Documentation
Ad-Aware for Windows
Documentation table of contents.
Introduction
Some Internet companies use scripts to insert code into your computer. These changes are often undetected by anti-virus software, but can result in pop-up ads, replaced home pages, and data mining software, which sends information back to an online source. Lavasoft's Ad-Aware detects and removes these changes from your computer.
Obtaining Ad-Aware for Windows
- Ad-Aware can be downloaded at: http://www.lavasoftusa.com.
- Click the green Free in the top right corner of the page.
- You will be redirected to the final download page. Click the Download Now button.
- The file should begin to download automatically within a few seconds. Please wait until this occurs. When the Opening window appears, select Save File.
- Once you have clicked Save File, the file will begin to download. Please wait until the Downloads Complete window appears at the bottom right of your screen.
- When the download completes, press Ctrl j to open the Downloads window, then click Open next to the aawsepersonal.exe entry.
- When the Ad-Aware installer launches, close all other
programs, then click Next.
- Read the License Agreement, then select I accept the license agreement. Click Next to proceed.
- Enter your Name and Organization. Click Next.
- Select a directory in which to install Ad-Aware. The default directory is recommended.
Click Next to proceed.
- Click Next.
- Please wait while Ad-Aware installs onto your computer.
- Click Finish to complete installation. It is recommended that you run Ad-Aware and update the definition file after you install it for the first time.
Updating the Ad-Aware Definition File
Ad-Aware uses what is known as a definition file to decide what is and is not spyware. A definition file is essentially a large database of all known spyware files that Ad-Aware queries in order to determine the status of each file or running application on your computer. As new forms of spyware evolve, new definition files are released to alert Ad-Aware of their presence. Update your Ad-Aware definition file on a regular basis to keep your computer fully up to date and safe from malicious spyware.
- If your spyware definitions become out of date, you may be alerted the next time you start Ad-Aware. If a definitions alert window appears when you start Ad-Aware, click OK, then proceed to Step 3.
- To manually load the WebUpdate utility used to download new Ad-Aware definition files, open Ad-Aware and click Check for updates now, which is located above the Start button in the lower right corner of the Ad-Aware screen.
- Click Connect on the WebUpdate screen to begin downloading and installing the new definition file.
- If there are updates available, a window will appear asking you whether you want to download and install the updates. Click OK to download the definition file.
- Please wait while the updated definition file downloads to your computer.
- When the download is complete, click Finish to end the process.
