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)
Ad-Aware Free Antivirus + provides core protection against Internet threats. Featuring real-time anti-malware protection, advanced Genocode detection technology, rootkit protection, a scheduler, the product gives you the power to protect yourself online. Ad-Aware Free Antivirus + is a complete malware protection that n... Read more
Overview
The most common release is 7.1.0.7, with over 24% 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 92 files and is usually about 17.17 MB (18,003,499 bytes).
Program details
URL: www.lavasoft.com
Help link: www.lavasoftsupport.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware
Uninstaller: "C:\ProgramData\{FE41BDC7-CD33-4350-8A15-26EFBE20A0FE}\Ad-Aware90Install.exe" REMOVE=TRUE MODIFY=FALSE
Estimated size: 17.17 MB
Language: English (United States)
Files installed by Ad-Aware
| Program executable: | Ad-Aware.exe |
| Name: | Ad-Aware Application |
| Ad-Aware GUI |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\Ad-Aware.exe |
| MD5: | 2a67e8dc126e592c8e3acf739fc5090a |
Additional files:
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CEAPI.dll - CEAPI Dynamic Link Library (CEAPI Dynamic Link Library )
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Ad-AwareAdmin.exe - Ad-Aware Admin Application (Ad-Aware Admin Application )
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lavalicense.dll - LavaLicense Desktop (License solution (desktop edition) )
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lavamessage.dll - Lavasoft LavaMessage (Messaging system for client notification delivery )
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Resources.dll - Ad-Aware Resources (Resource DLL )
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ShellExt.dll - Shell Extension (Shell Extension )
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AWCCommunicatorDLL.dll - AWCCommunicator Dynamic Link Library
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CookieBlocker.dll - CookieBlocker Dynamic Link Library
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ProcessWatch.dll - ProcessWatch Dynamic Link Library
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AWRegWatchDLL.dll - AWRegWatch Dynamic Link Library (Ad-Watch Real-Time Registry Protection)
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AAWService.exe - Ad-Aware Service Application
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aawapi.dll - aawapi Dynamic Link Library (Lavasoft Ad-Aware public API DLL)
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AWCoreComm.dll - Ad-Watch Core Communicator (Ad-Watch Real-Time CoreEngine Communicator)
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tpactivate.exe - Lavasoft TrialPay Activate
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AAWTray.exe - Ad-Aware Tray Application
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AWProcessWatch.dll - Ad-Watch Process Watch (Ad-Watch Real-Time Process Protection)
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threatwork.exe - ThreatWork Application
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Ad-Aware.exe - Ad-Aware Application (Ad-Aware GUI)
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Resources_64.dll - Ad-Aware Resources (Resource DLL)
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ShellExt_64.dll - Shell Extension
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lsupdatemanager.exe - Update Manager
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upmanager.dll
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AAWLic.exe - Ad-Aware (AAWLic)
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Ad-Watch.exe - Ad-Watch
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HostFileEditor.exe - HostsFileEditor
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ProcessWatch.exe - ProcessWatch
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Download Guard for Internet Explorer.exe - Download Guard for Internet Explorer Installer
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savapibridge.dll - savapibr Dynamic Link Library
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unrar.dll (by Alexander Roshal) - RAR decompression library
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Ad-AwareCommand.exe
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AutoLaunch.exe
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lsdelete.exe
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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
2 Context Menu Handlers
- ShellExt_64.dll added to Windows Explorer under the name 'LavasoftShellExt' with a class of {DCE027F7-16A4-4BEE-9BE7-74F80EE3738F}.
- ShellExt.dll added to Windows Explorer under the name 'LavasoftShellExt' with a class of {DCE027F7-16A4-4BEE-9BE7-74F80EE3738F}.
3 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 Update (Weekly)' (runs weekly on Thursdays at 23:35).
- Ad-Watch.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{D3D44AB7-1268-4469-8E12-076F12331B25}' (runs on registration).
Service
- AAWService.exe runs as a service named 'Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service' (Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service) "Ad-Aware Service".
2 Startup Files (User Run Once)
- Ad-Aware.exe is loaded once in the current user (HKCU) registry as a startup file name 'Ad-Watch Live!' which loads as C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\Ad-Aware.exe.
- AutoLaunch.exe is loaded once in the current user (HKCU) registry as a startup file name 'AutoLaunch' which loads as C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\AutoLaunch.exe monthly.
2 Startup Files (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.
- Ad-Watch.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\Ad-Watch.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).
- AAWService.exe connects to 70.38.25.72 (port 80).
Resource utilization averages
Show technical details
| AAWService.exe |
| Memory: | 61.2 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0155226210% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.01233494% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00318768% | |
| Ad-AwareAdmin.exe |
| Memory: | 1.74 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0000420715% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00002805% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00001402% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 1,373 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 24 Bytes | |
| AAWTray.exe |
| Memory: | 1.81 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0208939884% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00658819% | |
| User CPU: | 0.01430579% | |
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) 39%
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 9%
Keep it 91%
|
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Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
43.59% |
|
| Windows XP |
26.24% |
|
| Windows Vista |
25.31% |
|
| Windows 10 |
4.79% |
|
| Windows Server 2003 |
0.06% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
28.28% |
|
| Microsoft Windows XP |
25.95% |
|
| Windows Vista Home Premiu... |
21.15% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
8.78% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
4.92% |
|
| Windows Vista Home Basic |
2.53% |
|
Geography
58.23% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
58.23% |
| France |
4.80% |
| Germany |
4.52% |
| Canada |
3.90% |
| United Kingdom |
3.71% |
| Italy |
2.95% |
| Israel |
2.66% |
| Sweden |
2.05% |
| Australia |
1.71% |
| Spain |
1.57% |
| Netherlands |
1.47% |
| Belgium |
1.38% |
| Poland |
0.81% |
| Brazil |
0.67% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Hewlett-Packard |
27.19% |
|
| Dell |
26.98% |
|
| Acer |
12.92% |
|
| Toshiba |
10.42% |
|
| GIGABYTE |
5.83% |
|
| Intel |
4.58% |
|
| American Megatrends |
4.48% |
|
| ASUS |
3.02% |
|
| Sahara |
2.60% |
|
| Lenovo |
1.04% |
|
| Samsung |
0.94% |
|
Common models |
| HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... |
5.47% |
|
| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
3.39% |
|
| HP G60 Notebook PC |
3.13% |
|
| Dell Inspiron 530 |
2.86% |
|
| Dell Inspiron 1545 |
2.34% |
|
| Hewlett-Packard Compaq Pr... |
2.08% |
|
About Lavasoft
Lavasoft is a development company that produces anti-spyware software, most known for Ad-Aware.
Publisher URL: www.lavasoft.com