Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition

Download: Author’s Site

Spyware is a silent threat to your computers performance and security, unlike virus’s spyware usually doesn’t loudly announce its presence. A good anti-spyware program is an essential part of every internet user’s defence against online threats and attacks.
Ad-Aware is a powerful anti-spyware program; the personal version is free for all home users and is extremely popular. The program easily cleans your entire computer including RAM, registry, hard drives and external storage devices – restoring your computers original performance, speed and privacy.

The program is built on the following central features:

• User defined scans that are fully customizable
• CSI (Code Sequence Identification)
• Extended memory scanning
• Extended registry scanning
• Extensive detection base
• Extended scanning mode
• Protection to prevent browser hijackings
• Spyware quarantine manager

Advantages

In testing the program did very quick scans – the scan results are comprehensive and easily interpreted by even the most beginner computer user. Spyware threats are often complicated in nature; scan results also include links to more information online.

Disadvantages

Unfortunately the program has no feature to schedule regular scans; if you’re not the type of person who remembers to run scans this might prove to be a pretty big flaw. There is also no way to restore items once they are quarantined; this isn’t a big problem but more of an annoyance.

Conclusions

The program certainly has some fantastic advanced features; however it lacks certain important functions which its competitors have. It’s scanning and removal capabilities make it a very powerful spyware tool but the missing features detract usability and functionality.