What is service.bfast?

Locks up browser

[Suffrin]

Occasionally when I click on a link in my browser(both Netscape 7 and Explorer 6), I get a red block in the location bar with the text, "service.bfast....etc.etc." Along with this I get a white (blank) browser screen with the blue frame at very top showing "gif image 1 x 1 pixel." What is the cause of this? I have done a virus and spyware scan but all seems OK there. Thanks.

[pleeker]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld, Suffrin.

What you're seeing is an affiliate link, I believe from Linkshare (someone correct me if I'm wrong). They include the 1x1 GIF as part of the link tracking -- so it's not spyware or anything. Unfortunately, it also causes the browser to hang on occasion ....

<added>On reading your description more closely, it looks like the site owner may not be setting up the affiliate link correctly, causing it to load the 1x1 GIF instead of going to the site it should.

[Suffrin]

Thanks. I think I got it solved. I have an ad server manager program supplied by my internet service provider. I noticed it had "bfast" blocked so I deleted it as being blocked. Now the link works fine. Another work around is to just disable the ad manager. The software is called "Freedom."