We’ve all gone through the annoyances of pop-up windows. When browsing just to pass our spare time, the sudden suggestion of body enhancements, or declarations of love from ladies of the night aren’t particularly welcome (unless you are that way inclined). This is when a pop-up blocker can come in handy, zapping all the unwanted content and allowing you to browse for what you want, rather than what is imposed upon you.
There are many solutions to block pop-ups within Internet Explorer 7, some already integrated with the package and easy to set-up and use, and others available for free as
add-ons to the browser. Having a firewall set up can help with this as well, and there are firewalls which are free to download (such as ZoneAlarm) and offer great customer support.
In this article we will look at some common methods to block unwanted pop-ups, either by using the existing pop-up blocker in IE7 or by downloading some useful additions to it.
Setting up the pop-up blocker in IE7 is extremely easy. You can decide whether to turn it on or off, the latter in case you need to allow pop-ups being displayed. Remember that not all pop-up windows are malicious, and some sites use them as part of their content or browsing experience. For instance, pop-up windows are sometimes used to display ‘help subjects’ in some sites, although their use isn’t solely limited to that.
To turn on pop-up blocker, go to the Tools menu near the top of the browser and right-click. Hover your cursor on the ‘Pop-up blocker’ option (second from the top) and more options will show up. You can click on ‘Turn-on’ or ‘ Turn-off’ pop-up blocker and also look at related options (Pop-up blocker settings). In the settings you can enter a malicious web site which you have encountered for instance, or allow a sound to be played when something is blocked.
You can download other blockers which offer additional functions. Here are some of them, all freeware:
sQusi – Aside from just blocking pop-ups, you can also control tracking cookies, script types and other forms of viral marketing to keep your PC free of threats.
NoAds – The program runs in the system tray and is easily configurable to allow for many blocking options. It integrates well with IE7 and you can decide which types of pop-ups it will close automatically.
Popup Assassin – Assassinate those pop-ups with
this stealthy scoundrel, which allows you to maintain a white and black list of the most unsavoury sites. Offers great customisation and runs in the system tray to fully integrate with the IE7 browser.
Aside from separate pop-up blockers it is recommended that you use a firewall as part of your computer’s security.