How to Use Ad-Aware SE by Lavasoft

Overview

Ad-Aware SE provides Spyware detection and removal.  Ad-Aware SE Personal edition will comprehensively scan your memory, registry, hard, removable and optical drives.  When scanning, it will look for known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected Keyloggers, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.  When run every two weeks with anti-virus protection, your computer will be best protected from undesirable items from the internet.

1. Click on Start, All Programs, Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE Personal, and Ad-Aware SE Personal.
   
   
    
2. After you click the Ad-Aware SE Personal icon the status screen will look like the picture below.  We will primarily be working with the buttons and links with the red arrows.
   
   
    
3. Click the button that looks like a gear . 
   
   This button will open the Ad-Aware SE configuration window.  Once inside we will be working with the General, Scanning, and Default buttons.  We will be using the default settings because they have been proven to work the best.  It is a good habit to check your version of Ad-Aware SE to make sure it is configured the same way.
   
   
    
4. After the window opens, you will see the below screen.  By default, Ad-Aware SE opens to the general window.  If it does not, click the General button to open the General Settings window.  This window is set to the Ad-Aware SE defaults because they have been proven to work well by Lavasoft.  Check your settings against the below screen.
   
   
    
5. Click the Scanning button to open the Scan Settings window.  This window is set to the Ad-Aware SE defaults because they have been proven to work well by Lavasoft.  If you choose to make changes to the Scan Settings (which is discouraged), they will occur from this window.  Check your settings against the below screen.
   
   
    
6. Click the Defaults button to open the Default Settings window. This window is set to the Ad-Aware SE defaults.  The default menu is very useful because it enables us to put all Ad-Aware SE's settings back to the Lavasoft defined factory settings.  If you need to reset Ad-Aware SE, click on the Reset ALL Ad-Aware setting to default link, then OK to confirm your action. After clicking OK, you will be put back to the General Setting screen. If you choose to make other changes without resetting your Default Settings they will also occur from this window.  When finished click Proceed to save your changes and exit to the status screen.
   
   
    
7. Now that we have checked our settings, the next step is to check for updates.  The WebUpdate function is how Ad-Aware SE obtains its updates. To start WebUpdate click the WebUpdate button in the toolbar or use the Check for updates now link on the status screen.
    
8. Click Connect to check if a new definition file is available.
   
   
    
9. After you click Connect, Ad-Aware SE will connect to the Lavasoft website to look for updates..  If Ad-Aware SE displays a screen telling of old definitions, click OK and allow the update to occur.
   
   
   
   
   If Ad-Aware SE displays a screen indicating that a newer version of Ad-Aware SE is available, click OK and allow the update to occur. 
   
          
    
10. Once the updates are finished, Click Finish to go back to the Status window.
    
    
     
11. The next buttons we will be working with are the Scan Now or Start, they perform the same function. 
    
    
    
    
    When clicking either of the buttons, you will see the following screen.  Ad-Aware SE will ask you to select the type of scan.  Select Perform smart system scan. Click Next.
    
    
    
     
12. After clicking on Next, the scan will start and you will see the following progress window.  The scan should take 5-10 minutes to complete.
    
    
     
13. When Ad-Aware SE finishes the scan, the status window will show that the scan is complete and show a summary.  Click Next.
    
    
     
14. Place a check in the box(es) in the target families that you want removed (generally all boxes should be checked).  For a more detailed view of the target family objects, click on Critical Objects or Negligible Objects .  Checks in boxes can also be placed on the items from these windows. Click Next.
    
    
     
15. After clicking Next, a screen will come up and confirm that you are removing the objects.  Click OK to confirm that you want the objects removed. 
    
    
     
16. After clicking OK, Ad-Aware SE will remove and quarantine the items and return you back to the status screen.
    
    
     
17. If your scan puts items in quarantine, it is best to view the quarantined objects by opening the quarantine area  To open the quarantined area click on the
     padlock button or the Open quarantine list link in the status window.
     
18. When opening the quarantine list, there are three buttons at the bottom of the screen, Item Log, Delete, and Restore.  Various files may also appear under the quarantined area.  A filename has to be selected to use the restore, delete, and item log (provides additional details) buttons .  If you choose to do nothing, click Status to exit the Quarantined Objects area.  However, it is a good practice to delete all of these files.  To do so, click on the file and then click Delete.
    
    
     
19. After Delete is clicked, the following confirmation dialogue box will appear. Click OK to continue with the deletion.  Once the items are deleted, the quarantined objects box will return, minus the items.
    
    
     
20.  Click the Status button to return to the main window.  Quit Ad-Aware SE by clicking the red X in the upper right corner. 
     
21. Run Ad-Aware SE every two weeks starting at step 7.