Stopping Those Popups
Comprox
*chortle*Canada Join Date: 2002-01-23 Member: 7Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
*chortle*Canada Join Date: 2002-01-23 Member: 7Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
<div class="IPBDescription">From IE to Net Sends, get it here</div> I seem to be getting forums PM's about this even now, so I guess I will make a sticky for it:
<b>NOTE</b>: I found out an additional feature the proxomitron today, read below! It FIXES ALL FOURM BUGS (searching, etc)
Popups come in 3 forms, the annoying ones from sites, and the even more annoying ones from adware as its called, and finally Net Sends. Each requires it's own way of stopping/removing it.
<b>General WebSite Popups</b>
You're reading your dosage of daily HL of planethalflife.com when an ad for xcam comes up pulling you from you reading, what do you do? You grab Proxomitron!
<a href='http://www.sankey.ws/proxomitron.html' target='_blank'>http://www.sankey.ws/proxomitron.html</a> - It acts as a proxy on your computer filtering all web surfing through it's program. This means you can completely customize it to block what you want, from basic popups, to stopping all gif animations and removing all banners from sites. The only downside (if you have too much blocking on), it will break the odd site. In about a year, 2 webpages have not worked for me. It broke one page (not site, just one page) on fileplanet, and one page on nvidias, again, not the whole site. The program is easily turned on/off to navigate around this, and casued no hassles. Again, my blockage is very high, meaning if you set it lower, there is less chance of any page being broken.
Effciecny: 99.9%
<b>ADDED</b>: As I stated above, by accident today I found what else this program does for me. Never having any 404's, javascript errors, or page cannot be displayed's, I always had to rely on forum members to point out forum bugs to me. And I finally found out why I never had errors, running proxomitrons seems to smooth all the code bugs out, and makes the forums run like a dream. I got a few folks in IRC to use it, and it fixed the forums for each and every user. Even if you don't need it for the ad blocking, it can be run in the background, without any blocking on, but will ensure the forums work for you. Yes, the NS Forums Client Side patch 0.1 <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Google toolbar</b>: This what I use now, and am liking it very much. Proxomitron had recently not been working correct (although it still helps out with the forum problems). Gives a nice little count on popups blocked, and allows you to tell it which pages popoups are allowed on, like here for PMs. Grab it at <a href='http://toolbar.google.com/' target='_blank'>http://toolbar.google.com/</a> . Effciency wise, I haven't seen one popup so far, so 100% <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<b>Adware</b>
This is popups embedded into programs you download. Famous for being in programs like kazaa, and some forms of the DivX codecc. This means it will bring up ads, sometimes at totally random times, regardless if the program is running and yank you out of game, surfing. The best way to combat:
<a href='http://www.lavasoft.de/' target='_blank'>http://www.lavasoft.de/</a> - It scans you computer and tries to hunt down all the files that may contain adware. Removing them *may* break the program they are associated to, but, it will remove most of the annoyances. Run it regularily to keep your system clean as you install new programs. It doesn't seem to catch everything on your system, so you may still get the odd popup. Since these programs just bring up IE popups, if you run proxomitron (above), it will stop all of these before they even show up.
Effciency: 90% (with Proxomitron - 100%)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<b>Net Sends</b>
A big shout out to the big M for this one! Microsoft of course adds some silly and useless feature into it is build into the windows NT kernal. Its an internal command. ANYBODY who has windows NT, 2000, or XP is by default running the messenger service. This just gets advertisers all giddy. They can send ads to folks, and they usually have no idea where they come from! Step in...
<a href='http://www.auburn.edu/oit/security/messengerService.html' target='_blank'>http://www.auburn.edu/oit/security/messeng...gerService.html</a> - This tells you how to disable the allowance of net sends with ease (Can't be done in 98 or ME). Messanger will still work for those people that use it, and unless you are a server admin running some odd shutdown procedure through it, it won't break a thing.
Effciency: 100%
----------------
Hope this helps guys, cause, it sure did help me <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> I have been popup free for about a year now, and damn, it feels good!
[edit by Marik_Steele]
In order to remove clutter in the stickied threads area, I've decided to put in another thing that may help with popups: good ol' Windows Security Updates info. The following is quoting the first post by MonsE in a formerly-stickied thread titled "Free Windows Update Cd's, For you non-broadbanders." The CD's are regularly updated by Microsoft, so it's still worth checking out. Quote follows:
<!--QuoteBegin-MonsieurEvil+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (MonsieurEvil)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><a href='http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The Windows Security Update CD will be shipped to you free of charge. This CD includes Microsoft critical updates released through October 2003 and information to help you protect your PC. In addition, you will also receive free antivirus and firewall trial software.
This CD is only available for Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, and Windows 98 Second Edition (SE).
Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
To get started, please choose your location (language) from the appropriate drop-down menu. Customers outside the US and Canada: CD availability varies by country. Please check the drop-down below to determine if the CD is now available in your country and language. Additional countries and languages will be available beginning 23 February. (Date of availability may vary.)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you are suffering from 56k-itus, you can now have MS send you a free CD with all the windows patches, and avoid the downloads. Great for people that want to have a secure system but don't have the bandwidth to do it easily. Sorry Windows 95'ers, no luck for you.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>NOTE</b>: I found out an additional feature the proxomitron today, read below! It FIXES ALL FOURM BUGS (searching, etc)
Popups come in 3 forms, the annoying ones from sites, and the even more annoying ones from adware as its called, and finally Net Sends. Each requires it's own way of stopping/removing it.
<b>General WebSite Popups</b>
You're reading your dosage of daily HL of planethalflife.com when an ad for xcam comes up pulling you from you reading, what do you do? You grab Proxomitron!
<a href='http://www.sankey.ws/proxomitron.html' target='_blank'>http://www.sankey.ws/proxomitron.html</a> - It acts as a proxy on your computer filtering all web surfing through it's program. This means you can completely customize it to block what you want, from basic popups, to stopping all gif animations and removing all banners from sites. The only downside (if you have too much blocking on), it will break the odd site. In about a year, 2 webpages have not worked for me. It broke one page (not site, just one page) on fileplanet, and one page on nvidias, again, not the whole site. The program is easily turned on/off to navigate around this, and casued no hassles. Again, my blockage is very high, meaning if you set it lower, there is less chance of any page being broken.
Effciecny: 99.9%
<b>ADDED</b>: As I stated above, by accident today I found what else this program does for me. Never having any 404's, javascript errors, or page cannot be displayed's, I always had to rely on forum members to point out forum bugs to me. And I finally found out why I never had errors, running proxomitrons seems to smooth all the code bugs out, and makes the forums run like a dream. I got a few folks in IRC to use it, and it fixed the forums for each and every user. Even if you don't need it for the ad blocking, it can be run in the background, without any blocking on, but will ensure the forums work for you. Yes, the NS Forums Client Side patch 0.1 <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Google toolbar</b>: This what I use now, and am liking it very much. Proxomitron had recently not been working correct (although it still helps out with the forum problems). Gives a nice little count on popups blocked, and allows you to tell it which pages popoups are allowed on, like here for PMs. Grab it at <a href='http://toolbar.google.com/' target='_blank'>http://toolbar.google.com/</a> . Effciency wise, I haven't seen one popup so far, so 100% <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<b>Adware</b>
This is popups embedded into programs you download. Famous for being in programs like kazaa, and some forms of the DivX codecc. This means it will bring up ads, sometimes at totally random times, regardless if the program is running and yank you out of game, surfing. The best way to combat:
<a href='http://www.lavasoft.de/' target='_blank'>http://www.lavasoft.de/</a> - It scans you computer and tries to hunt down all the files that may contain adware. Removing them *may* break the program they are associated to, but, it will remove most of the annoyances. Run it regularily to keep your system clean as you install new programs. It doesn't seem to catch everything on your system, so you may still get the odd popup. Since these programs just bring up IE popups, if you run proxomitron (above), it will stop all of these before they even show up.
Effciency: 90% (with Proxomitron - 100%)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<b>Net Sends</b>
A big shout out to the big M for this one! Microsoft of course adds some silly and useless feature into it is build into the windows NT kernal. Its an internal command. ANYBODY who has windows NT, 2000, or XP is by default running the messenger service. This just gets advertisers all giddy. They can send ads to folks, and they usually have no idea where they come from! Step in...
<a href='http://www.auburn.edu/oit/security/messengerService.html' target='_blank'>http://www.auburn.edu/oit/security/messeng...gerService.html</a> - This tells you how to disable the allowance of net sends with ease (Can't be done in 98 or ME). Messanger will still work for those people that use it, and unless you are a server admin running some odd shutdown procedure through it, it won't break a thing.
Effciency: 100%
----------------
Hope this helps guys, cause, it sure did help me <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> I have been popup free for about a year now, and damn, it feels good!
[edit by Marik_Steele]
In order to remove clutter in the stickied threads area, I've decided to put in another thing that may help with popups: good ol' Windows Security Updates info. The following is quoting the first post by MonsE in a formerly-stickied thread titled "Free Windows Update Cd's, For you non-broadbanders." The CD's are regularly updated by Microsoft, so it's still worth checking out. Quote follows:
<!--QuoteBegin-MonsieurEvil+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (MonsieurEvil)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><a href='http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The Windows Security Update CD will be shipped to you free of charge. This CD includes Microsoft critical updates released through October 2003 and information to help you protect your PC. In addition, you will also receive free antivirus and firewall trial software.
This CD is only available for Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, and Windows 98 Second Edition (SE).
Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
To get started, please choose your location (language) from the appropriate drop-down menu. Customers outside the US and Canada: CD availability varies by country. Please check the drop-down below to determine if the CD is now available in your country and language. Additional countries and languages will be available beginning 23 February. (Date of availability may vary.)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you are suffering from 56k-itus, you can now have MS send you a free CD with all the windows patches, and avoid the downloads. Great for people that want to have a secure system but don't have the bandwidth to do it easily. Sorry Windows 95'ers, no luck for you.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Comments
A big shout out to the big M for this one! Microsoft of course adds some silly and useless feature into MSN that just gets advertisers all giddy. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually, net sends are NOT from MSN, it is build into the windows NT kernal. Its an internal command. ANYBODY who has windows NT, 2000, or XP is by default running the messenger service.
And it wasn't actually included JUST so advertisers could send spam, its actually a useful network administrator tool. MS just left it wide open for everybody and their dog to use/abuse it...
There are drawbacks. One is that the program considers any window in a certain size area a pop-up. That means if you make your browser window small, and then navigate it to another page, PopUp Killer will close down the window, since it 'thinks' it's a pop-up. Small price to pay, in my opinion.
So <i>that's</i> why the forums started running so incredibly fast and smooth once I installed all this stuff... :)
Is broken now, anyone save the page or something?
Also, if you're generally sick of IE (or if like me, it crashes with frightning regularity) give Phoenix a shot. Its based on Mozilla (think netscape), but they've removed such slowing features as a news/mail client and others. So its Small, quick (wouldn't have switched from IE if it was slow) and stable. The last official release was version 0.5 but check out the nightly binaries (they release compiled code that they've been working on almost every night) as 0.5 is getting stale.
The big plus on top of all this is the built in pop-up stopping that Mozilla (and phoenix) includes. Check the options to change permissions for javascript, including pop-ups, resizing windows, raising or lowering windows, and hiding the status bar.
The last thing I'll bother you with is the tabbed browsing feature in Mozilla browsers (jeez this sounds like a commercial) instead of opening links in new windows when browsing multiple pages, phoenix can open pages in new tabs, that are all contained in the same window. Say goodbye to having 8 browser windows opened.
If you're interested -> <a href='http://www.mozilla.org/projects/phoenix/' target='_blank'>Phoenix Project Page</a>
P.S. I recommend downloading a nightly binary (although the occasional nightly is unstable, just wait a day and get the next one)
Although it is hard to configure properly.
Only time I run into problems is when a site assumes that pop-ups will work, and you need to click on the popup to proceed, or utilize a bit of functionality. Thankfully, most sites include a link to click. (The Mozilla popup kill feature stops *unrequested* popups and popunders.. stuff like on-page-load, or on-page-exit crud. You can still click links to get a particular needed popup to show)
Haven't seen a popup in almost a year now, that I didn't specifically ask for. Really was a shock to visit a favorite site on a friend's machine, and be bombarded.. until I grabbed Moz for him and put it on.
Also, gotta love the extensions that have been made for Moz. I can't get over the 'pie menus'. Sure.. they're eye-candy. But they're freaking COOL eye-candy, that keeps junk out of your way. Right-click, and a context-sensitive ring opens around your pointer. Move it in a given direction to choose an action.
Or the 'mouse gestures' plugin. Right-click, then wiggle the mouse a certain way.. along the lines of 'Black & White', but with better detection.
Only complaint I have, is that Moz doesn't have an auto 150% zoom. Text, yes. Images, no. My monitor's dot-pitch is a little high to be running at 1600x1200 as it is (so hard to view pictures.. especially little ones), but I can't go back to anything lower after enjoying all this delicious desktop space.
Radial Context menu kicks ace! I'm ever so lazy, and not having to move the mouse ALL the way up to the back button is a dream come true. (not sarcastic, I'm really that lazy)
- very fast speed
- handy mouse gestures
- handy switching between browser screens
- easy use of google (type in "g blah" to search for blah at google. also works for several other search engines)
- easy doing stuff, custom skinning, etc.
only con is that it costs money. and if you don't give em money (20ish i think) then there will be an ad on the browser... so basically instead of a lot of popup ads, i just deal with the opera ad. and it's not offensive, stupid, icky most of the time.
it's a great browser, it just doesn't work 100% of the time because of ie's dominance.. i'd say it works about 99% of the time.
in fact i'm using it right now....
www.opera.com
p.s im clueless <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
I use admuncher as my popupkiller, although it blocks certain php based websites you need only add them to it's built in exclude list...
www.admuncher.com
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->?Á
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Because that's exactly what I get when I try to go there. Did they get h4x0red?
oh and i use stopzilla for my popup killer try the shareware but the thing i AWESOME i havent seen an ad in ages, it detects ads with near perfect acuracy and prevents them from displaying thus saving proc power and game focus
Proxomitron isn't doing a damn thing. Ironically enough, I know this because of the <a href='http://www.proxomitron.com' target='_blank'>http://www.proxomitron.com</a> link, which pops up four or five windows and asks me if I want to set some random crap as my home page.