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Just used adwaremedic to get rid of a load of adware that I was tricked into downloading. Presume it is safe???
MacBook Pro with Retina display, iPad Air
Yes, it is.
(123264)
Yes, it is.
(123264)
Yes.
Cheers - much appreciated! Is it wise to uninstall it after use, or better to keep it and get the updates?
That is completely up to you.
@swampash wrote:
Cheers - much appreciated! Is it wise to uninstall it after use, or better to keep it and get the updates?
That is entirely up to you. Note that it doesn't install anything in the background, so if you keep it, it's just taking up some hard drive space and not otherwise affecting your Mac. This also means it's not doing anything to protect against future adware... it's purely a removal tool, if you happen to be affected by adware again in the future. If that happens, you can either keep it and run it again, or re-download to run it again. If that doesn't happen, you really don't need AdwareMedic any more.
Best case, AdwareMedic should be a one time use thing, and after removing the adware and reading the information it provides about avoiding adware in the future, you will hopefully never need it again.
For the benefit of anyone else finding this thread, the only way to determine whether an unknown application is safe is to do your own research. At the very least, you would have to search for reports from others who had used it. You can't trust the word of anonymous strangers on a website, including this one. That's the mistake that led you to become infected with adware in the first place. If you continue to make that mistake, you'll continue to be victimized, and neither "adwaremedic" nor anything else will save you.
In any case, there is no need to download anything to solve the problem. The most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions:
Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac - Apple Support
You're right of course, but I should add that I did follow the entire list of suggestions from Apple. All of them. But that didn't work. The adwaremedic download did work. I can only assume that the adwaremedic download is a bit more current than the list supplied by Apple. In fact the culprits identified by the download were on the Apple list, but again I assume they must have been slight variants or hidden in different places.
Not disagreeing with you in principle, and of course I need to be careful about being tricked into unwittingly downloading an adware application (this one was as a result of trying to watch a streamed football match on what was supposed to be a safe streaming site). But the Apple list is, obviously, only as good as its knowledge about new aware variants, which in this case, wasn't as good as adwaremedic seemed to be.
And before anyone gets suspicious - I don't have any connection at all with adwaremedic - I'm just pleased they exist and that their product worked.
Thanks for the insight - I'll uninstall it and hope I don't get tricked again.
@swampash wrote:
I can only assume that the adwaremedic download is a bit more current than the list supplied by Apple.
Yup, Apple is a little bit behind on their adware file lists. Their instructions work great for some people, but others will have adware that installs different files, or adware that's not even on the list at all.
Yes it is!! I am a complete novice when it comes to adware and I've had pop-ups everywhere for weeks now. I tried all the tips I could find, but nothing worked. Then found the recommendation about Adwaremedic and just prayed that it will be safe.
Within less than 5 minutes, my mac is back to normal. I'm so happy!! Thanks Tom.
is adwaremedic safe
