removing adware from program

How does one remove the adware from a program? I am just interested to learn. Is it by reverse engineering and if so how. Suppose i get x program and it has adware in it, can i remove the adware and use the program

I have an old laptop and i thought i would deliberately download adware and then try to remove it and still use the program. Hope it is ok to ask this here

 

It's probably not a question that will be allowed to stay, but I'll try to answer the best I can. Most "adware" can be knocked out by simply watching the program install. The best way to do this is choosing "custom install" when given the option. This way, if any check-boxes come up, you can (usually), un-check them as you go along, not allowing the adware to install. This works best when it's a case of toolbars and such. If it's a program that puts ads in to remain free (some AVs will put banners in), then there is little you can do that wouldn't violate terms of agreements or be outright illegal (reverse engineering and such).

 

thanks but i already know about watching the install. got adwarerecently and i looked in c:\program files and in the program folder but did not see anything there. Would it be there