Dealing with Popups
Sometimes I get aggravated by television commercials that run too long and magazines that have more ads than articles, but there is nothing more aggravating than popup ads on the Internet. I visit a new page or start to read an article and suddenly an ad pops up to sell me something. Because they are trying to get my attention these ads are usually garish and often tasteless.
If you, like me, hate these ads, then there are steps you can take to eliminate them. The first step is to swear never to purchase anything from a pop up ad. We hold within our hands the power to make these ads go away. The bottom line is that if no one ever bought anything from these types of ads, they would quickly disappear since the ad developers are basically only in it for the money.
However, since not everyone will stop clicking on popup ads, you may also want to take other steps to minimize their occurance. The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and most major web browsers have built-in popup blockers. If you use an older version of Internet Explorer, you can install some simple software to block the pop-ups. One of the most popular programs is the free Google Toolbar. Besides blocking ads it gives you additional search capabilities. Another free program is the Yahoo! Toolbar.
Sometimes popups are not ads. Websites can use popups to give you information. A popup blocker cannot differentiate between the different types of popups, so you may have to change the settings of your popup blocker software to allow a certain website to display popups. For instance, if you visit a website where you are taking a short quiz and the answers are shown as popups, you may have to disable the popup blocker software in order to see the answers. Most software will allow you to enter the address of websites for which popups are allowed. Alternatively, you can allow a popup on a one-time basis. With most software you simply hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the link that will produce the popup. Apple users will use the Command key in the same manner.
Also remember that a popup blocker can be turned off if necessary, although each blocker is slightly different it how that's done. As an example, if you use Windows XP and have installed Service Pack 2, there's a popup blocker installed and turned on automatically with Internet Explorer. To turn it off, go to Tools, click on Pop-up Blocker, and then click Pop-up Blocker Settings. This is also the area where you can selectively allow certain websites to use popups.
You can use several popup blockers at the same time with no ill effects other than if you want to allow a popup you may have to turn each blocker off separately.
If you have a popup blocker that is turned on and you still see popups, don't worry. The popup creators are in a constant race against the popup blocker software. See if your blocking software has a new version and be sure to always use the latest blocking software. It may not catch them all, but it will significantly reduce the number of popups that appear on your screen. Hopefully your web surfing will be more peaceful without all those aggravating popup ads.
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
