreds of products in all categories and this is about the worst support we have seen. We've either been ignored or the answers to questions took much longer than they should have.
Summary:
Ad-aware does a pretty good job of detecting spyware or annoying adware. The program provides some real-time protection (removing spyware as it installs) and is better than average at finding hidden components. It is especially useful for IT or technical users. On the downside, it is more expensive than most other options, including our higher-ranked products and lacks some of the features you can get with higher ranked products. Also, the technical support is horrible. You would be better off with a program that has the best of both.
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