Ad-Aware
What is Ad-Aware?
Ad-Aware is an anti-spyware and anti-virus program developed by Lavasoft that detects and removes malware, spyware and adware on a user's computer. According to Lavasoft, Ad-Aware detects spyware, computer viruses, dialers, Trojans, bots, rootkits, data miners, aggressive advertising, parasites, browser hijackers, and tracking components.
About (from Lavasoft)
Leaner, meaner, faster. Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+ combines our legendary Anti-spyware with a super fast, free Antivirus. It now features download protection (blocks malicious files before being written to disk), sandboxing (keeps unknown apps running in a virtual environment) and advanced detection - it's our most power... Read more
Overview
The most common release is 9.5.0, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). When installed, it will add a context menu handler to the Windows shell in order to provide quick access to the program. The primary executable is named ad-aware.exe. The setup package generally installs about 38 files and is usually about 4.92 MB (5,153,792 bytes).
Program details
URL: www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\lavasoft\ad-aware
Uninstaller: MsiExec.exe /X{385DD1DD-65AA-408D-8E70-74601C2DB7E6}
(The Windows Installer is used for the installation, maintenance, and removal.)
Estimated size: 4.92 MB
Language: English (United States)
Files installed by Ad-Aware
| Program executable: | ad-aware.exe |
| Name: | Ad-Aware Application |
| Ad-Aware GUI |
| Signed by: | Lavasoft Limited |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\lavasoft\ad-aware\ad-aware.exe |
| MD5: | e7cb8d2c3790631ce2628cf400d59237 |
| Ad-Aware GUI is part of Ad-Aware, an anti-spyware and anti-virus program developed by Lavasoft that detects and removes malware, spyware and adware on a user's computer. According to Lavasoft, Ad-Aware detects spyware, computer viruses,... |
Additional files:
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aawservice.exe - Ad-Aware Service Application
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ad-awareadmin.exe - Ad-Aware Admin Application
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ceapi.dll - CEAPI Dynamic Link Library
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aawtray.exe - Ad-Aware Tray Application
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lavamessage.dll - Lavasoft LavaMessage (Messaging system for client notification delivery)
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lavalicense.dll - LavaLicense Desktop (License solution (desktop edition))
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resources.dll - Ad-Aware Resources (Resource DLL)
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resources_64.dll
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shellext.dll - Shell Extension
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lbd.sys - Ad-Aware (Boot Driver)
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unrar.dll (by Alexander Roshal) - RAR decompression library
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privacyclean.dll
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rpapi.dll
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updatemanager.dll
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viprebridge.dll
Behaviors exhibited
Context Menu Handler
- shellext.dll added to Windows Explorer under the name 'LavasoftShellExt' with a class of {DCE027F7-16A4-4BEE-9BE7-74F80EE3738F}.
2 Scheduled Tasks
- ad-aware.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{D727F924-CDD5-4765-966C-CC70B3BCCD5B}' (runs on registration).
- ad-awareadmin.exe is scheduled as a task named 'Ad-Aware Scan (Analyse planifie)' (runs daily at 22:39).
Service
- aawservice.exe runs as a service named 'Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service' (Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service) "Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service".
Startup File (All Users Run)
- aawtray.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'Ad-Watch' which loads as C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\AAWTray.exe.
Network connections
- aawservice.exe connects to 70.38.25.71 (port 80).
- aawservice.exe connects to 70.38.25.72 (port 80).
- aawservice.exe connects to ip-70-38-25-72.static.privatedns.com (70.38.25.72 port 80).
Resource utilization averages
Show technical details
| ad-aware.exe |
| Memory: | 126.88 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0930060543% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.04833798% | |
| User CPU: | 0.04466807% | |
| I/O reads/min: | 635.04 KB | |
| I/O writes/min: | 7.72 KB | |
| aawservice.exe |
| Memory: | 62.57 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0010460088% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00020540% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00084061% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 28,138,151 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 4.66 MB | |
| I/O writes/min: | 10.21 KB | |
| aawtray.exe |
| Memory: | 2.25 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0003704623% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00008937% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00028109% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 90,275 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 30.38 KB | |
| I/O writes/min: | 0 Bytes | |
How do I remove Ad-Aware?
You can uninstall Ad-Aware from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program Ad-Aware, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Ad-Aware.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 59%
Win Server 2003 0%
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HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
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USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 6%
Keep it 94%
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Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
63.65% |
|
| Windows Vista |
17.35% |
|
| Windows XP |
13.69% |
|
| Windows 10 |
5.24% |
|
| Windows Server 2003 |
0.07% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
43.13% |
|
| Windows Vista Home Premiu... |
14.95% |
|
| Microsoft Windows XP |
13.67% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
9.59% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
8.84% |
|
| Windows 10 Home |
2.27% |
|
Geography
63.46% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
63.46% |
| Germany |
5.09% |
| France |
3.81% |
| Canada |
3.32% |
| United Kingdom |
3.10% |
| Italy |
1.93% |
| Sweden |
1.77% |
| Israel |
1.77% |
| Australia |
1.49% |
| Spain |
1.49% |
| Belgium |
1.22% |
| Netherlands |
1.05% |
| Japan |
0.88% |
| Poland |
0.77% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Dell |
27.45% |
|
| Hewlett-Packard |
24.91% |
|
| Acer |
15.11% |
|
| GIGABYTE |
9.19% |
|
| Toshiba |
8.71% |
|
| ASUS |
5.56% |
|
| Intel |
2.54% |
|
| American Megatrends |
1.57% |
|
| Samsung |
1.57% |
|
| Gateway |
1.33% |
|
| Lenovo |
1.21% |
|
| Sahara |
0.85% |
|
Common models |
| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
6.54% |
|
| HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... |
5.50% |
|
| Dell Inspiron 530 |
3.14% |
|
| HP G60 Notebook PC |
2.88% |
|
| Dell Inspiron 1545 |
2.62% |
|
| TOSHIBA Satellite A505 |
2.09% |
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About Lavasoft
Lavasoft is a development company that produces anti-spyware software, most known for Ad-Aware.
Publisher URL: www.lavasoft.com