Ad-aware is a small but very effective tool that successfully detects and removes any spyware that has infiltrated into your system.

The software is very simple to install, and has an intuitive interface, so users with any kind of experience level can easily work with it.

Unfortunately, because this Ad-aware is a trial version, not all its features are available, so you would have to buy the full version.

Scanning can be performed in three ways - smart system scan, custom scan, or you can select your own drivers and folders to submit for analysis.

The custom scanning option lets you enable scanning on drives and folders within archives (plus executable files in full version), memory and registry (active processes, registry, deep scan registry, Internet Explorer for banned URLs, Hosts file).

Advanced options let you move deleted files to the recycle bin or enable shell extension (both are only available in the full version), and include additional process/file/environment information or object details.

In addition, there are some tweak settings you can configure (e.g. unload recognized processes during scanning, let Windows remove files in use at the next reboot), and you can automatically save log files or quarantine objects before removal.

The Ad-watch feature can only be shown in the full version of Ad-aware.

We must mention that Ad-aware works extremely fast, and it has managed to find some spyware (e.g. data mining) in our operating systems. Removing the respective file was done in the blink of an eye, allowing the computer to perform better.

Also, CPU and memory resources are barely used.

So, seeing how spyware removal is a priority when it comes to computer security, make sure to check out this application.