Lavasoft Ad-Aware Plus Edition

by Tri Synergy

Product Features

• Computer-protection software for safely detecting and removing spyware
• Detect and completely block further threats with Ad-Watch
• Automatic updates; extended registry; disk scanning
• Detailed scan statistics; removal and quarantine logs
• Real-time scanning and protection; easy to install and use

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007G9760
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 10, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,255 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #7 in Software > Business & Office > Communication > E-mail > Security & Filtering

Product Description

With its award-winning technology, Ad-Aware Plus Edition puts you in complete control. It offers you the highest level of protection from both known and unknown threats such as data-mining, aggressive advertising, parasites, scumware, selected traditional Trolans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers and tracking components. Ad-Aware Plus Edition offers you all the power of the Personal Edition, but has been enhanced with additional powerful features to protect your privacy. Ad-Watch’s real-time monitor goes beyond what other security suites offer by adding another layer of protection to your system. Ad-Aware Plus with Ad-Watch allows you not only to detect privacy threats to your computer; you can also block them from integrating into your system in the first place!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the upgrade from the free version., April 30, 2005

By 

George W. Roden (Cassville, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lavasoft Ad-Aware Plus Edition (CD-ROM)

I first used the free version of Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE, and found it did a great job finding and removing ad-ware and spy-ware. The trouble was, I would find new spy-ware following each visit to the web.

By purchasing the "Plus" version, you get an additional feature, "Ad-Watch". Ad-Watch runs in the background similarly to an antivirus program. It stops ad-ware and spy-ware before they have an opportunity to work. Without Ad-Watch, any spy-ware or ad-ware will be active until you run Ad-Aware to remove it.

I still run Ad-Aware on occasion, but by allowing Ad-Watch to run, I have yet to find any spy-ware that has installed itself. Ad-Watch busts it before it has an opportunity to install and run. I enthusiastically recommend this product.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate spyware buster, December 4, 2005

By 

Drake-by-the-Lake "movie critic" (State of Euphoria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lavasoft Ad-Aware Plus Edition (CD-ROM)

I find Ad Aware better than SpyBot which gets rec's from all the popular magazines. Why? The interface is more sophisticated. Spybot is not very intuitive and requires more clicks of the mouse to do what you want. Ad Aware is more of a one-click solution.

But the worst thing about Spybot is that, during a trial on my client's pc, it would not update. An attempt to update the definitions file would result in a progress bar which stalled midway through. You could leave it there for hours, and the process would never complete. This, on a fully functional broadband internet connection. After that happened, I uninstalled SpyBot, then installed and registered Ad Aware directly from Lavasoft.

Lavasoft's baby is a first-rate program that, with the important addition of Ad-Watch which you must register to use, effectively puts an end to spyware.

Diego, below, must be confused. There is never a charge to update the program or to download definitions. I used Ad Aware for two years without paying for it (it's free) and only registered to get the Ad Watch program to protect my elderly parents from nasty spyware which had disabled their PCs.

I read recently a review of Ad-Aware in PC WORLD. The writer was mentally retarded. He claimed, falsely, that Ad-Aware possessed no real-time spyware blocker. What he was doing was comparing the FREE version of Ad-Aware to the PAY versions of programs like Webroot. Is that fair? No. Nevermind. "Please discontinue my subscription to PC WORLD, because I insist upon intelligent articles, and detested reviews that are influenced by bribery."

I think there needs to be a law where anyone who reviews anything should disclose how much they were paid by a certain vendor. In the case of PC WORLD I would estimate a mere $10,000, but that's enough to buy the writer's daughter's braces, isn't it?

If you drop $27 on Lavasoft you get the Real-Time spyware blocker which works like a charm. And you can take your copy and share with friends and elderly parents, ho-ho-ho!

You will find, however, that the Pop-Up interceptor is overly aggressive and can't be used all the time. It tends to cause problems on certain web sites. I recommend just using the most critical protections.

If you're curious, download the free edition directly from lavasoft. Then if you like it, register and get Ad Watch. I think you will like it.

The criminal organizations that write and distribute spyware bundled inside their games or utilities should be prosecuted the same as virus writers, because their junk disables or reduces the performance of infected PCs. Spyware is no better than smashing my car windshield with a hammer. Uninfecting a PC potentially costs $100 and up, and requires a few days of down-time. I think this is a law enforcement matter, and that the police should be knocking on the door of the guilty corporations. Executives that made the bad decisions should serve jail-time, same as any vandal who has caused millions of dollars (collectively) of property damage.

The reason major players in the PC marketplace are silent on spyware is it's driving lots of new PC purchases. People find their old PC (infected with spyware) isn't as fast as it used to be, and they think the solution is to buy a new one. The real solution is to install and register Ad Aware. But a non-technical person will not know this, and most people are non-technical including many people I care about. I am angry at the way the computer scene is today, and how non-technical people are getting the shaft.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars adaware, September 25, 2005

By 

R.H. "R H" (Richmond, Va.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lavasoft Ad-Aware Plus Edition (CD-ROM)

slowed a new system down too much when running in backgroud. Went back to free verison.