Ad-Aware SE Pro
Overall Rating 3.5 Ease of Use 4 Features 3.5 Ease of Installation / Setup 4 Help / Documentation 3.5 Effectiveness 3.5	Product Detail Compare Products Free Download Best Price: $41.91 Buy Now with Best Price

Ad-Aware Features Review

Ad-aware by Lavasoft is one of the original anti-spyware companies and perhaps the most well-known spyware remover software. Although it didn't seem to find as many components as other spyware remover 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 lacks the ability to schedule scans and the real-time monitoring isn't quite as effective. It also is much higher priced and this spyware remover 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.

Ease of Use, Rated 4
For the most part, Ad-aware is easy to use.  This spyware remover software  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.

Features, Rated 3.5
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 this spyware remover product for its popup-blocking capabilities. It doesn't work as well as you would probably like. The spyware remover software also comes with Ad-watch—Lavasoft’s answer to real-time monitoring.  This spyware remover 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 Spy Sweeper 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)

Help and Documentation, Rated 3.5
There is an excellent FAQs page on the website of the spyware remover software.  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 spyware remover software 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 spyware remover 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 worlds.

A complete list of features and side-by-side comparisons are available on the Spyware Remover  Software Review HomePage.

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