What is the Advantage Database Server and why do I (suddenly?) have it on my computer? Why does it contain a message thanking me for purchasing it when I didn’t do so? I did buy ZoneAlarm Pro a few days back, and I did download the free version of AVG Anti-virus software. Is it associated with either of these?
Any and all inputs will be greatly appreciated.
A quick Google on “Advantage Database Server” brings up some legitimate-looking pages (included a few that purport to provide key generators for it!) so it’s probably not malware. Results of a search on “Advantage Database Server” AVG “anti-virus” are less conclusive; the one page that stated a connection between the two also provided instructions for cracking it, so you’ll have to find that on your own. This page seems to be saying that ads.exe is safe, but I can’t really tell.
Conclusion: it’s almost certainly not spyware, and seems to be involved with the AVS anti-virus software for some reason. You’ll have to wait for someone who actually knows anything about AVS to explain the connection, if any.
Thanks for your response. I had Googled this before posting; everything I read confused the daylights out of me. On the one hand, it seems kind of innocent although I don’t have a clue as to what it does or why it does it. On the other hand, it seems sinister that it just appeared out of the blue, so far as I can tell.
I wish some kind soul who knows about this would clue me in.