pop ups on the net

I know of 4 things you can do.

1. Ignore them (yeah, right!)

2. Disable JavaScript on your computer (In IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, click on the Advanced tab, and uncheck "Enable Java Console" under the Microsoft VM section). The downside to this method is that some web pages you want to use will not work, and you will have to change the option, close IE and re-start it. There is a script you can run to do the actual change, but you still have to close and re-open IE for it to be effective.

3. You can block them with a program like CookieCop . This can be set to block all pop-ups. However, like disabling Java, this will keep some windows from popping up that you want to pop up. You can set it to ask you if you want a pop-up to open, but this is almost as annoying as the actual popup. ALMOST. You can also Pause the program so that you can open a window that it is trying to block.

4. You can use a program called POW. Everytime you get a popup you don't like, you can add it to a "blacklist" of windows that are not allowed to open. Of course this has a caveat also. The way it works is it looks at the title of the page - what shows up in the title bar of IE. So if you get a popup with the page title of "Classmates", and you add it to the list, when you try to go to the real Classmates web site it will close! So you need to exercise some care when using this method.

Oh yeah, and number 5: unplug your computer ;)

BTW, I can't imagine the DSL has anything directly to do with this problem unless you're accessing your service through some kind of a "special program".
 
Eric, I imagine David is right. The pop-ups aren't coming from the DSL service. But now they're appearing MUCH FASTER and I'll bet you're spending more time surfing.

BTW, you DO have a good firewall up and running, don't you? I'm sure you know this, but a firewall is different from the anti-virus software that we use with dial-up access.
 
Aren't those ANNOYING?
I wrote to excite.com to complain, and they wrote back saying basically "too bad". X10.com started all this popup-mania.

The DSL isn't to blame in any way... It just lets you view them faster than before


A firewall will keep people from poking around on ports in your computer that are susceptible to attack, but will do nothing to block pop-up ads. A software based firewall is somewhat useless, but will provide a limited level of protection. A hardware based firewall or ROUTER will fully protect you.

The pop ups are intentionally invoked by web pages that you visit. The web pages get paid for each "impression" they serve out to you and I.
 
Thanks, I get your point about them not coming from the DSL - BUT - when I stopped using the Verizon DSL homepage it stopped. Completely. So not only are they charging me for the service but they are serving me up on a platter to their advertisers. Not anymore since I changed my homepage to the Grumble :D

Thanks for the help on the programs to filter them out, I'll be doing that.

Ron - the tech dept was trouble shooting a program problem for me and they made a point of telling me not to have a firewall - but it sounds like want one. Any advise? How much is a router and does it work with only one PC?

TX, :cool:
 
Routers are about $50 and will work with one pc. It will let your Verizon DSL share up to 252 computers on the same connection. (its main purpose) The Linksys BEFSR41 is compat with Verizon DSL which uses a rather annoying method (makes you sign on instead of being always on). I used it with Verizon at one of my clients.

The routers were on sale for about $30 recently at www.thedailydeals.com and may still be. Check out there for details.

There's also a thread from a week or two ago in this area of the grumble that explains how to set it up. I'll be glad to assist if you need help with it.
 
I was using 'Pop-up-stopper' before to halt the pop-up madness, but I ended up uninstalling it after a week because I really didn't see much of a difference! I just downloaded 'POW' (thanks, David :cool: ). Hopefully this will improve the surfing!
 
If you hit ALT F4 each pop up will go away, without you needing to pick em up off the bottom and close them out. Just ALT F4 the amount of times you need to---Four pop-ups lying in wait gets four ALT F4.
 
Originally posted by Margaret:
If you hit ALT F4 each pop up will go away,
Click to expand...
That's true, if they are the active window. Otherwise you'll end up closing your browser, or something else. And it doesn't work for "pop-unders" that hide behind your browser, unless or until you close, minimize or switch from your browser.
 
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