Current Stats of Adaware?

H Brando · 12-11-2005, 10:56 AM

I have been using Adaware for a long time. About a year or so ago I had some big issues on my system and it took more work that Adaware could fix. After that I used Hijack This! and some other tools to get my system clean again.

I still use ad-watch monitoring and run adaware on a rare basis. My question is, what is the current value of adaware in the marketplace compared to other options. I used to swear by it, but I have not really been paying attention to the spyware scene for a while.

Is there something else I should be looking at instead? And please no Norton bloat-like products. I can't stomach any of the big corporate bloat programs.

kelp · 12-11-2005, 11:26 AM

Adaware will get most of the basic spyware and sometimes some moderate spyware. Then, you have your really, really hard to get-rid-of spyware. You have to delete files, use hijackthis, go to safe mode, change settings, delete more files, edit some things, etc. Adaware is good for getting rid of the basic and moderate stuff.

bear · 12-13-2005, 10:22 PM

Yes, its alot of fun
Adaware and Spybot get rid of "surface" spyware, but if anything has infiltrated your registry etc, you need to take more serious measures.

Hijack this is a good place to start.

compnut · 12-15-2005, 11:58 PM

Another program I would recommend, aside from Adaware SE, is called Spy Doctor, and it's a free download. It will not only detect more than Adaware SE, but it will remove more spyware than Adaware SE. Give it a try, and let me know how it turns out. Good luck!

jess · 12-18-2005, 01:49 AM

Why would the same company release 2 products?
Hmm, or is spy doctor better because you have to pay for it?

I will have to try it out, have not heard of it before.

compnut · 12-18-2005, 01:53 AM

Actually, they're not from the same company. Spy Doctor will pick pieces of spyware that no other program will. It is always a good idea to not trust just only one program, so I have three on my computer and about three that I do online checks for.

I did; however, pay $29.95 for Spy Doctor, and I did really like it, and it will automatically get rid of the spyware. This is only because I repair computer and do computer maintenance as a hobby and for money, and sometimes, I've had a computer with over 3,000 pieces of spyware on it that I couldn't possibly remove manually. It was worth it!

bear · 12-18-2005, 04:41 PM

So it is worth paying $30 for?

I wonder how it finds stuff that AdAware and Spybot don't find?

You would think those two programs would try and beat Spy Doctor so they could remain the top two spyware removal tools.

zandyne · 01-26-2006, 02:23 AM

I have not had any problems with Ad Aware when using it to detect spyware and other malicious items. I do not think you should pay for spyware removal software; there are plenty of free ones available that do the job well.

zeroth · 03-07-2006, 10:26 PM

No problems here with adaware. I do not think the spyware removal tools that cost money are worth it.

imported_chris · 03-30-2006, 02:01 AM

Adaware sometimes misses some spyware that I had, so I went with ewidio's anti-malware program.

catalyst · 04-12-2006, 11:53 PM

I have not run across a program yet that could get rid of some of the worst spyware (such as Spy Sheriff) in a single pass. A good combination of AVG Antivirus, Ad-Aware, and diligence in web surfing is what I use.