Monday, June 15, 2009

An Honest Review Of Ad-Aware Pro 2009 Security Software

By Chris Channing

Ad-Aware Pro 2009 is the latest addition to the family of security products that Lavasoft creates. Ad-Aware has a long history of shielding computers from obscene hackers and programs that could cause irreversible damage to both one's computer and their very identity or life in the process.

Ad-Aware Pro is not a free product, so you will have to front a bit of capital in order to obtain it. At the time of writing, the Ad-Aware Pro edition was slated at just under $40 for a one-year license. Since the price is the first thing we look at when getting a product, you might also consider extending coverage to a longer license for a cheaper rate.

Unlike some competitors, Ad-Aware Pro 2009 comes with a pop-up blocker. It's nice to have when browsing Internet websites that believe that the best way to sell a product is to annoy the very Internet users they are trying to convince. Fortunately for you, the pop-up blocker is able to eliminate the majority of such advertisements without blocking legitimate pop-up actions.

The major selling point of Ad-Aware 2009 is the fact that it can stop malware from installing itself before it even gets a chance to infect a computer. This functionality, known as real time protection, can help save your computer against malware that would otherwise cause havoc and potentially ruin your computer. Best yet, the protection gets stronger every day as more types of malware are identified and blocked against.

So far the general perception of Ad-Aware Pro has been good. Nothing is perfect, and while Ad-Aware has some great selling points it also has some areas it could improve on. One instance is with the technical support. Lavasoft did a great job on providing documentation, but they skipped out on hiring employees to provide the technical support customers need. Getting technical support is still possible, just expect your questions to be answered slower than normal.

There are many security companies to browse before you make a decision. Other products such as those from Symantec or Norton also have worthy products to consider. Don't judge a product on its price alone, since the competition is fierce and you will find that the prices of competitors are much lower. Some programs can even be found free online that claim to do just as good of a job at computer security as paid alternatives do.

Final Thoughts

$40 can be a lot of money for a year of protection, but then again it's better to pay $40 than to replace a computer that cost over twenty times that amount. Find other programs to compare it to so you make the right decision.

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