 | Fixing Annoying Popups
|
What are “Annoying Popups”?
“Popup” is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted windows or dialog boxes that, quite literally, pop up without an invitation.They are annoying because they are both distracting and time-consuming to close. FixTool shows you exactly what causes these types of problems and how to turn them into a distant memory.
The two most common types are popup advertising on webpages (not necessarily spyware) and popup advertising from programs installed on your computer (usually spyware).Fixing popup advertising is usually a matter of installing a free popup blocker or removing spyware.Since most unwanted popup windows come from advertising, the quickest way to solve a severe problem of this nature is to run scans for spyware and adware on your computer.
FixTool recommends the following programs which are absolutely free to check your computer for problems and then remove any identified offenders:
1) Windows Defender
2) Lavasoft Ad-Aware
3) Panda ActiveScan
Both Microsoft Anti-Spyware and Lavasoft Ad-Aware are listed on the quick access menu at FixTool.com for your convenience.
A) Are you receiving the popup message(s) on bootup?
Popup messages on bootup, unless they are obvious advertising, are usually caused by faulty software.
If the message refers to a missing file, please see our missing file tutorial.
If the message is a general error, you may need to optimize the processes that occur when your computer boots up. It’s easier than you think; read our Bootup guide.
B) Are you receiving the popup messages(s) while browsing the internet?
A lot of legitimate websites use standard popup and popunder advertising because it’s the highest paying form of per-impression advertising on the Internet.
Luckily, there are several FREE solutions to your problem. The best way to reduce popups is to use a popup blocker. Both Firefox and the latest version of Internet Explorer include this feature.
(The easiest way to update Internet Explorer is through Windows Update, which can be found on IE’s Tools menu)
Alternatively, you can obtain a popup blocker by downloading a free toolbar from one of the following credible companies:
(listed in order of preference)
1) Google Toolbar
2) Alexa Toolbar
3) MSN Toolbar
C) Are you receiving the popup messages(s) while trying to run a program?
Popups of this type are almost certainly error messages. Your first course of action should be to contact the vendor responsible for the application, making sure you include a detailed description of the error message. If this is not an acceptable option:
1) Do you have the original CD or setup file? If so, try reinstalling the application.
2) Try typing the message into google, exactly as you see it on screen.