| Author |
Message |
    
njphilf
Citizen
Username: Njphilf
Post Number: 76
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 11:16 pm: | 
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Any reccomendations for an internet pop-up ad blocker? Sometimes I get so many, my pc freezes up.
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kevin
Citizen
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 180
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 11:22 pm: |
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You probably have bots or other evil things secretly loaded in your PC.
I would suggest running a program called Spybot or Adaware - both are free for personal use.
Take you pick, they both work pretty much the same:
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
I'll bet that once you run these, most pop-ups will subside. It will also get rid of any tracking software installed.
Pop-up advertizing is out of favor now on the net. Most is caused by software that's installed on your machine.
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Chasm
Citizen
Username: Chasm
Post Number: 137
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 11:43 pm: |
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I suggest downloading & installing the Google Toolbar. It has a pop-up blocker that seems to work pretty well.
thirdgearrocks
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viva
Citizen
Username: Viva
Post Number: 344
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 6:48 am: |
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I've done both of the above after asking the same advice a few months ago. I have had no problems with pop-ups since. |
marken
Citizen
Username: Marken
Post Number: 96
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 11:15 am: |
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http://www.panicware.com/index.html --- it's free, and it works. just search for the link to the free one. we've used it for over a year, and we get almost 0 pop-ups. it easy to install and use.
you should also install -- if you don't already have one -- a firewall to prevent unwanted downloads. try ZoneAlarm from www.zonelabs.com -- they have a free version.
i recall hearing that the google toolbar will track your surfing (in add'n to blocking pop-up ads) if you want that big brother feature .... |
Chasm
Citizen
Username: Chasm
Post Number: 138
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 11:30 am: |
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Iinstalled and ran Spybot several days ago, and it didn't seem to turn up anything Google related. In fact, most of what it found were Microsoft related.
thirdgearrocks
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Chasm
Citizen
Username: Chasm
Post Number: 139
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 11:37 am: |
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My previous posts were related to my XP based laptop, but I also have 2 eMACs. Their browser, Safari, has a built in popup blocker which also seems to work well. I doubt that Apple is tracking anything 
thirdgearrocks
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spw784
Citizen
Username: Spw784
Post Number: 455
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 1:49 pm: |
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I think I read that Google's toolbar does not work with Macs. |
Chasm
Citizen
Username: Chasm
Post Number: 140
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 2:24 pm: |
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You are probably right. Since getting our eMacs I have avoided using any form of Microsoft software, including Internet Explorer. I think the Google toolbar only works with IE.
thirdgearrocks
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Dave Ross
Citizen
Username: Dave
Post Number: 6197
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 7:51 pm: |
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Mozilla is a free browser for Mac & PC with pop-up blocker capabilities. Why Microsoft doesn't incorporate this simple feature into their browser is an obvious indicator about how they feel about the end user. |
magmasystems
Citizen
Username: Magmasystems
Post Number: 197
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 8:10 pm: |
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Dave,
Microsoft has announced that they will be incorporating popup blockers in the next version of Internet Explorer.
Marc
www.millburnweb.com
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nan
Citizen
Username: Nan
Post Number: 1122
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 5:47 am: |
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Ok, I installed the Spybot and I only got one popup this morning--so I actually read it and it was supposedly from Microsoft Network telling me I am affected by something in messenger service and that I should download a patch form www.windows-update.net
Should I do this? |
kevin
Citizen
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 182
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 9:32 am: |
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Nan,
That site that you reference is not run by microsoft. More than likely, they will try to sell you something. The correct address for the Windows Update is:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/R1150/V31site/default.htm
It would be a good idea for anyone with Windows to patch their operating systems. They protect you against some nasty vulnerabilities which some viruses exploit.
Also, when you run Spybot, there is a button to check for updates. The database gets updated frequently, so everytime you run it, you should hit the update button to make sure you have the latest database.
There is also a section in Spybot called immunization. This protects against most of the adware/spyware vulnerabilities from being installed and should be done in parallel with the Microsoft Windows Updates. Think of it as closing the holes that these things exploit.
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Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1858
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 10:56 am: |
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Another anti-popup alternative is the Opera web browser which you can get at http://www.opera.com. I'm a big fan. There are tons of features in Opera that no other browser has, like scaling of web pages to any size. Well maybe Mozilla has caught up, as I haven't tested their latest browser very heavily, and I've seen it has a lot of additions and plugins.
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
There is nothing
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monster
Citizen
Username: Monster
Post Number: 93
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 11:01 am: |
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Here is a simple set of instructions I found recently, did this for a couple of my friends and it worked out great.
Never use just one tool, there have been plenty of times where one utility will find something that another didn't.
Go download CWShredder at, http://www.merijn.org/
if you can't reach the site you probably have a trojan that is blocking it so try getting there this way, http://216.180.233.153/~merijn/index.html
Download HiJack this here, http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/
then download Ad-Aware at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
After installing AAW, and before running the program, FIRST update the reference file following these instructions. http://www.lavahelp.com/howto/updref/index.html
Run HiJack This, and then AdAware. Make sure you copy the results of the HiJack This log to a text file (this will allow you to compare the results later, after having run AdAware, before you continue you may want to visit a forum such as this, http://forums.spywareinfo.com/
the people there can be very helpful in pointing out what may need to be fixed in the registry, etc...).
- Under Ad-aware 6 > Settings (Gear at the top) > Tweaks > Scanning Engine:
check: "Unload recognized processes during scanning."
- Under Ad-aware 6 > Settings (Gear at the top) > Tweaks > Cleaning Engine:
Check: "Let Windows remove files in use after reboot."
Press "Scan Now"
- Check option "Use Custom scanning options"
- Check option "Activate In-Depth Scan"
- Press "Select drives\folders to scan"
- Select the active partition which is usually C:
Now press "Next" to let Ad-aware scan your drives...
It will find a number of "bad" files and registry keys. Click 'Next' again
Right-click in that pane and choose "select all"
If it finds "bad" files and registry keys, press "Next" again
It will ask you whether you'd like to remove all checked items. Click OK.
Finally, close Ad-Aware, and reboot.
That ought to get rid of most of your spyware.
When you are finished re-run HiJack This for a fresh log.
Apparently there is a pretty nasty version of CoolWWWSearch that is out there, it will close any browser window that you try to open at anti-spyware sites.
If you are having this problem download the CWS.SmartKiller removal utility here, http://www.safer-networking.org/minifiles.html
P.S.
Almost everything I do on a computer I do on a Mac, and I have never had these nasty problems, not a one. I open all email on a Mac, it certainly lessens the problem of catching something nasty, I do make sure to check all email with a virus checker jsut to make sure I don't pass one along to the windows crowd. |
jeffl
Citizen
Username: Jeffl
Post Number: 303
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 11:12 am: |
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Thanks Monster. Very useful info. |
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