Pop Up Stopper?

[Barry]

I get 1-2 pop ups every minute with windows XP. I have 3
other PC's that get none? Some of them even automatically
change my home page with Internet Explorer. I have tried
several pop up stoppers, they seem to work a little... Is
there something wrong with this PC, is there a setting I
need to change? PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[purplehaz]

Sounds like spyware. Run these tools:
spybot -- http://www.safer-networking.org/
ad-aware -- http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

 

[Chris Lanier]

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Google Toolbar (Block's Web Popup's)
http://toolbar.google.com

 

[cimex]

Have you changed this setting yet? For some odd reason, MS ships XP with the
all-essential firewall disabled! This is about to change, but
meanwhile...(courtesy of Help & Support)

To enable or disable Internet Connection Firewall
1.. Open Network Connections
2.. Click the Dial-up, LAN or High-Speed Internet connection that you want
to protect, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this
connection.
3.. On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, select one of
the following:
a.. To enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), select the Protect my
computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from
the Internet check box.
b.. To disable Internet Connection Firewall, clear the Protect my
computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from
the Internet check box.
Notes

a.. To open Network Connections, click Start, click Control Panel, and
then double-click Network Connections.
b.. You must be logged on as a computer administrator to complete this
procedure.
c.. If you clear the Protect my computer and network by limiting or
preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box, the firewall
on your computer is disabled, and your network is vulnerable to intrusions.
d.. You should not enable Internet Connection Firewall on virtual private
networking (VPN) connections or on client computers because ICF will
interfere with file and printer sharing.
e.. ICF cannot be enabled on the private connections of the Internet
Connection Sharing host computer.
f.. Internet Connection Sharing, Internet Connection Firewall, Discovery
and Control, and Network Bridge are not available on Windows XP 64-Bit
Edition.

 

[GregW]

Go to Control Panel|Administrative Tools|Services, then look for Messenger
Service. There will be an option to disable it.

 

[Gordon Burgess-Parker]

Have you changed this setting yet? For some odd reason, MS ships XP
with the all-essential firewall disabled! This is about to change,

Interestingly, (I've noticed in the last week, mainly because I'm having odd
problems with my ISP) that the Firewall IS checked as default when creating
a new dial-up connection. This is with XP SP1 (bought last year) and a few
(not many I must admit) updates.



but

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

There are at least three varieties of pop-ups, and the solutions
vary accordingly. Which specific type(s) is troubling you?

1) Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"

This type of spam has become quite common over the past year, and
unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It demonstrates
that you haven't been taking sufficient precautions while connected to
the Internet. Your data probably hasn't been compromised by these
specific advertisements, but if you're open to this exploit, you are
open to other threats, such as the Blaster and Welchia worms that
recently swept cross the Internet. Install and use a decent,
properly configured firewall. (Merely disabling the messenger
service, as some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does
little or nothing to truly secure your machine.) And ignoring or just
"putting up with" the security gap represented by these messages is
particularly foolish.

Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise you to do nothing
more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger
service, by itself, is a "head in the sand" approach to computer
security. The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups;
they're actually providing a useful, if annoying, service by acting as
a security alert. The true problem is the unsecured computer, and
you've been advised to merely turn off the warnings. How is this
helpful?

2) For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts
Popup-killer from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm or Pop-Up
Stopper from http://www.panicware.com/. Myself, I use Norton Internet
Security, which, in addition to containing Norton Anti-Virus and
Personal Firewall, also blocks many of the pop-up adds on the
Internet.

3) For pop-ups caused by some sort of "adware" and/or "spyware,"
such as Gator, Comet Cursors, or Bonzai Buddy, that you've
deliberately installed, two products that are quite effective at
finding and removing scumware are Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and
SpyBot Search and Destroy from http://security.kolla.de/. Both have
free evaluation versions.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Please stop deliberately posting potentially harmful advice.

Disabling the messenger service is a "head in the sand" approach
to computer security that leaves the PC vulnerable to threats such as
the W32.Blaster.Worm.

The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups; they're
actually providing a useful service by acting as a security alert. The
true problem is the unsecured computer, and you're only
advice, however well-intended, was to turn off the warnings. How is
this helpful?

Equivalent Scenario: You over-exert your shoulder at work or
play, causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes
excruciating pain whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to
a doctor and say, while demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when
I do this." The doctor, being as helpful as you are, replies, "Well,
don't do that."

The only true way to secure the PC, short of disconnecting it from
the Internet, is to install and *properly* configure a firewall; just
installing one and letting it's default settings handle things is no
good. Unfortunately, this does require one to learn a little bit more
about using a computer than used to be necessary.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH