Date: 11/10/04 (Software)    Keywords: virus

I've been getting a lot of pop-ups just today, after not having any for a very long time thanks to AOL's pop-up-stopper. I figured the best idea would be to run ad-aware repeatedly until the search comes up clean. However, I've never run this program before, and I've heard stories about Ad-Aware accidentally deleting critical files that Windows (XP in my case) needs to run.

Should I be worried about this? Even if there is a backup of the files somehow, isn't it possible that something in the registry would be deleted that would stop windows from running altogether? I also selected the advanced option for all files to be sent to the recycling bin first, but is this a guarantee that I can protect my computer from possible disaster?

Everyone I've talked to has said the risk does exist, but the benefits ultimately outweigh any of the possible bad. I already ran a Norton Virus Scan too, which came up clean. Any advice? Thanks! (sorry for x-posting)

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/community/software/42999.html