Adware is any type of software package that automatically displays or downloads advertising material onto its host computer, either after the software is installed or during the use of the application. While some types of adware are considered to be more or less harmless, other types are also considered spyware and are considered to be invasive.
Adware is commonly referred to along with spyware and even computer viruses, giving it a pretty bad reputation. While adware may be annoying or a bit of an inconvenience, in many cases it is entirely harmless. In fact, many legitimate software developers depend on the use of adware to cover the development costs of products that they offer for free or at deeply discounted prices. Some notable examples are AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. The money generated by advertising revenue helps to offset the development costs and helps to keep those programs free to use.
While there are many harmless and legitimate instances of adware, there are also less legitimate types that can sometimes be classified as spyware and are considered malicious, either due to the way they behave or the way that they are distributed. Some of these types of adware collect information about users which they in turn use for marketing purposes. Many computer users believe that having their online browsing patterns monitored is an invasion of their privacy and do not wish to have any sort of this type of adware running on their machine.
If you believe that your computer is running an unauthorized type of malware or spyware, in most cases it can be removed with relative ease. Programs like Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destory are both highly effective, free utilities that will rid your system of any unwanted adware or spyware. Simply download the application and allow it to scan your system, depending on the size of your system, the time that it takes to complete the scan may vary. Once it is finished it will display the results (if any) of adware and spyware that it has found on your machine. You then have the option to ignore it or completely remove it from your computer. Both utilities are constantly updated with new information to help them locate and remove new types of adware and spyware that are constantly being developed. Be sure to update your spyware/adware removal utility as frequently as possible to ensure that you are up to date and have the ability to combat the latest spyware and adware programs that are released.
When removing adware from your computer, it is important to take into account where it came from. For instance, many P2P (peer to peer) applications come bundled with benign adware. The more legitimate developers make sure that this information is provided within the user agreement that you must agree to before the software can be installed. If you are using an application that contains this provision and then you remove the adware that came with it, you may jeopardize the functionality of the application. Depending on the agreement, the program may require that the adware is installed in order to continue using their product.
Some other popular free programs that are commonly bundled with adware include the following:
Adobe Reader
Bonzi Buddy
ErrorSafe
Kazaa
Smiley Central
Zango
It is important to note that adware that is bundled with the more legitimate programs are not there in order to deceive you or manipulate your computer, but rather to simply help to cover their costs associated with developing the software that is made available for free.
