In the words of the California State University Maritime Academy, antivirus software is “the ‘policemen’ at the gate of a computer system.” These programs shield your PC from threats posed by different viruses. They seek out, destroy, and warn you of possible threats to your computer system. These viruses can be worms, trojans, or malware.
One of these antivirus applications is Adaware Antivirus.
About Adaware Antivirus
Adaware is an antispyware and antivirus software program that detects and removes malware, viruses, browser hijackers, spyware and adware, Trojans, bots, data miners, and parasites.
Originally developed in 1999, Adaware antivirus was first created to highlight the Web beacons present in the Internet Explorer Web browser. On some sites, the user would see a pixelated square next to Web beacons, which is meant to warn them that their IP addresses are being monitored by the website. The later versions of the antivirus, however, added a feature that blocks these beacons or ads entirely. The same feature does not make the user aware of the ads on screen; it removes spyware, malware, adware, and other viruses instead.
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How to Use Adaware Antivirus?
Adaware is known among the tech world for its ease of use. You download it from the official website of Adaware and start from there. The download is pretty straightforward, and so is the installation process.
To give you a clearer idea of what Ad-Aware does and how to use it, here are some of its most outstanding features:
- Parental Control—Adaware antivirus provides age-based templates so the parent won’t have to manually configure categories for each user. It also allows you to create an exclusion list if you wish to allow a specific website to be accessible outside of the ones already set by the program.
- Network Protection—Network protection allows you to block malicious intrusions with advanced network monitors. Total Security shows a list of network adapters from the system hardware and gives you a chance to assign a profile to each one. You can also configure applications rules and control port scanning.
- Email protection—Adaware has an email protection tool that works well with desktop email applications. It allows you to create a safe sender list that prevents scanning emails from trusted senders, helping you avoid unnecessary scans.
- Real-time protection—Adaware blocks malicious processes and infected files in real-time, making it possible for you to avoid unwanted programs from even entering your computer system.
- Download protection—Just like its ability to block malware and infected files in real-time, Adaware also scans all downloads before they have a chance to damage your personal computer.
Adaware Antivirus Pros and Cons
While it is an easy-to-use program with well-designed features, Adaware antivirus still has its cons.
PROS:
- Real-time protection
- Parental control
- Network protection
- Web protection
- Download protection
- Compatible with Windows 10/11, Windows 8, and Windows 7
- Uses less than 1 percent of CPU usage to run
- Ease of use
- Easy download and installation
CONS:
- Most of its features are only available if you buy the Pro version or the Total version
- You can only use parental control if you buy the Total version
- No web filtering
- Requires registering the program to activate it
The Verdict
Some Adaware antivirus reviews have it that it is not a good first choice for an antivirus. Lifewire, for one, shares there’s nothing special with the software but finds it useful if you need an antivirus solution.
Tech Radar, on one hand, finds the registration a bit of a hassle and crucial, as it means you need to hand over your name and email address, which is not the case with other antivirus programs like Avast and Avira. They also think Adaware is good only as a second line of protection for your PC but not good enough as a first line of defense.
For Safety Detectives, however, Adaware antivirus makes a good choice if you want affordable antivirus software and recommends it for its impressive features.
What other antivirus programs would you recommend? We’d love to know! Share your thoughts below!