What To Do When . . .You’re Pestered By Pop-up Ads

Pop-up ads are intrusive, bothersome, and annoying. Given that many pop-up ads contain scams, it’s no wonder we don’t like these unfriendly windows. Whether your computer displays large quantities of pop-up ads incessantly or you see one pop-up ad while browsing the Web, all of us want to eliminate pop-ups so we can use our computer in peace. Fortunately, you can remove and prevent pop-ups. Let’s explore some of the things we can do to eliminate and guard from popup ads. If you’ve ever tried to close persistent pop-up ads, you know it can be a futile effort. Instead of clicking the red X located in the upper-right corner of most windows, press ALT and F4 on your keyboard to close a pop-up ad. Alternatively, you can use the Windows Task Manager to close pop-up ads, but be careful not to close critical Windows processes or legitimate applications that are currently in use.

Play I Spy
Many persistent pop-up ads are the result of spyware or adware on your computer In addition to displaying pop-up ads, these malicious programs can wreak havoc on your machine. They can slow down your computer, change your home page settings, and report activity from your computer, including username and password information, to the writers of the spyware or adware. Spyware and adware are serious threats to your computer and to your personal identity. To check your computer for spyware or adware, download and install an antispyware program. There are a number of free antispyware programs, including Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition (www.lavasoftusa.com) and Javacool’s Spyware-Blaster (www.javacoolsoftware.com). You may also want to install an antispyware program that can guard your computer from spyware before it is downloaded to your system, such as Spybot - Search & Destroy (free; www.safer-networking.org) or CounterSpy ($19.95; www.sunbelt software.com). Unlike antivirus programs, you can have more than one antispyware program installed on your computer at the same time. Although it doesn’t hurt to have more than one antispyware program, there’s no reason to go overboard and install countless antispyware programs, either. Before running a scan using your antispyware program, update the program with the latest malware definitions. Most antispyware programs will examine all running processes on your computer. If you’re curious as to what programs and processes are running on your computer, use the Windows Task Manager to find out. Open the Windows Task Manager in Windows XP by right-clicking the Taskbar and then selecting Task Manager. The Applications tab will list all running programs. On the Processes tab, you’ll see all of the processes running on your computer. Because many of these processes have vague names, do not end a process unless you’re sure you know what it does. Stay Healthy In addition to adware and spyware protection, you’ll need an antivirus program that will check to see if there are any viruses, worms, or Trojan horses on your computer. Viruses, worms, or Trojan horses can cause popup ads and can prevent your system from functioning. Just as a cold can pass from one member of your family to another, a virus can transfer from your computer to other computers on the network or to your friends via email or IM (instant messaging) programs. Pop-up ads caused by viruses can be more harmful than other pop-up ads because of a virus’ ability to spread and cause additional damage. If you don’t already have one, install a reliable antivirus program, such as Norton AntiVirus 2007 ($39.99; www.symantec.com), McAfee VirusScan Plus ($39.99; us.mcafee.com), or AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition (free; www3.grisoft.com). In addition to virus protection, McAfee VirusScan Plus includes firewall and antispyware protection. In order to be effective, you must update an antivirus program on a regular basis. Because most antivirus programs conflict with one another, never install more than one antivirus program at a given time. If you choose to switch from one antivirus program to another, first uninstall the existing program and then install the new program.

A Toolbar With Protection
Another way to shield from pop-ups is to install a toolbar that has built in pop-up protection. The Google Toolbar (free; toolbar.google.com) and the Yahoo! Toolbar (free; toolbar.yahoo.com) have built-in pop-up blockers. These toolbars will automatically block pop-ups. When necessary, you can allow individual sites to display pop-ups. This allows you to see pop-ups when necessary, and avoid them otherwise.

Built-in Protection.
Many Web browsers now protect against pop-up ads. The Microsoft pop-up blocker for Internet Explorer comes with Windows XP Service Pack 2. Microsoft claims the Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker is smart enough to know not to block pop-up windows that you have opened intentionally by clicking a link. For example, if you are on a shopping site and click a link to open a pop-up window containing your receipt, the pop-up window will open because you opened it on purpose. When Internet Explorer blocks a pop-up ad, you’ll see a notification in the Information Bar located below the Address Bar. If you want to allow a pop-up for a particular site, you can click the Information Bar and choose whether to allow pop-ups from that site on a temporary or permanent basis. You can also access other settings for the pop-up blocker through this Information Bar.

Stop Immediate Loading
Some spyware and virus programs will run automatically when you boot your computer. In addition to antispyware and antivirus programs, advanced users may want to look at the number of programs that start up automatically when you boot your computer. Click Start and then select Run. In the Run dialog box, type msconfig and click the OK button. The System Configuration Utility will appear. You can prevent certain programs from starting up automatically using the Startup tab. When you’re finished making changes, click Apply and then click Close. Next, close any other open programs and files. When the System Configuration dialog box appears and asks you to restart the computer, click the Restart button

Add-ons Can Cause Problems
Add-ons are special programs that work inside of Internet Explorer and other browsers. Add-ons can include search toolbars, games, and programs that let you view Web sites offline. However, add-ons can also invade your privacy, especially when spyware or adware installs them without your knowledge or permission. The Internet Explorer Add-on Manager lists all add-ons installed on your computer that are used by Internet Explorer. You can use the Internet Explorer Add-on Manager to enable or disable each add-on individually To access the Internet Explorer Add-on Manager in Internet Explorer 7, click Tools, Manage Addons and then select Enable Or Disable Add-ons. If you want to disable an add-on, click to select it and then click the radio button next to Disable in the Settings area of the Manage Add-ons window. When you’re finished changing the add-on settings, click OK. You may need to restart Internet Explorer in order for the changes to take effect

Pop-up Free
Although everyone is likely to see a pop-up ad from time to time, pop-up ads should not overrun your computer. By removing adware, spyware, viruses, and other malicious software from your machine, you can decrease the amount of pop-up ads you see. With fewer popups, you can use your computer and surf the Web without interruption.