Spyware

I use 2 with great success. I like AdAware and Spy-Bot Search and Destroy. I also use Google Toolbar to prevent pop-ups as well. I will get you the links to all 3 in just a sec.

As soon as you download Spy-Bot, go to the update section, as there has been a significant update recently.

My bet is that you have Internet Optimiser on you computer if it is bypassing any pop-up blockers you may have. Basically it fools the pop-up blockers into believing you are opening the windows via Explorer. I hate that thing. But anyways, between the 2 you will be free and clear of it...

By the way, the free version of Registry mechanic I will link here will help rid the registry of Optimizer as well ...

Gimme a sec.

 

Registry Mechanic

SpyBot

AdAware

Again, be sure to run updates on AdAware and Spybot. But these are free programs that work great B)

By the way, the site for them is www.downloads.com . There are literally thousands of downloads for anything you can imagine, from free to over a thousand bucks... Great site

 

I use them both. About once a week I run both programs. I don't really have any problems anymore. I learned about them when Adware (not AdAware) and Internet Optimizer ended up inundating me with pop-ups. It was brutal. But the combo of these 3 programs has kept me free from spyware over the last couple months.

 

just wanted to second this treo

i have been using it for the last 6 months and it has been great

i did just recently opt for the yahoo toolbar, since i use yahoo and they have added a pop-up stopper

 

I use Adaware my Self

 

Ad Aware and Spybot are great. I use them at work to decrap clients computers. Make shure you keep them updated too.

 

I have always used adaware. I think it needs updating though because I have recently been getting some popups and had to manually go into the registry and remove a ton of crap. I got lazy and didnt delete the programs though.

Is there a specific security setting you can switch to prevent the automatic download of these programs?

 

I use the same 3 as Sandt38.

Twice I've actually been "hit", and had my homepage reset, using a mechanism that would always reset it to some target I didn't want...

Both times, the solutions were very different, I had to search Google for the fixes, and follow those steps.

I did start each time by running AdAware, and spybot, and it found some goodies that no doubt needed to be removed..
...but none of these are a utopian solution.

I used to have software called "Pop Up Stopper", but it was very weak.

The Google toolbar is nice twofold:
1) The pop-up stopper is very effective
2) It gives you a google search window right there

 

I know what you mean geo...My aunt got taken by a program called Marsfind and it took me awhile to figure out how to get it off.

Combatting spyware isnt always so simple.
:starwars:


I have never been into popup blockers. I visit too many sites that open a new window when going to different sections. I hat having to shift click more often that I see it block popups. Besides, popups are easy to kill and dont require a keyboard/mouse combo.

 

Google toolbar allows you to choose if you want to accept pop-up windows on a particular site. For example, I allow them for this site, because I choose to open all PMs in a new window. It is really as simple as pointing at the "pop-up" icon, and clicking.

It is very slick.

 

If you guys are looking for a good browser with built in ad blocking its called FireFox.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
I've used it and its predisessor FireBird for over a year now. I never get pop ups. Really like the Bookmark toolbar too.

 

yep. pretty good, I used firebird off and on, but ever since IE Crashed on my PC, (it still works but you can not access directly, you have to go through the file explorer I have been using Firefox exclusivly, and I love it