Five years ago when I started working as a computer administrator, I found two things to be very surprising. Too many users don't understand the importance of keeping their home and business PC's free of Adware, and the ones that do often choose the wrong software. Adware is a form of Spyware and can often relay sensitive information about you and/or your computer without permission and without your knowledge. It can steal login details, credit card data, keystrokes, and other private information that you wouldn't want to share with the world.

There are literally hundreds of tools out there that say they can remove Adware. Few of those products are kept up to date though, and in turn, users end up with poor Adware protection on their computers. With so many Adware Removers out there, let's talk about what this type of tool can and can't do for you. 

First, an Adware Remover is NOT a tool for cleaning your corrupted file system. It isn't meant to remove lost files, fix hard drive errors, or correct other issues of that nature. A registry scanner is more suited to that purpose. 

Second, NOT everyone will need an Adware remover. If your PC doesn't have an Internet connection then you likely don't need to worry. On the other hand, since you are reading this, I assume that you are connected to the Web and in turn you should be protecting yourself from Adware. 

Third, an Adware Remover IS a complete scanning tool for removing Adware (and usually Spyware as well) from your system to help keep it running smoothly. Adware (short for "advertising software") is a piece of malicious software that generates unwanted advertisements such as pop-up windows or hotlinks on web pages. Badly infected systems may operate very slowly, crash constantly, and sometimes will not start at all. A good Adware tool can keep your PC running as much as 70% faster than it would without one, and works to keep your information private (like it should be). 

Fourth, if you don't take the time to choose the best tool for the job your PC won't be protected at all. Just as virus writers are constantly evolving their techniques, so are Adware writers. These types of malicous programs are getting more complicated as times goes on. Without a tool that stays up-to-date with the latest Adware protection you are putting your system at risk. 

Along with a few of my colleagues we took the time to evaluate the five best tools on the market. We rated the Adware removers based on the following criteria:

• Worked to remove the simplest types of Adware (tracking cookies and  basic ad-poppers)
• Removed the more complicated programs that are Adware, but could also be classed as malicious programs such as spyware, worms, or ad-viruses
• Removed trojans and worms that could be classed as Adware or Spyware 
• Identified and corrected errors caused by Adware that had been running on the PC
• Easy enough to use that even the least-technical users would be able to work the software and run a scan
• Powerful enough to allow flexibility for power-users.
• Adware tool was updated regularly - The highest-rated tools on our list were updated at least once per week. 
• Worked on multiple computers - We tested each tool on three computers. We had a desktop running Windows Vista, a laptop with Windows XP, and a MAC that had a Windows emulator installed. 
• Provided timely support when we asked questions of the company 
• Increased system speed on the most infected systems
• Overall rating based on all of the above factors

To set up our tests we took the PC's we would be using and infected them with every type of Adware program we could find. We then used the computers for a week to ensure that the systems were thouroughly infected, experienced extreme slowness, and were getting random errors. After getting the systems to this point we set a restore point (to be able to return to our error-prone state) and then tested and rated each of the Adware Removers on our list. 

Below I have shared the result of our testing for the top five adware removers. The clear winner from our testing was AdwareAlert. But the other four products on the list were also solid solutions.

The tools that made our top five were the easiest to use, worked better than the others we tested, and will allow you to use them without a degree in computer programming. These Adware removers are simple to use, but I will give you my email address (#EMAIL#) anyway, in case you do have any questions.  

Once you get your Adware remover running, please do let me know (email above) how well it worked for you. Also let me be the first to congratulate taking the steps needed to keep your computer in top-notch condition, and for not allowing Adware to affect your productivity!

To keeping the Adware gremlins at bay, 

Ryan Franks (and team)