FAQs

How do I get rid of Pop-Ups?

Pop-Ups can be caused by scripts in the web pages that you visit, and also by programs running on your computer. If the Pop-Ups start as soon as you open your web browser, try changing your homepage. Your homepage is simply the first web page that opens when you start your web browser, and you can change this to be any web page that you like.

To change the homepage in Internet Explorer:
Open Internet Explorer, go to Tools>>Internet Options. Under the General tab you should be able to change your homepage. Then click OK, and restart Internet Explorer.

To change the homepage in Netscape:
Open Netscape, go to Edit>>Preferences. Select the Navigator category and change your homepage. Then click OK, and restart Netscape.

There are many programs available that will attempt to block Pop-Ups. Try the Google Toolbar, a free utility that can block Pop-Ups if you use Internet Explorer.

Google Toolbar
http://toolbar.google.com

Some alternative web browsers such as Mozilla contain built-in tools for blocking Pop-Ups. Mac OS X users will find that Safari includes built-in Pop-Up blocking.

Mozilla
http://www.mozilla.org

Safari
http://www.apple.com/safari

If this does not help, the Pop-Ups may be caused by programs running on your computer. These programs are often referred to as"spyware" or "malware".To check for rogue programs on a computer running Windows, open your Control Panel, then the Add/Remove Programs icon. Look through this list of software for anything that looks suspicious. Be certain the program is not important before you remove it. If you would like help identifying these programs, please give us a call.

Another option is to download and install software that will automatically identify and remove the rogue programs. Ad-Aware and SpyBot are popular free software packages for this purpose:

Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.org/software/adaware/

SpyBot
http://www.safer-networking.org/