- Quick specs
- Price: Free; paid upgrade available
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Date added: April 02, 2008
- Total Downloads: 341,029,318
- Downloads last week: 599,838
- See full specifications
A newer version of Ad-Aware 2007 is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 11401 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
One of the first applications built to find and remove adware and spyware, Ad-Aware's excellent reputation is well-justified. While the 2007 edition is still free, it does have some new features that may make you reconsider the height of the pedestal it sits on.
First off, the app's updater is now permanently on, running in your system's background. The irony of Ad-Aware running potential spyware is not lost on us. The interface has also been completely overhauled, and it's a bit more confusing. There are six tabs in the nav bar. Status and Scan initiate adware scans, and finish with a line-item list so you can select which components to remove and create a system restore point. The context menu offers some information about suspected adware, though it's light on details.
Other navbar buttons include Ad-Watch, offering real-time defenses but only in the paid version. Plug-ins are disabled in the free version, but the Tools and Plug-ins tab hosts TrackSweep, the new browsing tracks cleaner. Smoothly integrated into the app, it wipes the cache, cookies, and history, and other breadcrumbs left by major browsers. We couldn't help but notice, though, that the Web Update tab, which controls definition file and software updates, ran far more sluggishly than in previous editions, and sometimes even crashed the program.
The Settings tab provides access to auto-scans, browsers, scanning, the interface, and log files. The app does an excellent job of removing most malware components, although rescanning is necessary for a seriously infected machine. The freeware restrictions are mildly irritating, but they're nothing compared to some of the serious stability and background processes in the 2007 version. However, it is a fully functional adware remover, and it continues to do that well. With some hesitation, we recommend Ad-Aware 2007 as part of your arsenal.
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Publisher's description
From Lavasoft :With the ability to scan your RAM, Registry, hard drives, and external storage devices for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components, Ad-Aware 2007 easily can clean your system, allowing you to maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the Web.
Ad-Aware 2007 includes a redesigned engine, improved code sequence identification, incremental definition updates, one-click Web-history cleanup, multiple browser support, and other new features. As the next step in the process of making localized versions of Ad-Aware 2007, software update 7.0.2.7 introduces Spanish.
What's new in this version:
Version 7.0.2.7 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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User reviews of Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.7
- Average user rating: 3.8 stars out of 11401 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 118 user reviewsSee all 118 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
8 out of 25 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.7
"What a load of chit this is!"
Pros: Ad-aware SE was a great app. Now, "lavasoft" offerers this load.
Cons: Heavy, slow, update issues, installs services only used by the paid version. Plainly put, "it's a loada of crapola". It's junk like this that makes me grateful I can afford good security for my computers. But. if you need to use free, anything but this will do.
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.7
"Great. This Version Doesn't Double-Update"
Pros: Unlike previous versions, 7.0.2.7 doesn't give a double update in Vista.
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7 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.7
Pros: I have to admit that this product is really good at catching all sorts of spyware and adware, but for the way it works, it's not very beneficial. It's sad because I loved AA SE Personal and now they don't update it (I have to manually do it myself) Ever since this program came out, I've still stuck with AA SE Person and I have to tell you, if you are a new user to this program and started out with AA2007, you wouldn't see the frustration of it until you tried the previous version that has been out for so many years and loved by so many people.
This program is very easy to understand and use, but not worth the pain.
Cons: I installed it on two of my new laptops and my desktop. Unfortunately, this program is very bloated. The interface is shiny and all, but I don't find it necessary. There's more advertising on it than the program actually doing its job. The scans used to take about 3-4 minutes on smart scans and sometimes 6-7 on full scans in the previous version. Now this one takes almost 20 minutes to do a smart scan and sometimes freeze during scanning (it stops responding) It has very annoying and unwanted processes running behind your back and it takes a while to open, close and even minimize. The update doesn't work. Sometimes it never works, sometimes it works half way and then stop responding. Too many errors. I'm sticking with SE Personal until Lavasoft finds out what they are doing wrong. It may be free, but sometimes it's just not worth the pain.
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2 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.7
Pros: It has all the features of the older versions (see my older rating)
Cons: the interface is still bad. I like SE in interface much better.
Also the update manager seems to crash during updates but it's not. After crashing at 26% a few minutes later it suddenly says it's updated and will restart ad-aware.
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.7
"The same crowd who gave us Vista were demoted & give us this!"
Pros: This used to be a useful program & I can pretend it still is.
Cons: Doesn' t find any spyware/malware that Spybot & even WinDefender catches.
- See all 118 user reviews Write review
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