How To Stop The Pop Ups

Discussion in Software PC & Mac started by Pat • Jan 19, 2015.

  1. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    I have started use an older Dell that has limited space on the hard drive and runs hot. All though I have ABE on the computer I still get pops and ads that are making it hard for me to use the computer, I have to keep closing files.

    Any ideas on how to stop this. I disabled add-ons which did not help.
     
  2. Grumpy

    GrumpyActive Member

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    It's probably due to an installed program that's running adware - thankfully, aside from being highly annoying these don't really pose a severe security risk to your system.

    Go to Programs & Features > Add/Remove Programs and just remove all of the programs that you don't need or want. After doing this and restarting your machine you should find that you don't get bombarded with all of these popups and excessive advertisements.
     
  3. troutski

    troutskiWell-Known Member

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    Yeah, you probably have adware installed on your machine. That's the only thing that would make sense. If you have a more pesky file on your computer, then you might want to consider using MalwareBytes Anti-Malware or a similar program. You won't always be able to identify the offending program right away that's making those pop ups show up.
     
  4. deathbyprayer

    deathbyprayerActive Member

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    I agree with Troutski. Scan your computer with any anti virus program you might have (provided that those anti virus softwares aren't the ones giving you the adware). I also recommend Malwarebytes it's great at detecting adware.
     
  5. obliviousme

    obliviousmeActive Member

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    Sounds like your computer is infected with malwares. First thing you should do is to perform a full system scan. It might also be some unnecessary programs that are set to run during start up. You should disable those programs and leave the ones you want to start automatically after computer boots up.
     
  6. DesignerMum

    DesignerMumActive Member

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    You might also want to do some browsing at the Web app store after you have completed your scans and your checks. Look for pop-up blocker apps. I don't have a specific one to recommend.

    If your choice depends on anything, it should be the type of browser you are using for browsing. Pop-up blockers are third-party apps, so you need to read more about them before downloading and then installing one on your machine.

    It is not enough to disable add-ons. You need to manage them to avoid similar disturbances from happening in the future.
     
  7. beccagreen

    beccagreenActive Member

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    Malware and adwares are the worst. Get a good anti virus and malware program and scan your computer or if you're up to it, you can just wipe your hard drive clean and reinstall everything.
     
  8. Obvcynicae

    ObvcynicaeNew Member

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    As people before me have mentioned, it's likely that your computer has adware installed, and Malwarebytes is an anti-virus program that is quite adept at removing it. I would also scan it afterwards with Adwcleaner and Ccleaner (which has a free version that is still pretty decent), to see if they can find and remove any other traces of potentially unwanted programs/adware. Formatting your hard drive and reinstalling your operating system completely is another option, as mentioned by beccagreen, but it will probably require more active work (especially if you have not done it before).
     
  9. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    Wait. CCleaner does adware too? I never noticed that, I thought it's just random assorted temp/junk files.
     
  10. Obvcynicae

    ObvcynicaeNew Member

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    Oops. Wait. It's been a while since I ran it last; I haven't gotten any adware in a long time, to be honest.

    Okay, my bad, sorry ._. Apparently, it doesn't, and you're right--it only applies to temporary files & similar logs that people prefer to delete & clean off their drives. I normally run everything together, so I got mixed up. I'd swear that there was another program...but I can't edit my original post now, anyways, so I'll jus tleave that be. Thanks for pointing that out! :oops:
     
  11. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    As far as what my own personal experience with computers would dictate, if you have some type of software and or extension that is supposed to prevent pop-ups, yet you are still getting pop-ups then your computer is either infected with a virus or some sort of adware/malware. So I'd run a virus scan. I'm currently having an issue with my pages redirecting in Google Chrome, and I have malwarebytes installed, and it is not picking up any malware/adware issues, even though I know that it is there. So pick anti-virus software wisely.
     
  12. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    Oh, no problem. I wasn't trying to correct you, I was just wondering if that really is a thing CCleaner can do and I just missed it, haha.
     
  13. Obvcynicae

    ObvcynicaeNew Member

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    Oh, no, it's fine! I stand corrected, anyhow, because my original information was incorrect, and that could have mislead people. And yeah, I thought it did, but apparently, when I checked, it actually did not remove viruses/adware and malware, in general. Once again, though directed more at the OP--sorry for my misinformation!
     
  14. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    :) Guess you were thinking about Spybot? The UIs are kind of similar.
     
  15. rightct

    rightctActive Member

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    Like others have mentioned, it might be adware. Unfortunately, there's not too much to be done about them because they infiltrate in your computer and operate like worm viruses, that is, multiplies itself in the computer, up until the point of being hundreds of copies in your computer, which you can't control.
    But, most of them are rudimentary and don't necessitate this much attention; most antiviruses will permanently erase them without too much hassle. If by this time you haven't managed to get rid of them, not even by antiviruses, consider reinstalling your operating system, it will save you a lot of time.
     
  16. Patryk9595

    Patryk9595New Member

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    As someone alreade mentioned here,

    Log In

    is the tool you definitely should give a try. Every time I've had some annoying ads, popups it erased it after a couple of minutes of scanning and a system restart. I have ativirus software but it's not enought for me... AdwCleaner scans the most common places where malware hides, removes browser extensions, etc. For me there is no better tool for removing malware.

    PS. It's portable, so you don't have to install anything
     
  17. Darakath

    DarakathMember

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    You can run a malware scanning tool such as Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. It is very thorough and may detect many false positives, but that is always better than having malware on your computer. Another option is to reinstall Windows, which resets everything and leaves you malware-clean.
     
  18. bonzer

    bonzerActive Member

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    I prescribe TrendMicro house call, an online virus scanner that is free. This way you can be sure that you have cleaned your system of Viruses, Worms, Trojans and any spyware. For effective removal of spyware, malware, tracking cookies and so on, you may install Malware bytes or Spybot Search n Destroy (this is a freeware and efficient). Once your entire system is cleaned up, you got to secure your system by installing a good quality internet security suite program like Kaspersky/McAfee/Noton Internet Security suite.

    Such program will give a comprehensive solution and peace of mind. Good Luck!
     
  19. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    Malwarebytes is a solid tool, and the free version works just fine at removing most forms of adware/malware. In fact, many of the other old-standby's that used to be popular options, such as Lavasoft Ad-Aware, Webroot SpySweeper, and Spybot S&D, have unfortunately turned into major bloatware and I no longer use them anymore to scan my system.

    AdwCleaner is a good tool for a second opinion after running Malwarebytes, but you should be careful with it, because it can be a bit too aggressive and flag false positives. Make sure you review everything it's proposing as dangerous. Also, once you run it, it will delete all your temporary internet files, and force you to restart your computer - so make sure you close out of anything important before running it.

    Another issue you may not be aware of is that many malware/adware companies are now infecting browser plugins without any warning. Meaning that plugin you installed in Chrome which was working fine, may suddenly have malware/adware embedded in it during one of it's future updates. What's happening is these adware companies are hitting up the plugin developers behind the scenes and offering them money to include their crap in the plugins, or they are flat out buying the plugins and taking over the development of them to include their adware in them. Google and the other browser companies have not been doing a good job of policing this stuff from their extensions, and many antivirus programs and anti-malware programs, including Malwarebytes, have been slow in catching them.

    You either need to remove your browser extensions one at a time and seeing if the pop ups are still happening, and/or start reading the plugin reviews to see if anyone else has complained about there being adware in the plugin.
     
  20. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    I think that I may have already mentioned this. But if not, I'm having a problem in my Chrome browser. it is not happening in any other browser that I use, and I am currently using Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. But sometimes when I click certain links - and it could be any link; trusted or not - in my Chrome browser, a new tab will open of its own accord. It feels like some type of virus or malware. But I have ran multiple scans with Malwarebytes and nothing is coming up. Does anyone have any clue as to how to get it to stop doing what it is doing?