Bl****** Pop ups.

getting rid of pop ups

[Perplexed]

Not sure this is the right forum for this.

I have been plagued with pop ups for the last few weeks, every time I open IE I get all sort of things popping up and stopping the site I want from loading.

I am not sure if this is just a new trend or if I am having a problem with my software.

Does anyone know of a good anti popup software that is NOT using them to spam me.... ( about half of these bl*** things are from companies saying I wouldn't get this problem if I brought their software. This may well be true but I'm damned If I will buy from a company that is spamming me like this.

[tigger]

yep I've been using one for sometime works all the time I'll sticky you the details

[2oddSox]

Hi perplexed,

Sounds like you need a beer :)

I just use pop-up killer and it does the trick. But if you're getting pop-ups each time you open IE, you might want to update your AV definitions and do a scan, and also run Ad-aware if you have it. If you don't have it, get it (it's free).

Good luck,

2odd...

[Perplexed]

Thanks for the quick suggestions ( especially the beer, do I drink it or put it on the motherboard? )I will have a look at them.

I have been running Norton antivirus and firewall but I think I am having a problem with them.

[tkteo]

Try Spybot as well for adware removal.

[Smiley]

The Alexa toolbar also blocks pop ups and its free!

[2oddSox]

> do I drink it or put it on the motherboard?

**lol**

You can put it on the motherboard if you wish. I'm sure you won't be worried about pop-ups anymore ;)

But definitely get yourself some spyware removal tools, if you haven't already, like Ad-aware or Spybot as tkteo suggested.

2odd...

[tigger]

>Ad-aware

Great tool :)

[Marketing Guy]

Ive been getting an alert box type advert popping up on a machine that adaware and norton arent picking up.

Any ideas for further software i could pickup to clean my machine?

Adaware seems to be picking up a lot of stuff, but im concerned that anything it lets through will start to tie up my resources.

While we're on the subject, anyone know of any good sites dealing with PC maintainence? I really would like to learn what all these dam processes running are so i know which ones i can kill and which i cant! ;)

Cheers
Scott

[2oddSox]

Hi Marketing Guy,

Sounds suspiciously like you have the Messenger pop up going on. If so, a simple search in Google will tell you how to stop it (I stopped it on my machine by stopping the 'messenger service', but there are others who will swear by other methods.

As for the background processes that you want to kill, it depends on your operating system. Again, a simple search in Google will reveal many sources of information.

Regds,

2odd...

[tkteo]

Apparently there is a new generation of pop-up that foils current pop-up killer programs?

[creative craig]

Spybot picks up alot of stuff Ad-Aware cant.

Craig

[creative craig]

The new version of MSN messenger uses pop up ads, I dont get them though, I decided not to upgrade to the current version so I wont see the ads :)

Craig

[dmorison]

My solution (Win XP / IE6):

Step 1: Set your Trusted Sites zone to be the same security settings as the Internet Zone (i.e. "Medium" on the slider). THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Step 2: On Internet Zone, disable Active Scripting (i.e. JavaScript). This prevents pop-ups, but also stops any other JavaScript stuff working.

Step 3: Then, for any site that you wish to allow Active Scripting, add the domain name to the Trusted Sites list.

A bit of a pain at first as you have to add all your regular sites that require JavaScript to trusted sites, but it's great once you've got there! Surf in peace :)

[Sinner_G]

Any ideas for further software i could pickup to clean my machine?

Google jv16 powertools. It has a registry tool which tells you exactly what software you have installed. Then you can delete what shouldn't be there.

Apparently there is a new generation of pop-up that foils current pop-up killer programs?

Not really new and not sure if that's what you mean, but lots of pop-ups now are not created by the page you visit but by software (so called spyware) installed on your HD. This is the kind of software removed through Ad-aware and similar tools.

[creative craig]

It has a registry tool which tells you exactly what software you have installed.

I use a registry watcher, sits there scanning the registry all the time, when there is an unexpected change it lets off an alarm to tell me what has changed and if I want the change to go ahead.

It stops any automtic downloads of spyware and such things, goes mad when I install new software though :)

[Sinner_G]

Craig, care to let us know more about that tool? I.e. the name or where it can be found?

[creative craig]

Its by the good people at moosoft.com and the software is called TC Monitor part of The Cleaner which is a trojan horse scanner.

Been using it forever and it keeps me safe from all the nasty people out there :)

Craig

[curlykarl]

Scott

Have you got a programme called WinServs or Winservn running?

I had this over the weekend and it drove me mad for hours, the URL for removal advice is

h*tp://www.cexx.org/winservs.htm

I was getting around 10 pop ups per hour

Karl

[Marketing Guy]

Thanks folks! :)

I disabled the messenger service as per the instructions I found on another site:

1. Go to Start, then Run and type in services.msc Click Ok

2. Scroll to Messenger, select it, right click it and choose Properties.

3. Under startup choose "Disabled", then choose Stop.

4. When stopped, click Ok.

I also installed JV16 Powertools and found all manner of crap in my registry! :)

I think Ill try out Craigs suggestion too. :)

Scott

[Perplexed]

Wow, I seem to have started something with this simple question. I dont thinkl I have started a 20 post string before....

Thanks for all the tips. I will have to do a search on this Alexa toolbar. I have heard of it but never seen it.

[DaveN]

Spyabot IMHO is 3 times the programme Adware is.

Alexa toolbar is a great bit of Kit also everyone who comes here sholud install it even if it's just to see how much traffic WebmasterWorld is getting WOW.

WebmasterWorld stats [alexa.com]

toolbar download [download.alexa.com]

Dave

[Westat1]

Is JV16 Power tools (http://www.vtoy.fi/jv16/shtml/jv16powertools.shtml)
that much differnet then what Norton System Works can do?

I downloaded both Adware and Spybot at work, Spybot found things Adware didnt and seemed to run quicker.

[xcandyman]

Get a new browser which blocks popups:

[mozilla.org...]

Firebird! Better than any popup killers IMO.

Steve

[Sinner_G]

Craig, I've installed The Cleaner (trial), then told it to look for updates on startup and relaunched it. Now McAfee (which was running all along) has popped a window to tell me some application is trying to 'access network ressources' but doesn't tell me what program does and also doesn't allow me to close that window.

Did you ever face a similar problem?

For the rest of you out there, remember not to try using Cleaner and McAfee at the same time...

[Marketing Guy]

Further to my last post...

Just got home and found out that the "all manner of crap" I referred to above include some kind of required file for my ADSL connection....

So, on reinstall (instructions in Spanish - which I dont know) I found out the the installation disc had been lying around the office for the past few months out of its box and seemed to have become attached to a glue like substance.

My provider isnt really well known for support (but seem fairly reliable) and I cant speak Spanish anyway....

2 hours later - selecting random options and frantically cleaning a CD I seem to have Internet access...

They are right when they say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.... ;)

Scott

[Helen]

Once you clean the adware off your system, you might also want to consider Opera 7.11. It blocks automatic pop-ups while still opening ones you request.

[opera.com ]

Cheers,

Helen

(PS. I'm not affiliated with opera.. I just love the browser)

[Tony_Perry]

Marketing Guy
Oooch!
Been there and got the tee shirt! So busy, and the mind somewhere else?

I just recently ran spybot and it is excellent. However, I do have a problem with something called cock.dot and I'm tearing my hair out trying to get rid of it. This isn't a joke by the way, it's playing havoc with my system. All advice much appreciated.

And NO jokes about looking at Kylie for too long. She's a very nice girl.

[tkteo]

JV16 Power Tools' strongest feature is its Registry Cleaner. Norton Cleansweep (and Systemworks) no longer contains this feature,

[Perplexed]

Hi again all... Thanks for all the tips and thoughts.

I installed Spybot and it picked up a whole load of stuff on the "search and destroy" that it suffixed as "checked" or "not available" but I am not sure what to do with the list. Presumably some of them are the pop ups and others might be neded ( guess I am going to have to get around to reading the instructions )

I also switched on "Immunise"

I am still getting all the popups so I guess I have to work at it.

As an interesting aside.... My son, who is much more into the technicalities than I am, says that if you cant figure out a new program in 30 seconds then it's no good. I am not sure I agree with it 100% but I think he may have a point.