Review of Ad-Aware Free Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware

Written by: Donna Buenaventura • Edited by: Jean Scheid
Published Jul 13, 2010 • Related Guides: Internet | Antivirus

Ad-Aware is no longer an antispyware program only. It is also an antivirus program. Find out in this Ad-Aware anti-virus review if the program is worth using and if Ad-Aware will cause a slowdown in Windows.

Ad-Aware Free is Now an Antivirus But Definitely Not a Security Suite

New Ad-Aware Free Internet Security Protection

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Lavasoft has released a new version of its popular anti-spyware and anti-adware program, Ad-Aware. Version 8.3 of Ad-Aware Free has changed the product name from Ad-Aware Free to Ad-Aware Free Internet Security. Also, the free version now includes antivirus protection using the detection engine by Sunbelt Software VIPRE. Users of the free edition are now allowed to use the scheduler feature to setup automatic scan.

Ad-Aware 8.3 Free Internet Security is not an Internet security suite that some users thought it might be. Lavasoft did not name the product as Ad-Aware Free Internet Security Suite since the free version does not include a firewall, anti-spam, and parental control. It's just a free Internet security protection by Ad-Aware against spyware, adware, rootkits, and now from viruses. The only item that I noticed missing in the new version is the email scanner for Outlook plug-in. The said email scanner is now available only in the paid edition, Ad-Aware Total Security. Let's now find out more about the new program in this Ad-Aware anti-virus review.

Installation and System Requirements
Rating

The install process of Ad-Aware Free Internet Security has not changed:

A PC restart is required to allow the program to install the Ad-Watch Live driver that is offering real-time protection against malicious processes.
The setup file of Ad-Aware still bundles Google Chrome installer which is optional but not required to use Ad-Aware free protection.
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Ad-Aware antivirus will install on Windows 2000 Pro, XP and 32-bit/64-bit of Vista and Windows 7. The program will install the plug-in, Download Guard for Internet Explorer as additional protection when downloading files. After the install process and the required PC restart, Ad-Aware report its status to the Windows Security Center.

Ad-Aware Report its Status in Windows Security Center

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It will not disable Windows Defender, the free anti-spyware by Microsoft in Vista and Windows 7 or for XP.

The program will use 85MB of hard-disk space and will install the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 9.0 SP1. I'm glad to see that it's a service pack because some vendors continue to install the vulnerable version of this component from Microsoft. An example is Spyware Doctor by PC Tools.

There have been reports from Ad-Aware V8.3 users that the program will not install in English and it was acknowledged by Lavasoft as glitch with a bug fix on its installer coming this week.

User Interface and Browsing Protection by Ad-Aware
Rating

The user interface of Ad-Aware is simple and easy to manage. A basic and advanced mode is still an option for Ad-Aware users. You can customize the skin or theme of the program and you can switch to a different language within the program even after you've finished installing the product. An option to display the Ad-Aware notification icon in the system tray is also available.

Customizing the UI of Ad-Aware Free v8.3

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To check the ability of Ad-Aware plugin for IE browser, I started to download malicious or unwanted files from the Internet using Internet Explorer. Ad-Aware's Download Guard for IE is really useful as extra protection in Windows.