A grey popup window will open up. The popup window is titled "File Download". Make sure that the File Name is "aawsepersonal.exe". Click on the "Save" button and select the folder "My Documents". Click "Save" again and the download will start. 

* You must be connected to the Internet to access this link 

If you are installing Ad-Aware on Windows NT, 2000, or XP, please ensure that you have administrative rights. Ad-Aware must be installed in an account that has adequate permissions to perform its function. If you are unsure if you have the requisite permissions please contact your system administrator or refer to your computer's user guide before proceeding. 

 1. Start installation  
 
  When the download is completed, the installation will begin with the Welcome Screen.  
 
 2. Welcome Screen  
 
  Press "Next" to continue to the license Agreement Screen  
 
  Please read the license agreement before you proceed. When you have completed reviewing the agreement and if you agree to the terms, click the checkbox next to "I accept the license agreement" and press "Next" to continue with the installation of the software.  
 
 3. Uninstall previous versions of Ad-Aware  
 
  Ad-Aware SE may not function correctly if old versions are not removed prior to installing a new version or an upgrade. To ensure proper installation and operation of Ad-Aware SE please make sure "Yes, uninstall previous version of Ad-Aware. (Recommended)" is selected and click "Next" to continue.  
 
   
 a. Ad-Aware Plug-in Uninstall pop-up  
 
  You might get a grey pop-up asking if you want to uninstall the plug-ins for the previous version of Ad-Aware. Click "Yes" to remove the old plug-ins and continue the uninstall process.  
 
 b. Select Uninstall method  
 
  Select "Automatic" and click "Next".  
 
 c. Perform Uninstall  
 
  Click finish to complete uninstalling your old version of Ad-Aware.  
 
 d. Uninstall Successful!  
 
  Click "Next" to continue with the installation of Ad-Aware SE Personal.  
 
   
 4. Destination Location  
 
  Click "Next" to accept the default location or use "Browse" to specify where you want Ad-Aware SE Personal installed.  
 
 5. Install to All Users menu  
 
  If you have multiple user accounts on your system choose "Anyone who uses this computer" and click "Next".  
 
 6. Start Installation  
 
  Click "Next" to start installing Ad-Aware SE Personal onto your computer.After the copying of files you will get a confirmation that the installation was successful.  
 
 7. Installation successful  
 
  Click "Finish" to complete the installation process. You now have the option to "Update the definition file", "Run a full system scan" and "Open the help file now".  
Before you scan your computer with Ad-Aware SE for the first time you should run WebUpdate to make sure that you have the latest definition file. It is also recommended to have Ad-Aware set to automatically quarantine files prior to removal. Click on the "Settings" button (gear symbol in the upper right corner of the main status screen) in the quick launch toolbar to open the General settings screen. Check the "Automatically quarantine objects prior to removal" setting and then click "Proceed" to save your changes. 

When this is done you are ready to perform your first scan. Click the "Scan now" button in the main menu on the left side of the main status screen or use the "Start" button in lower right corner. This will open the Preparing System Scan screen. Select "Perform Full System scan" and click "Next" to start your first scan. 

After the scan is completed you will be presented with a detailed listing of the items that were detected. Please be sure to review each item that has been presented in the results screen before removing them. Ad-Aware is designed to report possible suspicious content present on your system and to allow you a simple method for removing it should you so decide. We do not suggest or recommend that everything detected by Ad-Aware should be removed; it is up to you the user to make that decision. We understand that this may be a difficult task; therefore we have developed TAC which stands for Threat Assessment Chart. More information is available in the Threat Assessment Chart - TAC chapter. 

If you have decided to keep one or more items, select them from the scan results list (be sure to unselect other content you wish to remove) and right click the entry to open the context menu. Either select each item individually for each component to be ignored, or use the selection options in the context menu. Select the "Add selection to ignore list" to add this content to your ignore list. Ad-Aware will not display these items in the scan results when you perform scans in the future. 

Once this content has been added to your ignore list you will be taken back to the scan results screen where you can repeat the above process as required, to not select anything more (all items are unchecked), or to remove the content as you deem appropriate. 

Click the "Next" button on the Scan Complete screen to view the Scanning Results. Select the objects you want to remove by selecting them in the scan results lists or right click to select multiple items by using the context menu. Click "Next" and then "OK" in the pop-up window to confirm the removal.