Pop-up Advertisments

 Advertisements that open in a window titled Messenger Service can be blocked easily by disabling the Messenger Service in Windows XP.

Note: In Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Vista the messenger service has been disabled by default.

The Messenger Service was originally designed for use by system administrators to notify Windows users about their networks. However, some advertisers have started using this service to send information via the Internet, and these messages could be used maliciously to distribute a virus.

This is not Windows Messenger and disabling the Messenger Service will not affect Window Messenger.

To disable the Messenger Service in Windows XP:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance.
3. Click Administrative Tools.
4. Double-click Services.
5. Double-click Messenger.
6. In the Startup type list, choose Disabled.
7. Click Stop, and then click OK.

Prevent Pop-up Ad Windows When Browsing with Internet Explorer

There are two steps to reduce the amount of advertisments that pop-up when you are browsing the Internet.

1. Install and run Ad-aware from Lavasoft
2. Reset the Internet Explorer browser settings to default.

   From the browser window, select Tools from the top menu and then Internet Options. Select Programs Tab and then click Reset Web Settings button. Click OK to close Internet Options window.

    

There are also a number of good programs that will reduce pop-up advertisements from appearing on your computer. The full version of Ad-aware has a feature to block pop-up ads. The (free) Google toolbar is also an excellent option, and is available directly from Google at http://toolbar.google.com.

Allowing a pop-up

In the event that you’re trying to access a page and not getting anywhere or not getting the expected result, it may be because the page is trying to open a legitimate pop-up that is being blocked. In this case all you have to do is hold down the Ctrl key while you click on the link. This will override the pop-up blocker and allow the website to open the new window.

Most newer browsers will actively try to warn you that they are blocking a page and let you decide what do do with it, so be sure to watch out for the notification bar at the top of your browsing window as well.