Nokia phones only from AT&T
- Quick specs
- Price: Free; paid upgrade available
- Operating system: Windows 2000 Professional/XP 32-bit/Vista 32-bit/64-bit/7 32-bit/64-bit
- Date added: August 17, 2010
- Total Downloads: 359,876,407
- Downloads last week: 396,443
- Product Ranking: #2 in Spyware Removers
- See full specifications
- CNET Community
- This product is on 26 member lists. Add to my list Add to my Watch List
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 11785 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on July 19, 2010
One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but flaws remain.
Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than before. This version of Ad-Aware offers two new features to users of the free version that had previously been restricted to the paid upgrades: antivirus protection, and a long-awaited scheduler. The AV protection comes courtesy Sunbelt, makers of Vipre. Ad-Aware 8.3 loads faster during your boot cycle, and scans are fast. Empirical tests noted that while the Quick Scan finished in less than 10 minutes for version 8, the current version's Quick Scan finished in under 3 minutes. Previous files that had been falsely detected as threats weren't flagged this time around, probably due in part to Ad-Aware's behavioral detection engine. Called Genotype, it's based on heuristics and uses a one-pass scanning system. Genotype isn't directly exposed to users, although you can opt in to anonymously contribute data from the Settings menu. The new version also explicitly calls out in the scan windows what the scan looks for.
At least in our tests, the latest Ad-Aware Free performs slightly slower than the previous version, probably because of the integrated antivirus engine. While rootkit detection is present, behavior-based heuristics and real-time registry protection are not. Ad-Aware Free cannot scan networked drives. The proprietary real-time defender Ad-Watch Live has been reconfigured to run more smoothly in the background, however, and longtime fans will notice the change. While the free version is still undeniably hamstrung, Ad-Aware continues to make improvements and seems to be unwilling to rest on its malware-removing laurels.
Watch the CNET video review of Ad-Aware Free Internet Security:
Publisher's description
From Lavasoft:Ad-Aware Free provides core protection against Internet threats. Featuring real-time anti-malware protection, advanced Genotype detection technology, rootkit protection, a scheduler, Ad-Aware Free Internet Security gives you the power to protect yourself online. Ad-Aware Free version is a complete malware protection that now combines Lavasoft's pioneer technology for anti-spyware with traditional anti-virus protection.
What's new in this version:
- Changes have been made to the archive scanning, improving Ad-Aware's ability to find malware within archives.
- A number of trusted programs have been added to the Ad-Aware whitelist, making sure that they are not detected.
More popular Spyware Removers downloads
- 398,270 downloads 1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
- 396,443 downloads 2. Ad-Aware Free Internet Security
- 89,678 downloads 3. Spybot - Search & Destroy
- 23,232 downloads 4. Trend Micro HijackThis
- 16,837 downloads 5. SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition
- See all Spyware Removers downloads
User reviews
- All versions: 3.8 starsout of 11785 votes
- 5 stars
- 4 stars
- 3 stars
- 2 stars
- 1 stars
- Current version: 3.3 starsout of 50 votes
- 5 stars
- 4 stars
- 3 stars
- 2 stars
- 1 stars
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
1 stars
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Ad-Aware is now junkware."
Pros: Offers free antivirus and spyware protection.
Cons: It a huge resource and CPU hog. Makes you system run very slow. Only good for a on-demand scanner if you can figure out how to disable Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service in Windows Services. The product is also nagware to try to get you to buy the Pro version
Summary: Ad-Aware used to be one of the best spyware scanners, now it is just bloated junkware. Even when you disable the Ad-watch protection and the Windows services, it still will run ads in your taskbar if you don't delete the scheduled tasks in your Windows Task scheduler. The free protection is not worth making Windows run like it has a major problem. Many better options to choose from like Avast, Avira or even AVG that don't impact your system to the intent like Ad-Aware does. I don't know what Lavasoft is thinking calling this product a "Free Internet Security" it has no firewall or anti-spam which is present in all Internet Security Suites but is not a free option on Ad-Aware you must buy the Pro version to get the full suite which is FALSE Advertisement by Lavasoft. The free version runs so crappy, you what have to be a fool to buy the product when they are so many free products that will give you better protection.
-
1 stars
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"They become what they are fighting"
Pros: Was a good program not any more.
Cons: They become what they were fighting with pop-up ads pushing their pro version
Summary: Stay away if they are willing to push pop-up in their program that's suppose to fight that type of thing what else are they willing to do?
-
1 stars
10 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Beware, this program is adware!!!"
Pros: It used to be an amazing program, but now I have nothing positive to say.
Cons: Their current version now has pop-up ads, soliciting you to buy their full version. Look up the definition of adware and you'll see this product now IS adware itself!!! They've become what they promise to protect you against.
Summary: This had been a great product for years, but as stated in the cons, they have now become what they fought. Reputable companies offering free software like this will offer their full version in the programs window itself. This product however now pops up ads on your window at random times, which defies the whole point of using the program in the first place. I mean who in their right mind would buy software that does to you what it is designed to keep others from doing to you? That's like me saying "I'm gonna protect other people from setting your house on fire, but I'm gonna go ahead and set fire to it myself while I do.". They are complete hypocrites now and I encourage everyone to stay away from this product.
-
1 stars
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Adaware PRO ... CPU Hog ... FREEEEEZ on startup"
Pros: It used to be the best but I am very disappointed with their new engine
Cons: Upgraded to the Pro for $10 and it became worse. Shut down adaware and then took it off my system.
Tried to stop it running on startup where the CPU started responding and then started adaware back up where it froze up the CPU again.Summary: Stay away for the time being until they fix the product ... do not pay anything at this time
-
1 stars
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Use to be the best now just old bloated and slow!"
Pros: None a complete waste of time!
Cons: SLOW and no longer works like it used to. Even free is too much for this ineffective app.
Summary: Extremely slow and after a four hour, yes four hour, scan the best it could find was a few cookies. Down loaded and ran HitMan Pro and within a 4 minute scan it found the RootKit that was causing all my problems along with another MailWare program and an additional 20 cookies that Ad-Aware missed. Ad-Aware where have you gone???
-
1 stars
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Very disapplointed in newest version.Has been excellent"
Pros: None on this new version I believe 8.3xx
Cons: I have installed twicee in new version and can not complete a scan.
Summary: I have used the Ad Aware for several years without problem until the newest version which I have downloaded twicew and have not been able to comolete a scan.
-
5 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1 is AWESOME."
Pros: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1 is AWESOME. You set it and forget it, and you don't even know it's running in the background.
Cons: Ad-Aware does NOT have cons.
Summary: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1 is AWESOME. You set it and forget it, and you don't even know it's running in the background. I wouldn't operate my computer without it.
-
4 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"Ad-Aware is great does a good job"
Pros: I had an email bug trying to attack my computer and it was like breaking into London Tower all alarms went off and Ad-Aware was giving warning messages no chance to get in there.
Cons: there is nothing I dislike about this program at all
Summary: this product is so quiet and unobtrusive you would not know it was there untill bugs show up
-
2 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"failed to install because of definition file?"
Pros: Windows 7: program d/l ok, installed apparently alright but got stuck in "updating 75 definitions" Waited 10 minutes to complete, then uninstalled and went to Malwarebytes. More time needed?
Cons: Program unistalled after initial installation
Summary: Not sure if more time waiting for the definition updates to complete would have corrected the issue. If this is 'normal' for Ad-aware at this point of the initial install, a message should have stated something to the efffect that 'this may take several minutes..." It appeared that the program had stalled or froze.
-
5 stars
Version: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 8.3.1
"xxxxxxxxxx"
Pros: xxxxxxxxxx
Cons: xxxxxxxxxx
- Write review
Submit your review
- See more CNET content tagged:
- Ad-aware,
- Internet security,
- Lavasoft,
- Real-Time,
- protection
Previous Versions:
