| Author |
Message |
    
Scott
Citizen
Username: Selnychef
Post Number: 17
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 6, 2003 - 10:21 pm: | 
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Can anyone tell me how to stop those annoying instant messages that say "visit this web site" to stop them. I disabled the instant message feature on my aol account but that has not helped. My wife also experiences the problem. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 130
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 7, 2003 - 4:53 pm: |
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Scott -- this sounds more like a "pop up ad" than an instant message. are you using instant messenger at the time yourself? if its an ad -- there is software that will stop pop-up ads. try www.cnet.com for reviews -- usually there is freeware or shareware available to try. they are a pain -- arn't they! -- Pete |
lseltzer
Citizen
Username: Lseltzer
Post Number: 1578
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 7, 2003 - 11:26 pm: |
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Scott,
I'm assuming you have a cable modem or DSL or some other kind of always-on connection? The messages you see use a facility designed for local networks many years before the Internet became popular. Now that spammers figured out how to use it across the net it has become a problem.
Any decent firewall, including free ones like ZoneAlarm, will block these. If you're running Windows 2000 or XP it's also easy to disable the Windows service that receives the messages (Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services, select Messanger, shut it and set it to Manual). |
Maplewoody
Citizen
Username: Maplewoody
Post Number: 224
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 8, 2003 - 7:38 am: |
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lseltzer,
God bless you! Have a beer on me....
I hope that I've seen the last of those horrible pop-up messages!
Maplewoody |
Scott
Citizen
Username: Selnychef
Post Number: 18
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 8, 2003 - 8:32 pm: |
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lseltzer,
Thank you for the tip by the way, I was receiving these ads while on a dial up modem on aol. |
lseltzer
Citizen
Username: Lseltzer
Post Number: 1581
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 8, 2003 - 10:01 pm: |
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Hard to believe you'd get those messages on an AOL dialup connection. I suppose it's possible, but unlikely. Does this window have just an OK button at the bottom or are there other there other things you can click? |
#9Dream
Citizen
Username: 9dream
Post Number: 369
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 9, 2003 - 2:53 pm: |
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Another suggestion - download either Ad-Aware or Spybot (or better yet, both) and scan your system for adware/spyware, which can cause an inundation of pop-up ads in addition to other problems. Just google the names and you'll find them. Both are free. |
gozerbrown
Citizen
Username: Gozerbrown
Post Number: 159
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 - 7:30 pm: |
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lseltzer,
I just got a brand new laptop with all new everything (except we still dial-up) and started seeing these ads for the first time ever. We don't get them on our other computer with the older software. I will take the above suggestion to try and stop them because I too have tried everything.
They aren't your usual pop-up ad; they disguise themselves as a dialog box where your only choice is OK.
What a pain!
|
lseltzer
Citizen
Username: Lseltzer
Post Number: 1587
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 - 10:00 pm: |
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It's what I suggested first. It's a new computer? If it's Windows XP you should be able to shut off the Messanger service and stop them that way. |
flugermongers
Citizen
Username: Flugermongers
Post Number: 33
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2003 - 7:49 am: |
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If they are, in fact, AOL Instant Messages - try two things. 1) is the blocking of messages. If you talk to people on your IM, you can just block everyone except for the people on your buddy list. If you have no need for the service, block them all. 2) Some people have trouble with "spam" when they have an AOL member profile. It allows people to search for you, and well, bother you, if they'd like. If it is an aol problem, you can report it to AOL.. though they suck and taking care of stuff.
And lseltzer is right, there is a windows messenger service installed with XP, separate from MSN messenger, and it's really freakin annoying.. you can get the directions to get rid of it by going here: http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/
furthermore, if you've recently downloaded anything that could have come as a "package deal" -- meaning they made you download stupid little programs alone with the one you actually wanted.. you may have downloaded something like "save now" or something. Go to your control panel and to add/remove programs, and see if there is spam programming.
if all else fails.. get a friend, or a computer professional to come over, if it is that much of a problem.
good luck! } |
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