Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine
 

Ad-Aware Free

Version: 8.1

Downloads Count: 15,929,142

License Type: Free

Price: Free

Date Added: Oct 13, 2009

Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista

Requirements: Pentium 600 MHz or better; 100MB hard disk space; operating system RAM plus 100MB; fully patched OS

File Size: 75280 KB

Author: Lavasoft

Recommend
this download?

Most Popular in Anti-spyware Tools

See more popular software»

 
Editorial Review of Ad-Aware Free

Ad-Aware Free has long been one of the most popular spyware killers on the planet, and with good reason. It's simple to use, does an excellent job of detecting and killing spyware, and stays out of your way as much as possible. The fact that it's free for personal home use doesn't hurt, either.

The newest version of Ad-Aware Free improves on an already solid product, notably by expanding its protection. At first glance, the program looks substantially the same as previous versions. Tell it to scan your system, and it finds spyware and other malware, and then deletes it or quarantines it for you. But even though it looks and works largely the same, under the hood there are a substantial number of changes, primarily aimed at beefing up system protection. Ad-Aware Free now protects against rootkits, which are stealth attacks designed to escape detection and burrow their way into the operating system. Ad-Aware also includes several types of heuristic detection, which protects you by examining complex system behavior, rather than just looking for known malware signatures. If the program's heuristics work as well as do the heuristics in other anti-malware software, it should provide better protection against emerging and unknown threats, as well as threats that are already known.

In addition, Ad-Aware Free promises to protect you against malware that tries to restore itself after a system reboot. And it now integrates with Internet Explorer to scan files as you download, alerting you to any malicious files you may send to your system.

Also new to this version of Ad-Aware is a "Simple mode" that lets you set your configuration once, and never have to do it again. If you prefer, you can toggle to Advanced Mode, where you can select advanced features for customization.

Note that Ad-Aware Free doesn't protect against viruses or provide full real-time protection. To get those features, you'll need an antivirus product. Lavasoft's for-pay products, the $27 Ad-Aware Plus and the $40 Ad-Aware Pro, include antivirus protection--though it's not yet clear whether those products are superior to their antivirus competition.

The upshot of all this? The newest version of this popular piece of software is well worth the download. If you don't already have Ad-Aware Free, this is a good time to try it. If it already lives on your PC, go ahead and upgrade to the new version.

--Preston Gralla

People who downloaded this also downloaded:
Sponsored Links
 
You are browsing Anti-spyware Tools

  •     PRODUCT NAME
    DATE ADDED
    LICENSE
  • CounterSpy
      4,755
    Sep 9, 2008
    Trial

    Remove spyware and other malware with this bargain-priced security program.

     
  • a-squared Free
      18,722
    Mar 1, 2007
    Free

    This program looks for Malware and kills it.


     
  • Advanced Spyware Remover
      12,552
    Feb 22, 2006
    Free

    Advanced Spyware Remover is an advanced but easy-to-use anti spyware tool that removes spyware, adware and immunizes them to block future spyware threats.It upgrades computer system performance and creating a secure computer that runs reliably.


     
  • Norton Internet Security 2010
      268,823
    Oct 7, 2009
    Trial

    Protect your PC from Internet-borne viruses, spyware, and other threats.


     
  • Transaction Guard
      17,649
    Jun 28, 2007
    Free

    Protect yourself while surfing or performing online transactions.


     
  • X-Cleaner Micro Edition
      26,600
    Jan 31, 2007
    Free

    A quick, free, simple online spyware scanner.


     
  • Kaspersky Anti-Virus
      10,116
    Aug 13, 2007
    Trial

    Kaspersky Anti-Virus provides protection against all types of malware: viruses, adware, spyware, Trojans, worms, and keyloggers.


     
  • SpyCatcher Express
      50,582
    Apr 4, 2007
    Free

    This freebie scans your system for spyware, and offers live protection to keep you from getting infected.


     
  • True Sword
      8,502
    May 19, 2008
    Shareware

    Get rid of spyware and adware in one click with this handy and easy program!


     
  • Spyware Terminator
      34,728
    Apr 7, 2009
    Free

    Protect yourself against spyware for free.


     
  • VirusTotal Uploader
      15,552
    Dec 10, 2007
    Free

    Easily scan suspicious files for viruses with this uploading tool and its related free service.


     
 

Dell's December Days of Deals

PC World Related Content

The Computer Maintenance Flash Drive

Andy Ludlum asked me to recommend portable diagnostic programs to keep on a flash drive

Cookienator Protects From Sneaky Flash Cookies

Selectively remove tracking cookies for multiple browsers at once with Cookienator.

Downloads FAQ

If you have questions about finding, downloading, or opening files in our library, you'll probably find the answers here.

Visit the Downloads FAQ »

Special Offer
special offer

BitDefender Antivirus Plus v10. (2 users, 2 years)

The purpose of the Antivirus module is to ensure detection and removal of all viruses in the wild. BitDefender Antivirus uses robust scan engines certified by ICSA Labs, Virus Bulletin, Checkmark, CheckVir."/>

More Information

PC World Community

Most Recent Threads