Pop-up blocking has come a long way in the last few years, as it has become more and more important to the average computer user. Today, many web browsers feature built-in pop-up blockers Mozilla Firefox does, for example, as does Opera. Most people dont use these alternative browsers, however the chances are that youre using Internet Explorer right now (if youre not sure, then you almost certainly are). Whether Internet Explorer has pop-up blocking built-in depends on which version of Windows you have. If youve got Windows XP and youve kept it up to date by installing all Microsofts service packs, then youll have pop-up blocking. If you have an older version of Windows, however, or if you dont use Windows Update, then youll need to block your pop-ups some other way. Probably the most popular way to block pop-ups now is to use the Google Toolbar (downloadable from Googles homepage). As well as integrating Google search into your browser, it quickly and reliably blocks all sorts of pop-ups. Toolbars from search engine rivals MSN and Yahoo! work the same way. If youre looking for a good, simple pop-up blocker and you like one of these search engines, then you wont go far wrong with this option. If you want a standalone package, then you could go for something like KillAd or NoAds (use a search engine to find where to download them). These freeware programs are generally more configurable than the built-in toolbars and browser pop-up blockers, with the added advantage that you can turn them on and off easily whenever you want, often with a simple double-click. Finally, if you want a more fully-featured, advanced pop-up blocker, consider buying a utilities package such as Norton Utilities or McAfee Internet Security Suite. These software packages also include firewalls and anti-spyware defences, among other things. |
