14 replies to this topic

[dashby]

5 year plus user of the free personal use version of Ad-Aware here. My longterm personal security suite includes: Avast Free, Spybot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware, Malwarebytes, Spywareblaster, WinPatrol, PC Pitstop Optimize 3, CCleaner and Defraggler installed on 8 computers ranging from Win XP, VISTA to Win 7. Everything plays well together and I have been very happy with Ad-Aware until Ad-Aware needed to add an antivirus feature to Ad-Aware+. And since you cannot run two antivirus programs on a computer at the same time, something has to go. So we are forced to make a difficult choice. Dump Avast, an anti-virus program I like and has served me well for many years or turn off the anti-virus feature in Ad-Aware+ or uninstall Ad-Aware+ entirely. I searched the Ad-Aware+ program for quite a while looking for a simple, "Uncheck This" to turn off the antivirus feature but could not find it. I also Googled this issue and found that a lot of disgruntled and unhappy people were complaining about the same problem. So I decided to uninstall Ad-Aware+ until things got worked out. I also sent out a newsletter to my friends suggesting that they also uninstall Ad-Aware+ untill things got worked out too. In the meantime, another program that I use called ZoneAlarm was due for an upgrade and guess what? The new ZoneAlarm upgrade wants to add an anti-virus feature to it's free firewall too. Fortunately the ZoneAlarm install program gives you the option to add or not to add the anti-virus feature to the firewall. I wish Ad-Aware+ would offer this installation option as well. So several weeks have gone by since the initial introduction of the free Ad-Aware+ and I decided to see if Ad-Aware+ got enough feedback to make adjustments and today I called the support number Ad-Aware+ is urging us to call for the free Ad-Aware+ program. I got to speak with two people with heavy accents. The second person's accent was so strong I could barely comprehend him. The support tech said that the free Ad-Aware+ anti-virus feature can be turned off but he would have to take remote control of my computer to reinstall the program and then show me how to turn off the anti-virus feature but the phone line kept breaking up and finally it went dead and then the phone kept on ringing every 30 seconds and I could tell it was them cause I could hear the same office noise in the background but everytime I said hello even multiple times, nobody answered. So I hung up and then the phone would ring again and I would say hello multiple times and nobody answered and the calls kept on ringing several more times.

I really don't want someone to take remote control of my computer just to turn off an anti-virus feature and I don't want to try to understand someone who has such a very heavy accent that I honestly can't understand them.

So I would really appreciate if someone here who knows how to turn off the antivirus feature in the free Ad-Aware+ program would please instruct me. Pretend like I don't know anything and walk me through the installation of the free Ad-Aware+ program and then walk me through turning off the anti-virus feature. Thank you for your time. Sincerely... (By the way, twenty minutes into typing this the phone is still ringing every few minutes, it's them, I say hello and still nobody answers.)

Edited by dashby, 24 July 2012 - 10:12 PM.

[CeciliaB]

Hi dashby,

Even Ad-Aware 9 contains an antivirus engine. The problem is not that Ad-Aware 10 has detections for virus etc. and not only for spyware. Ad-Aware 10 has full real-time protection while Ad-Aware 9 Free only has a limited real-time protection, which usually works together with other antivirus programs. Even if LS Digger Barnes' explanation about possible conflicts with other security programs in the post http://www.lavasofts...ndpost&p=125582 is written for Ad-Aware 9 Pro, the principle is still the same. A more technical explanation is written in http://www.lavasofts...post__p__136994 by LS Andy.

You can still use Ad-Aware 9.6, which can be downloaded from FileHippo, if you want a program that can be used together with another antivirus program. No need to tell people to stop use Ad-Aware, when it is enough to tell them to continue with Ad-Aware 9.6, or change their current solution with a combination of an antivirus program and Ad-Aware 9 to a single program (Ad-Aware 10) being both an antivirus program and an anti-spyware program. A single program will use less computer resources than two.

For the future see the post http://www.lavasofts...post__p__137027 by LS Andy.

Lavasoft only handles support by email and its free. Phone support is handled by another company, but of course Lavasoft wants their partner to behave well. I'll tell my contact person at Lavasoft about their behaviour towards you.

[LS Ann]

Hi dashby,

I wanted to add that, unfortunately, it is impossible to turn off the Antivirus and Antispyware feature in 10.x version. You can turn off Real-Time Protection feature and leave Antivirus and Antispyware feature which is scans (Quick, Full, Custom, Context Menu). These scans work on demand.

Did you have 10.0 and/or 10.1 previously installed?

Thanks,
Ann

[J Canuck]

"it is impossible to turn off the Antivirus and Antispyware feature in 10.x version"

Your response may or may not have answered my question. I too have used AdAware free for many years. I have only used the spyware scan function, and therefore have always kept AdAware from automatically starting whenever I booted my desktop. I already have too many programs which automatically start and slow down my computer when booting. I just upgraded to AdAware version 10.2.21.3698. How can I keep AdAware from automatically starting whenever I boot my computer?

The Exit function from the AdAware icon in my Service Tray does not solve my problem because it does not keep AdAware from automatically starting whenever I boot my computer. I believe I have thoroughly searched all your AdAware Free interface screens.

Is the only solution that I also must uninstall my Version 10 AdAware Free and download the old Version 9.6, from FileHippo?

[CeciliaB]

Hi J Canuck,

Ann meant from the standard user interface of Ad-Aware.

Both Ad-Aware 9.x and 10.x have installed drivers, services and standard processes. All of them are started automatically to be able to protect the computer the whole time and/or to be able to put malicious drivers into quarantine. I don't know what you have turned off in Ad-Aware 9.x, but it is possible to disable services in "Control Panel - Administration Tools - Services" and standard processes in, for example, msconfig. But I don't know, if you then will be able to update definitions, perform a scan and quarantine any malicious files that are found.

[J Canuck]

BINGO!

Disabling AdAware via running msconfig is exactly how I did it in the past, and how I did it again today. I just completely forgot - D*mn grey hairs - sometimes called a Brain-fart!!

Whenever I need to run AdAware, I easily start it from my All Programs start feature. Thanks very much for giving me the head-shake.

[CeciliaB]

You are welcome

Good that you are satisfied, but you should be aware of that it means that a lot of Ad-Aware 9 or 10 is still started automatically. It would also be the same with all good antivirus and anti-malware programs. It is also possible that there can be conflicts between Ad-Aware and other installed antivirus programs (if you have installed another program).

[J Canuck]

Fortunately I have had no confllcts with my ZoneAlarm while I keep AdAware from booting.

"..... but you should be aware of that it means that a lot of Ad-Aware 9 or 10 is still started automatically"

Windows Task Manager indicates AdAwareService.exe still runs. I tested and discovered that after disabling and even reenabling AdAwareService.exe through msconfig Services, I could no longer restart AdAware and I had to reinstall it. Proved you are correct of course. Leaves me with a choice to ponder:

- Keep AdAware Free from activating during my PC boot, recognising there are some services which will still automatically activate, hence slowing down my PC, but perhaps marginally.
- Uninstal AdAware Free completely and reinstal it everytime I wish to do a spyware scan.
- Try another spyware product. I had used Spybot prior to switching to AdAware.

Too bad AdAware does not include the option to completely keep it from activating at PC boot. Too many programs include too many unnecessary resource hoggiing applications running in the background - they add up. I have loved the spyware scan of AdAware over the years, but have loved ZoneAlarm's fire-wall (more recently virus protection as well) for decades. Thank you once again for your prompt assistance.

[CeciliaB]

You are welcome

If you only turned off Ad-Aware 9 process in msconfig and didn't notice any resource problems with that, I think you can do it with Ad-Aware 10 as well. Ad-Aware 10 in general uses less resources that Ad-Aware 9.

As far as I have seen Spybot S&D will install a service and/or driver too.

It is necessary for this type of program to install services and drivers, for example to be able to update the definitions without triggering prompts from the User Access Control (UAC) in Vista and Windows 7, to be able to remove malicious files (drivers) that starts very early during the start of Windows.

For the future see the post http://www.lavasofts...post__p__137027 by LS Andy.

[J Canuck]

"We are currently investigating what it will take for us to build a version of Ad-Aware that will run as an on demand scanner that compliments rather than looks to replace your "first line of defense" like Norton etc."

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle ..... a tech company that listens!

Thank you for making the effort to inform me - I'm impressed. I'll keep spreading the good word on AdAware.

[J Canuck]

Ooooooops ...... thumb came out a bit large.

[CeciliaB]

Yeah, nobody will miss your opinion

[siwasher]

So, just to be clear after all the peripheral stuff: is it possible to run version 10.x without interfering with other antivirus progams (MSE in my case), by turning off realtime virus scanning? Presumably, that would solve most folks' issues, allowing us to use only the anti-malware scanning. If that's not possible in the free versions, is it possible in the paid versions?

Also, another topic on the forum lists known incompatible programs, and MSE isn't listed. Should it be? Thanks.

[CeciliaB]

No, it isn't enough to turn off real-time protection. The drivers would still be installed and it is the combination of conflicting drivers that is the problem.

I'll check with my contact person tomorrow if Lavasoft has tested the combination of MSE and Ad-Aware 10, but other persons have reported problems with that combination.

[CeciliaB]

One person at Lavasoft has used Ad-Aware 10 and MSE on Windows 7 without issues, but that it works one computer doesn't mean that it works on all computers since there might be other differences.