$^#%@&$ Pop-Ups!!!

CharlesL

PFG, Picture Framing God
In Memorium
Rest In Peace


Gone but not forgotten
Joined
Apr 9, 2001
Posts
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Loc
Clayton, NC
There was a topic a while back on ridding oneself of pop-ups.

I tried it, and it worked. For a while.
Now they're back and worse than ever.

Somebody PLEASE tell me what to do! Before it had to do with 'Control Panel', then 'Internet Options', then 'Advanced'. But that's as far as my memory allows me to go.
 
Pop ups sometimes get through if you have the Microsoft Messenger turned on. (IE -> Tools -> Messenger) This should be disabled.

Using excite.com as a start page is also a big source of popups.

Sometimes you'll find something running that creates the popups if you run either AD-AWARE or SPYBOT. These programs will remove anything that shouldn't be there.
 
Use an intelligent browser that doesn't allow pop-ups, like Mozilla
 
I use a 3-tiered approach to blocking pop-ups. It seems to work.

Norton Internet Security has a firewall, privacy protection, an antivirus program and a pop-up blocker.

Ad-Aware is a free download.

The "new" Google search bar, another free download, supposedly blocks pop-ups as an option. Mine says it's blocked 20 in the past month-or-so, so I guess not many got that far.

I can't remember the last time I saw a pop-up, though I'm certain - at this very moment - someone is working on a scheme to get past my defenses. :rolleyes:
 
get the google toolbar from google. it has a blocking feature that i've been using for about 3 months now flawlessly.
 
I use the Google Bar too and seems to work great. It has blocked 167 pop ups since I installed it. But does anyone know how to get reset the pop up counter back to zero?
 
through iwon.com, I have a Pop swatter which I believe is powered by google - works great. the only ones I seem to get are from internet explorer now - how to get rid of them :D
 
Ok. I installed spybot yesterday...now I have another problem unique to this particular computer:
When I go on the G, I no longer get the 'Welcome, CharlesL' message, nor do I get the little light bulbs showing whether there's been a recent post or not.
I swear, I'm willing to pay a consultancy fee if someone will tell me what I did to cuase this.
This was happening BEFORE I installed spybot, and, strangely enough, right after I went to 'Control Panel'...'Internet Options'...'Advanced'.
I have no idea what I changed, but the other computer works as it should.
Somebody please help me, or just kill me...

(also, the 'Preview Post' function stopped working the at same time)
 
Did you post the message from the computer with a problem?

If not, is it possible you erased your cookies and just have to "log in" again to re-create the cookies?

If all else fails, you can always go back into INTERNET OPTIONS -> ADVANCED and click on "RESTORE DEFAULTS".

Mike

[ 09-27-2003, 08:32 AM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]
 
Mike, yes, I did make the post from the H/P.
I tried restoring defaults, but no help. It appears I can go anywhere I need to, and am REALLY logged in, but it doesn't give me the option of logging in or out, and I still don't have my little light bulbs.
I am using the H/P, even as I post now....
 
How about internet options, privacy and lower you accept cookies or do the override. Isn't there also someplace you can set that will automatically delete cookies on exit?

[ 09-27-2003, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: JPete ]
 
Thanks, all, but I've given up. Obviously I'm not computer literate, so I'll just live with what I have.
I've tried all suggestions, to no avail.
 
I feel your pain Charles. One of my computers has light bulbs and the other doesn't and I don't have a clue!

But, must make a plug for Earthlink. I've been very happy with their popup blocker. I'm dial up and am now getting used to using their "total access" with Accelerator---now at no extra charge.
 
Charles,

"Preview post" is, I believe, a pop-up. An advantage of the Google pop-up blocker (if you have installed the Google bar) is that there is a toggle button that allows you to turn pop-ups on or off in each web site. I allow pop-ups in the Grumble.

Have you looked at the title bar of the pop-ups that you are pestered with. If the word GAIN is there you have installed one of their free utilities that comes with advertising, hence pop-ups that are not blocked. The utilities come from a company called GATOR.

Pat :D
 
Pat,

I agree with you on the Gator program. I had it on my computer for about a year and was getting more and more popup ads as time went on. I read somewhere that programs like these depend on the advertising to offset the cost of the free utility and make some money.

I removed Gator after a year but still got so many popups that it was only when I moved and got a completely new ISP that the popups nearly quit. The only ones I occasionally get now are new to this ISP and I can control them with Earthlink's Popup Blocker.

Framerguy

Edit: Most free utilities that are downloaded from the internet will have popups that come with the "free" territory. If you are tired of seeing them, stay away from free downloads other than demo programs which show you how the bought programs operate and those which are plug-ins for other bought programs. There are exceptions to this but how are you going to know which are which until it is too late. Another utility that has caused me some trouble is a password saver that had many popups that came along with the use of the utility. Also the free versions of most programs like WeatherBug will have popups with them.

[ 09-28-2003, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: Framerguy ]
 
I agree with David Waldmann about trying a good browser that prevents pop-ups. I recommend Avant browser.

(The greatest thing about Avant browser, though, is that you can click on links with the middle mouse button, usually the scroll wheel, and the link will open in a window behind your current one, so you can continue reading the current page undisturbed.)
 
Y'all know WAY more than me, obviously, about computers, but here's the glitch:
I have a piece of crap Gateway that doesn't get pop-ups. I have a H/P Pavilion 783C, full race, that does.
I went downstairs this morning, and wrote down all the settings on Cont Panel-Internet Opts-Advanced, then came up here and made the H/P EXACTLY the same as the Gateway.
I use MSN as an IP, and MSN Explorer as the browser on both computers...
I've tried all the suggestions, and nothing has helped so far. One has no pop-ups, the other one does. Go figure.
I am R-E-A-L close to cannibalizing the useable parts out of the H/P, and having a friend of mine build a computer that will only do what I want it to, when I want it to do it. After all, we're supposed to use THEM as tools, and not the other way around...

[ 09-28-2003, 08:25 PM: Message edited by: CharlesL ]
 
T,

Your hard drive is referred to as the "master" drive.

Did you ever wonder how they arrived at that name?? :eek:

You have been enslaved by a machine, my friend!! The only way out is to take to the mountains as soon as possible. We never had these problems in the jungles, did we?

So kiss Janet goodbye, load 'em up and head 'em out!

O
 
Originally posted by Framerguy:
We never had these problems in the jungles, did we?
Nah, O, we didn't...we had M-14's. That may be the next 'tool' I try on this bastard!!

See you in the mountains...(usual place??)
 
I used to use one of the popup blockers but ending up deleting it because it wouldn't allow me to open a link in a new window using a right click or a shift-click. This blocker would also block new pages from opening even if the web page was designed to open the link in a new window. For example, you click on a 'help' button and it opens a help window in a new window; or in google if you have your preferences set to open search results in a new window. Those would be blocked. Thankfully the google blocker doesn't have these rude behaviours. I already had the google toolbar installed so I turned on the blocker on Friday. My count since Friday is at 312 popups blocked. I go to weather.com and espn.com alot and they are two of the most obnoxious for popups.

I tried the google blocker and it doesn't block me from opening a new window.

A couple of people in this thread have mentioned Gator. Run, don't walk to your computer and GET RID OF GATOR. It is possibly the most obnoxious program on the web. It keeps track of what you do and 'serves' you popups when you are on other sites. Gator also sells your personal information. It buries some much information on your computer that you wouldn't believe. Months after getting rid of Gator, I was still finding it's remnents. Some call it 'hijackware'.

One web site says;

"But in November of the same year, accusations were at their peak. Gator was being trashed by its tactics of watching where the user went on the Web and then showing related ads when the person was surfing on another site. Gator's pop-up banner would show up two seconds after the original banner in the page is loaded. The company was also accused of making partnerships with other download companies, such as AudioGalaxy, to have its plug-in taking a ride on the other company's downloaded software with no proper warning."

Get a freeware program called spybot and run it on your computer. You will be amazed at all the 'tracking cookies' that you will find (among other problems) and use spybot to get rid of them. Here's what spybot says about gator:

"Upon visit of some Gator related pages, it tries to download and install. According to Tribune Media Services (via http://www.securitynewsportal.com/ via http://www.cexx.org/gator.htm): "Gator tracks the sites that users visit and forwards that data back to the company's servers. Gator sells the use of this information to advertisers who can purchase the opportunity to make ads pop up at certain moments, such as when specific words appear on a screen. It also lets companies launch a pop-up ad when users visit a competitor's Web site."
And Gator saves your identity in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID section of the registry - good place to hide, if you've got something to hide."

Things to do today.
1. Get spybot (or other similar program)
2. Get rid of Gator and other tracking programs from sites like advertising.com, BFast, Commission Junction, CoreMetrics, DoubleClick, FastClick, HitBox, HitsList, OffshoreClicks, MediaPlex and other spyware tracking programs and cookies.
 
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