Q. What is a Pop-Up?
A. A page or window, usually small, that “pops up” while you are surfing the Internet. Pop-Ups are most useful in presenting photo enlargements when clicking a thumbnail photo, but are also used to display announcements or advertisements. A Pop-Up is essentially the same as any other browser page except that typically it is much smaller and has only content (no web browser toolbars and no status bar).
Q. What causes a Pop-Up to be displayed?
A. Pop-Ups display when you visit a web page that has script directing them to appear. Your computer may also have software on it called Spyware or Adware designed to cause advertisement windows to pop up when you’re browsing the Internet.
Q. How do I close Pop-Ups?
A. Often times you just need to click “close” in the actual pop-up or click the “x” in the upper right-hand corner of the Pop-Up window. Some Pop-Ups have an embedded JavaScript that will make it close automatically after a set time.
Q. Can I block Pop-Ups from my computer?
A. Yes. There are several software options available. Although Knology does not endorse any one particular product, some, but not all Pop-Up Blockers are listed below.
• Google has become the most popular search engine on the Internet. They have released a new toolbar that will block most Pop-Ups. The Google toolbar works with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and XP; and with Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. The interface is simple to use, customizable, and includes features such as web search from Google. Disabling the tool is as easy as holding down the control key while clicking the link, or by clicking the “on” button on the toolbar. Download this tool at no charge from toolbar.google.com.
• Pop-Up Stopper (free edition) is a utility that will block Pop-Ups in Internet Explorer and Netscape. This program is compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP, and includes many features such as customizable warnings when a Pop-Up advertisement is blocked and blocking of windows messenger Pop-Ups. The blocker is easy to disable using the Shift key, Ctrl key, or by clicking the icon in the system tray. Pop-Up Stopper (free edition) can be downloaded from http://www.panicware.com/product_downloads.html. Pop-Up Stopper also offers a commercial version that includes support for AOL, MSN, Internet Explorer, Netscape, SBC Yahoo, Opera, WMConnect, CompuServe, Juno, and NetZero.
• Other Pop-Up blockers are available at Cnet’s http://www.downloads.com. This site contains shareware and freeware versions of most Pop-Up stoppers.
Q. Are there any drawbacks to using a Pop-Up blocker?
A. The only flaw with this type of program is that sometimes a page is blocked when it is designed to open in a new window. To prevent those pages from being blocked, disable the software temporarily, usually by hitting the CTRL key.
Q. Can I install multiple Pop-Up blockers?
A. Although no major issues will arise, it is generally not recommended, as you would have two programs trying to do the same thing. |
