How to use Ad-Aware 2008 on a Windows XP computer

NOTE
The manufacturer of Ad-Aware offers three versions of the application: A free version that does not require a fee ("freeware") and the "Pro" and "Plus" versions that require a fee. These instructions are for the freeware version of Ad-Aware and are based on installing the application on a Windows XP computer. If you are using a Windows computer with a different operating system, some of the windows, dialog boxes, or prompts may appear slightly different. However, their function should remain the same.

You should scan your computer using Ad-Aware at least once a week.

How to use Ad-Aware 2008 on a Windows XP computer

  1. Double-click the Ad-Aware 2008 icon located on your computer's desktop. The icon looks similar to the following:

    desktop shortcut

  2. The Main Status screen will be the first window to appear and should look similar to the following:

main screen

  1. Each time you start Ad-Aware, always update the application's definition files (i.e., information used to identify spyware and malware). Your computer must be connected to the Internet to update definitions. To check for updates, locate the Definitions Status section in the middle of the Main Status window as shown in the following graphic:

update status

  1. Click Update. If new definition files are available, follow the on screen directions to update the definition files.
  2. When the updates are complete, you will see a prompt that looks similar to the following:

    update complete

  3. Click OK.
  4. To scan your computer, click the Scan Now button located on the right-hand side of the Main Status window. You should see a window that looks similar to the following:

scan

  1. Click the radio button to the left of Full Scan (second option) to thoroughly scan your computer.
  2. Click Scan in the lower-right corner of the window.
  3. The application will begin to scan your computer. Depending on the type of computer you have and the number of applications and data files you have, the scan may take several minutes to finish. You should see a window that indicates the application's progress, which should look similar to the following:

progress

  1. When the scan is complete, you should see the Scan Results window, which should look similar to the following:

scan results

  1. To delete Critical Objects that have been detected, click the Remove button.
  2. To delete Privacy Objects that have been detected, click on the Privacy Objects tab. You should see a window that looks similar to the following:

privacy deleted.

  1. Click in the checkboxes in front of all of the items detected.
  2. Click the Remove button.
  3. Click Finish. You should see a scan summary window, which should look similar to the following:

summary

  1. When you are done, close the application.


NOTE
If you are having problems connecting your computer to the Internet after removing malware or spyware, try this Winsock fix.

For Online Ad-Aware Help

If you have questions about how to use the application or how to set up an automatic schedule for scanning, click the question mark button in the upper-right corner of the application window:

help button

You will see Ad-Aware's online help. You can use this feature to search for any topic that you have questions about.

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Last updated: October 27, 2008