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How to stop pop-ups?

18 Dec 2007
 by Cristina Mailat | in: Security, Tutorials

Pop-ups are an extra window which opens on your computer screen without asking you. We’ve all seen them on our screens. They can be quite annoying and many people frown on them as a form of spam. Pop-ups have become quite prolific on the internet, ranging from being a minor annoyance to being a major annoyance. There are several reasons why a pop-up is used, advertising being the most common. The best way to block pop-ups is to use a pop-up stopper like ID AntiPopup.

Problems with pop-ups and types existing

A variant of a pop-up is the pop under. This is the same type of intrusive window but rather than appearing on top of the screen you are working on, it appears behind it. It lurks in the background until you close all windows on top of it. The hope of the pop-under is that you will not recognize it, and that you will fall for it without realizing what it is. Although it may not seem as intrusive, it is rather devious!

There are also pop-up killer programs. The pop-up killers are much more aggressive allowing no second windows to open. This creates problems for anyone that may want to have more than one browser or browser window open at the same time. A standard pop-up blocker is more convenient for most users.

Pop-ups can also occur as messenger service advertisements. If the title bar reads Messenger Service with gray ads appearing on your screen out of nowhere, this will be a messenger service pop-up, more commonly referred to as messenger spam.

Don’t confuse this with MSN’s Instant Messenger. They are not the same. In Windows NT, 4.0, 2000, and XP the messenger function was designed to broadcast messages across a network. Previously it was quite popular, but these days, email is used more often. If you are not connect to a network, the messenger function is useless

Some spammers have decided to abuse this open port by sending pop-ups through. Imagine ones surprise when your browser is closed, you are busy working in your program, and this pop-up appears on your screen. Windows 95, 98, and ME do not have this problem. The best way to rid yourself of this spam is to increase the security on your system.

Adware and Spyware also create pop-ups on your browser. These are usually powered by malware, utilizing activex controls. They not only waste band width, they pose a security risk to your personal information which could be transmitted to someone else without you knowing.

Solutions to stop the popups

When you use a pop-up blocker, it prevents the new window from opening automatically, eliminating these annoyances from your screen. Some of the browser toolbars provide limited protection from pop-ups. The best way to stop these annoying pop-ups is to use ID AntiPopup. It is a great choice with superior blocking capabilities.

To stop these annoying pop-ups and ensure your personal information stays safe you should only connect to the internet if you are protected by a firewall and anti-virus software. You can also increase the settings in your browser so that activex won’t automatically run. Keep your windows updated and use software like ID AntiPopup to block unwanted pop-ups.

The majority of computer users operate under a windows operating system which is extremely vulnerable to pop-ups. Running the Linux operating system is another way to avoid those nasty pop-ups. The disadvantage to Linux is it is not a user friendly platform, and the average user finds it is too complicated.

How many pop-ups you get also depends on which browser you are using. If you are using Internet Explorer be prepared for a barrage of pop-ups. Use the ID AntiPopup to control this annoying spam.

How to block the pop-ups

Opera and Mozilla both have a built in option for blocking pop-ups which can be used stand alone, but are best used in conjunction with an aftermarket pop-up blocker. Safari, the browser for Apple computers, also has a built in pop-up blocker, that works best when combined with an aftermarket blocker.

Another way to avoid pop-ups is to limit the sites you visit. Stay away from sites that you don’t recognize or that have a reputation as being non-reputable. Of course this may not be that easy to accomplish. When you’re surfing the net, it’s pretty hard to determine who is going to throw pop-ups at you and who is not.

Pop-up blockers allow you to configure them to meet your personal needs. You can turn them completely on or off with the click of a button. If you visit a site where you want to see a pop-up, you can allow the pop-up from just that site. You can set it to allow pop-ups from a certain site always, or just for one occurrence. They provide plenty of flexibility.

So if you are tired of those annoying pop-ups, install ID AntiPopup on your system. It’s like having your very own advertising police!

Published: 18 Dec 2007  by Cristina Mailat, in: Security, Tutorials Tags: , , RSS feed for comments on this post.

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