Pop-Up Blockers

DO IT:  Once – now!

Most people think pop-up windows are only used by sneaky and slimy advertisers. In fact, pop-up windows are used by both reputable and disreputable advertisers alike. 

In case you’re not aware, pop-ups are windows used by advertisers that “pop up” in the middle of your screen to display a message. They might also open when you click a link or button on a Web site.

Some pop-ups are helpful. For example, if you click an image to see a larger version, it might open in a pop-up window. Unfortunately, some pop-up windows can contain inappropriate content or can be a way for you to accidentally download dangerous software (called spyware or adware) onto your computer.

Internet Explorer and Firefox (both Internet browsers) allow you to prevent most pop-up windows from appearing on pages you want to view while you're using the Internet.  Google also has a nice free toolbar you can download complete with a pop up blocker. 

If you’re really serious about not wanting to let pop up ads interfere with your Internet experience, STOPzilla has a phenomenal and highly rated utility to download. 

Let’s start with Internet Explorer.

The Pop-up Blocker is automatically turned on in Internet Explorer and set to the medium setting, which means it will block most automatic pop-ups. The default settings for the pop-up blocker allow you to see pop-ups that are opened when you click a link or button on a Web site. Pop-up Blocker will also play a sound and show the Information Bar when a pop-up is blocked. You can adjust these settings so that Pop-up Blocker works the way you want it to.

Step 1: 
Open Internet Explorer.

Step 2:
Click Tools » Pop-up Blocker » Pop-up Blocker Settings. . .

Step 3: 
Note the Filter Level at the bottom of the window.  As you can see here, it is set to medium.  By clicking the arrow of the drop down menu, you can change that setting to Low, Medium or High. 

Step 4:
If you visit a particular site often and want to see pop-up windows from a specific Web site, type the address (called the URL) of the site in the Address of Web site to allow box, and then click Add.  

Step 5:
There are two other decisions you need to make now.  Do you want a sound to play when pop-ups are blocked?  And do you want an information bar to display when a pop-up is blocked.  The sound is really not important, but I do appreciate the bar.  That way I know if there’s something I’m missing and I can choose to view it if I want to (see tip below). 

Step 6:
Click OK and you’re done!

TIP:  Now, there may be occasions when you want to temporarily allow pop-ups from a site, but don’t want to go in and add them to your allowed list (as explained above).  In this case, you can click the Information Bar when it notifies you that a pop-up has been blocked. Then click Temporarily Allow Pop-ups.

TIP:  If you want to see pop-ups that are blocked when you have this setting turned on, hold down the CTRL key while the window opens.

NOTE:  Pop-up Blocker is smart enough to not block pop-up windows that you open deliberately by clicking a link.  For example, if you were on a travel reservation site and you clicked a link to open a pop-up window containing your confirmation details, this pop-up window would not be blocked because you opened it intentionally. Also, Pop-up Blocker will not block some pop-ups with certain types of animated content or pop-ups from Web sites that are in two Web content zones: Local intranet or Trusted sites.

Now let’s look at the Google Pop-Up Blocker:

Google’s Pop-Up Blocker is part of their FREE Toolbar – you have to download the Toolbar in order to make use of the Pop-Up Blocker.  Now, if you do not want another toolbar on your screen, skip this section.  But keep in mind, if you use Google to perform searches on the Internet, this tool really does save you lots of time! 

Here’s what the toolbar looks like after it’s downloaded:





As you can see, you can perform a search on Google without going to Google’s homepage – you can be on ANY page!   Here we go:

Step 1:
For Internet Explorer, click here:

For Firefox, click:

Step 2:
Click on Download Google Toolbar.

Step 3:
It will then ask you if you want to run or save the program.  Since Google is a trusted site, click Save.

Step 4:
Choose your Save location. 

TIP:  I always save new programs to my Desktop so I can easily find them later. 

Step 5:
Now that you’ve downloaded the Google Toolbar, it’s time to install it.   Double click the file you just downloaded from the location you saved it to (if you followed my TIP, it will be on your desktop).  It will ask if you want to run the program.  Click Run.

Step 6:
If Google.com is not already selected for you, do so now.  You can also choose to make Google your default search engine here.  If you do not want to, uncheck the box.  Click Agree & Continue. 

NOTE:  Google will automatically close your Internet browser when installing.  If you want to do close them yourself, check the appropriate box/circle. 

Step 7: 
I know there are times when we don’t read all the legal mumbo jumbo when we’re on the Internet.  However, as Google says, this is “not the usual yada yada.”   Google is asking your permission to send them information (anonymously) about the sights you visit while you’re surfing the Internet.  This is your decision and your decision only.  Click Enable or Disable – your choice.  Then click Finish (you will not be able to click on the Finish button until you have made your choice).

Step 8:
That’s it!  Google will automatically open your Internet browser and introduce you to your new toolbar.  Click on Take A Quick Tour so you understand and can use all the features of your new toolbar.