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Surf Without Popups or Viruses

In 1997, the internet was much more invasive than it is today. Spend 5 minutes over at cnn.com and its hard to believe it, but its true. There used to be never ending pop up chains and ‘consoles’ all over the place.

I was one of the first adult link lists Cfporn.com) to ever say “NO MORE POPUPS” and refused to list any site that included them. It was few and far between that went popless but you were pretty garunteed to not see them at my sites.

Fast forward today and most porn link lists follow this rule. In fact, for the most part, you’re likely to see more pop ups at a non adult site than you are at most porn sites. Even ‘paysites’ who pay top dollar for people to send them traffic only pop up one or two per visit.

Today if you take just a few precuations you can pretty easily shut off popups overall.

USING Internet Explorer? Easier than ever!

Thanks to windows service pack 2 for windows XP its pretty easy to shut down consoles. Its built right in and turned on from installiation. You have to turn pop ups off if you even want to see them. (which is done under the Tools, Options…. then ‘advanced’ tab)

What if you dont have windows XP but still want to use Internet Explorer? Well, if you’re using an older windows platform, I suggest the upgrade. IF that’s too costly or too annoying, I suggest switching to the
Firefox Web Browser. Its easy, useful, has lots of optimization tools. The only problem is some web features dont work great in it yet, but they’re rapidly updating.

If Firefox isnt an option, you can always download the Google Toolbar which includes a lot of neat tools that work alongside google, but most importantly, a free popup stopper. Alternatively the Alexa Toolbar which is considered spyware, because it tracks your surfing habits… but is otherwise pretty harmless and easy to use. has good information about website rankings as well :)

Using Firefox But Still Getting Popups?

Its simple to tell firefox you dont want to see popups.
Goto tools.
Goto options
click on ‘web features’ tab, and check off ‘block pop up windows’.

You may also want to check to see if there are any ‘allowed sites’ on your list you simply dont want to view popups for.

Still Seeing Pop Ups?

If you’re still seeing popups you may be spyware infected. Want to make sure that you’re not? There are several free tools you can use to remove spyware from your machine. BE WARNED! Doing a search to for a spyware removal program can result in finding more spyware. :(

Here are some simple steps for you that can help rid your machine of spyware.

First, begin by running Housecall the free, ‘online’ antivirus program. This program helps you battle spyware and remove viruses or trojans before we get started. This makes sure your computer isnt being redirected when you try to visit other anti-spyware sites.

Secondly, download and run Adaware which will remove any spyware ist current database recognizes. Make sure to update the database so that its fresh and current!

Third, grab Spybot, search and destroy as it will find many trojans and spyware that adaware does not. Using both of these programs one after the other is a great way to make sure you’re removing spyware.

You’re going to need some antivirus

Dont want to pay for it? Me either. Thank goodness for AVG AntiVirus which can assure your surfing virus free. The program is free and from my experiences is tons better at norton or any of those other expensive programs. I love it :) its the only program i’ve used in over two years and its found and remove viruses quickly, safely, effectively.

I even registered it, but you sure dont have to.

Common Sense Rules
Taking all of this advice wont garuntee you a virus and pop up free experience. There are some common sense rules you should follow.

1) Never install a program you dont trust, or a plugin you dont trust. If you dont know what it is, you probably dont need it. If you can get a name of the program ‘google’ it first to see if its a problem :)
2) never open attachments in email even if you know who its from. With as easy as it is to share files on the net in other ways I dont see why you’d ever need to do this
3) Visit sites you can trust. Its best to stick to sites that are professional or big named when you can. When surfing other types of sites try to keep an cynical eye out for things that can harm you or your PC.
4) If you’re looking to steal things you’re likely to get infected. Its true. people on the net are apt to load sites that lead to ‘warez’ or ’site passwords’ with bullshit links and viruses and trojans and worse. Be very, very careful on those sites.
5) Few programs are really free. Kazaa? Ares? Limewire? Most of these types of programs install spyware with their software! Be sure to read their terms and agreements and be careful about what you allow them to install! Always be sure to read each step clearly and use the ‘custom’ installation process if possible so you decide what goes on your machine and what does not!

Good luck and happy surfing. I hope these tools keep you and your PC as safe as they keep me. :)