Popups - AOL

[david_kelsey]

Thank you. I don't have the automatic messenger enabled. By rights, AOL
should never get anywhere near my computer.

I too think it is related to the Daily Draw, and I have emailed them and
also AOL, so far without any answer. I don't think OE has anything to do
with it - it is just a coincidence that I tend to check my mail and do the
Daily Draw every day before doing anything else.

Does the AOL window you saw promote broadband? And is the URL aol.co.uk?
There are two types, with slightly different extensions, but the one I
supposedly block with 'restricted sites' won't accept more than one URL with
the base name AOL.

Just for a laugh, did you see today that an AOL employee has been stealing
data on their customers and sold their entire 92 million e-mail address book
for £70,000? He and his buyer have both been nabbed and are looking at five
years, it is said. I'll believe that when I see it. Judges often seem to
think this kind of thing is trivial.

David

I got the AOL pop up at the NY Times web site - quite annoying -
couldn't get it to close with the RED X until I noticed there was a
CLOSE WINDOW at the bottom right of the window.

I have ZA firewall, Google Pop Up blocker, McAfee AV (of course only
the pop up blocker is really supposed to block pop ups but none are
100%).

I suggest it is related to the "daily" whatever you are receiving if
it is popping up with OE.

Also make sure under OE OPTIONS that there is no "messenger" to start
up when OE starts - AOL IM has an option to "make it the default
messenger program" on install and run.

Also, make sure you complain to the responsible web site and AOL (if
you can figure out the web site).

Adm C


"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
message

I don't know or care whether AOL have their own popup blocker, which
must be the biggest piece of hypocrisy ever, as I do not, and never
have had AOL on my computer. The AOL popup is nothing to do with OE
- it just happened to be open when the AOL rubbish popped up beneath
it, without IE running, and therefore without the Google blocker
running. I am amazed that no-one else seems to be getting these AOL
popups - perhaps they are targeting me because they know I hate them!

Your post was quite unclear; I tried to offer the best advice I could
given the information at hand. I'm not getting AOL popups or any
popups. Sorry you're being plagued! Did the spyware removal info help
at all?

David Kelsey

david_kelsey wrote:
I do use the Google popup blocker. They have just advised me that
the toolbar must be running for the blocker to work. In future I
will open the IE window before using Outlook Express, which should
stop the AOL popups.

OK - doesn't AOL have their own popup blocker, too? Not sure how OE
fits into this.


I am not getting Messenger Service popups - whatever made you think
that?

It's a commonly enough asked question in here and most people don't
specify what kind of popups. Hence I mentioned it.

I disabled Windows Messenger Service many months ago, since I
do not have a network, and therefore have no need of it. I have
never heard of spam in Windows Messenger Service. Perhaps you
meant MSN Messenger.

No, Windows messenger service is what leads to messenger spam on
unprotected computers. MSN messenger is just an IM client.

And I do have a firewall protecting my computer. I
hope a firewall wouldn't stop genuine Messenger Service alerts.

Glad you have a firewall. If you disabled the underlying messenger
service, you won't get any messenger service alerts at all anyway.
Since you say you aren't on a network, you likely don't need it.

I mentioned Outlook Express simply to indicate where the AOL popup
occurs - underneath Outlook Express. I never said anything about
spam in my mail. The Daily Draw is just another daily lottery, and
I mentioned it only because the AOL popup popped up under it too.

Your post was unclear there...

I e-mailed Google, obviously, because Google have a popup blocker
which appears not to block AOL's popups. I had previously mailed
them about two other popups, and sent them the source code etc.,
and they have now been successfully blocked. And they have since
given me the answer to the AOL problem, as in the first paragraph
above.

Glad you've got your problem resolved.

David Kelsey

Lanwench [MVP - Exchange] wrote:
For browser popups: use a popup blocker. I like
http://toolbar.google.com , myself.

If you're getting popups in which the message title reads "Windows
Messenger Service", you haven't got your firewall enabled - do so
ASAP. Messenger spam isn't in and of itself a problem (well, it's
annoying, but not life-threatening), but if you have no firewall
protecting your computer from the Internet, you're going to have
far worse problems.

Also see "Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and
Search Engines":
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

I'm confused as to your mentioning Outlook Express. If you're
getting spam, you're just getting spam - there are plenty of
filtering products out there. I don't know what The Daily Draw is,
either.

Why are you emailing google, btw? I don't see what this has to do
with them at all.


david_kelsey wrote:
Am I the only person who is getting continual full page popups
from AOL pushing their broadband? I have mailed Google, who say
they are working on it, and also AOL, telling them I consider it
a gross invasion of privacy and shameful on the part of a
presumably reputable company like AOL. That last bit is tongue
in cheek, of course. The windows popup under Outlook Express, as
a rule, but sometimes under The Daily Draw. They are usually,
but not always, the bottom window.

I have blocked both addresses used in internet security, but this
does not appear to stop it. What will it take to stop them?

David Kelsey