Topic awaiting preservation: A friend needs an AOL popup blocker - any suggestions?

She's running XP Home, and she's 300 miles away. I've never had to look into a popup blocker for AOL....

When I used AOL ( that was around the AOL 4.0 ), I only used their crap to connect to the net and then used my browser of choice, which at the time was the brand new IE5.0. If the things haven't changed your friend could use any browser and install a popup blocker if that feature isn't built in it.

1. Uninstall AOL.
2. Get a real internet service.
3. Use Google toolbar or Moz browser.



I don't know anything about AOL but I would think you could install something like the Google toolbar, etc.

:::11oh1:::

Not an option. She's in the boonies. I've got her using IE for now, which is better....

So, if she's using IE, get her to install the Google toolbar, or the Windows XP SP2 RC1 ( aka the mamouth )

Yeah, I thought about the XP SP2 route, but she's on dialup. Not something I want her to have to download.... Popups in IE are pretty rare for her. But she likes the AOL int.

I 2nd the google toolbar. Its very good.

Can also get AdSubtract. Its great and it kills the adds

Well, the Google toolbar is good (I used it till I upgraded to SP2). But it wont work in the native AOL browser.

If she`s using I5+, Crazy Browser is a cool way to go. It`s a shell for IE that includes many of the features IE should have had anyway. One of which is a very effective pop-up blocker.

Best way to block pop-ups on AOL is to use aother ISP.

Alternatively, use Google Toolbar in Internet Explorer (as already mentioned) and avoid using AOL's native browser altogether.

AOL sucks noodle.

That could be a headline...

(Edited by White Hawk on 05-24-2004 17:08)

Run services.msc and disable messenger alerts. This is NOT Windows Messenger - AOL seems to make use of it a lot to bug you!

Anyone noticing several pop-ups getting through lately despite the Google Toolbar?

You can attack popups 3 ways.

1. Download and install a hosts file. When the user requests a page the browser checks this file to see if the IP of the URL is in it. If so it uses that address. If not then it looks it up on the ISP's name server. By setting known ad companies to 127.0.0.1 you trick it to not be displayed. Won't stop all popups.

2. Download and install admuncher. It sits in the system tray and just replaces ads with text mostly saying [ad munched.] I think but can't remember for sure that it still allows the ad to be clicked, just no images. Will stop a few popups but not all.

3. Download and install mozilla or mozilla firefox. Go through the prefs and turn off popups.

The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. --Groucho Marx

3. (bis) Download and install Opera.

Tell your friend to upgrade to the free AOL 9.. it has a built in pop up blocker. I also use Zone Alarm with it's pop up and add blocker.. and I have not seen a pop up or add on my screen for months..

QUOTATION: Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." -Terry Pratchett

Wes: The popups that get past the google bar are user-initiated popups. This means that they popup when you mouseover a link or an image. The google bar doesn't block user-initiated popup windows because it believes that people who made it were under the impression that if you fire the popup you are probably trying to access some content that is presented in a popup window. You will just have to wait for a new version of the google bar that blocks popups fire from onmouseover events.

If your friend wants to not receive popups while using AOL she will have to stop using the default AOL browser. Tell her that using a different browser is the price she must pay for not getting popups. All the other solutions require some additional technical knowledge. If she is a normal user even something like Zone Alarm Pro's popup blocking will be really confusing, so much so that it will detract from the overall computing experience.

What??? when Zone alarm installs.. ..it asks you do you wish to enable pop-up and addblocker?... you click "Yes" ..end of story.. What could be simler than that? No expertise required at all..

QUOTATION: Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." -Terry Pratchett



(Edited by Xpirex on 06-08-2004 04:26)