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Popups & Spyware

Popups are foremost a symptom of Spyware and Adware; so your computer would best be served by addressing the Spyware/Adware issue first - thus treating the source of the problem and not just covering up the symptoms. You can find tools to rid yourself of spyware and adware headaches in the Spyware Section.

At the bottom of this page you'll also find some quick handlings, such as setting your browser to block popups, but a thorough handling is best for maximum security, system efficiency, and so to fully rid yourself of pesky popups.

Keep in mind that no one Spyware scanner finds everything, you'll achieve best results by scanning with several products. Jump in and see what you like best, and what best suits your existing system setup. For starters download Windows Defender (presently free) and freeware programs SpyBot , and AdAware.

OK, beyond just removing Spyware and Adware threats, a Real-time protection feature (in most spyware products) will monitor your system to help prevent future spyware and adware infections - depending on the program selected this may be referred to as active protection or shields, system monitor, etc. Such Real-time protection will typically also prevent severe security intrusions such as Browser Hijacks - wherein a malicious site changes and locks down your Browser Home Page, the hijacked Browser then serving high volume popup ads or just generally going berserk.

And no comment on computer security would be complete without mentioning that you should install firewall and anti-virus protection. These are cornerstones of PC protection, without them you open the door to various attacks, including attacks that result in popups. See the Firewall and Anti-Virus/Malware sections.

More tips to make surfing enjoyable and popup free....

In Internet Explorer 7 go to Tools -> Pop-up Blocker -> Turn on Pop-up Blocker. You can click on 'Pop-up Blocker Settings', then enter site addresses where popups will be allowed. You can also adjust 'Filter Level' and 'Notifications'.

Use your firewall to block tracking cookies and ads - for example on the Zone Alarm Security Suite interface go to Privacy -> Main -> In the 'Ad Blocking' Frame set the slider to 'Medium'. Setting it higher starts to block too much web content and on my PC I find it unnecessary. You can also set the Cookie Control slider to Medium or High, though High may prevent some sites from loading.

Install Mozilla Firefox (has built-in popup blocking) - go to Tools -> Options -> Content -> check the box 'Block Popup Windows'. You can optionally click on 'Allowed Sites', then enter the site addresses where popups will be allowed.

Get a popup blocker tool (any search engine under 'popup blockers'); though if one has handled all spyware and adware, has a properly set up firewall and anti-virus, and have set Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox to block popups you should be getting no popups. If you do get popups, reevaluate your security as per this page.