14 DAY TRIAL // For all those Internet Explorer users that want to give their browser some extra security functions, I've got the tool for you.
It's called AdCleaner, and this little baby will make sure that no ads, pop-ups, spyware, and other such mean intended software.
Good bye, ads!
The main feature that AdCleaner has is that it can block all those annoying floating ads. In case you don't know what these are, let me clear things up for you.
A floating ad is a type of rich media Web advertisement, which shows up without you having to press any buttons or click on any links; it's superimposed over a user-requested page, and becomes inconspicuous or disappears after a specific time period (usually from 5 to 30 seconds). Most floating ads simply appear over the Web page, either full screen or in a small rectangular window.
But there are more sophisticated versions that come in any shape or size and include sound, animation, and other interactive components. Floating ads use several technologies, such as a combination of Flash and dynamic HTML (DHTML), and may have the ability to display differently according to the user's browser capabilities.
They may provide a means of exit, such as a close button, but when this option is not available, all you can do is sit back, and wait (but in an annoying way) until the ad finishes its work and vanishes.
You might think that you're safe now, but some floating ads reappear at random time intervals and all they do is give you a hard time.
These rascals are tough to work around, and average pop-up or ad blockers can't annihilate them. It was about time that someone developed a tool that could take care of this inconvenience, and it's eEriEsoft that we have to thank.
The program's whole interface consists of settings that you can change, and since it's an add-in for Internet Explorer it will run automatically when IE starts, close along with it.
The settings aren't very complex, but they give you a good pop-up and ad management.
You can view all the items that have been blocked, and view the ones that you want to consider unblocking, and adding to the white list. Also, you can simply delete it from the list, and continue to be protected against its danger.
Adding addresses to the white list is easy, and you can either go to the correspondent tab and write or paste an address, or go to the block section, and move addresses from there.
According to the producer, the program is integrated into IE's context menu. I'm not stating the contrary, but after this affirmation is made, I would expect to be able to block an address, or move it to the white list when right clicking a link or address in Internet Explorer. When selecting AdCleaner from the IE context menu, you can enable or disable blocking pop-ups, floating ads, flash ads, or animated ads; also you can go to either one of the sections in the program's control panel. The IE integration stops here, and it's not so bad, but it certainly could improve (I especially didn't like the fact that I couldn't add my favorite website to the White list directly from Internet Explorer, without having to manually type the address, or copy-paste it).
A nice feature is the fact that you can scan your system for adwares and spywares; the program is able to recognize and eliminate 5600 such "villains". I wasn't able to update the list with the latest threats, and I didn't notice an update function for the program. But the malware list is various enough to insure your security, and you can always check with the producer's website for program updates.
The program has three skins that you can apply; I don't see the use in this, since you'll set it up once, and use it in "hidden" mode afterwards (it minimizes to the system tray, and does its job quietly). But this is certainly not a bad thing, either.
The good
AdCleaner does a great job in blocking mean intended pop-up windows, but what's great about it is the fact that it's able to block all those annoying floating ads. Also, it's easily integrated with Internet Explorer.
The bad
It would be better if the application would be able to work with other browsers as well. Also, the IE context menu integration could use some more work.
The truth
It's a useful application to download and install, especially because it takes care of the floating ad issue. It's light on your system, so give the 7 days trial a try!
Check out the screenshots below to get a glance at the program in action:
