Freeware
Ad-Aware 2007: Worse than the Spyware Itself
Developer: Lavasoft
Version: 7.0.1.5
Download it Here.
If you would have asked me a few months ago about which anti-spyware program is my favorite, I would have told you Ad-Aware without any hesitation. Of course, that was back before Lavasoft decided that they needed to release Ad-Aware 2007, a steaming pile of crap that is riding only on the reputation of its predecessor.
The 2007 model of this previously fantastic program is absolute garbage. It’s slow to start, if it even starts at all. The interface is completely disgusting and filled with nothing but wasted space. And it crashes. All the time.
But that’s just the beginning. The first time I ran Ad-Aware 2007, the program crashed. So I tried it again, only to have it crash on startup once more. When I finally got the program up and running for the first time - on a fresh install of Windows XP, mind you - I had a chance to check out the interface for a few minutes. While there are some similarities between this and the previous version, 2007 is all about style with little to no substance behind it. Just bring back the simple interface, and we can all walk away happy.
Unfortunately, the interface is not the only thing wrong with Ad-Aware 2007, as I can live with a poorly designed interface if the program functions properly. Well, this program’s function is anything but proper. For starters, there is no Vista support. What the hell? Ad-Aware 2007 was released earlier this month - that’s about seven months since Microsoft’s newest operating system hit store shelves. There’s no reason why Ad-Aware 2007 shouldn’t support Vista yet.
Yeah, yeah - but what about the scanning? Lavasoft’s newest piece of equipment is filled to the gills with bloat, making scans last much longer than in the previous version. Now, this would be fine if it detected more deeply hidden spyware - but it barely detects anything. After a scan from Ad-Aware 2007 and a scan from Spybot: Search & Destroy, the latter found nearly twice as much spyware on the same machine at the same time. Makes the latest version of Ad-Aware look pathetic and useless.
So what are we left with? A shiny new program with absolutely nothing under the hood. I hate it when the good programs face a fate like this.
Try it for yourself (if you’re a masochist).
- Eric Norton
The thing that I really don’t understand is the lack of Vista support. It just crashes on Vista without even starting… What a shame…
You are absolutely correct on every point. Ad-Aware 2007 is pure garbage. I will only add (just for fun) that we are well into 2008. Ad-Aware 2007? Well, it was good some time in 2007 but it is good no more.