Question:
Hi folks,
Can anyone recommend a good safe pop-up blocker that I can put on my parents' PC?
They are running Windows 98se on a (pretty ancient) PC with 64mb RAM and 8gb memory.
I've put some basic security on on for them -
(AVG, Spybot, Ad-aware),
the same as I've put on my own PC, but obviously XP has a pop-up blocker and 98 doesn't.
Also, they're having a problem at the moment which sounds like a spyware infestation; they say they're getting X-rated pop-ups when clicking links on perfectly innocent sites, and it's getting them really worried, as they're not very confident with computers (only had it for 3 months) and they're wondering what else is going to go wrong. I think when they click the Home button too, they're getting a hijacked page from the sound of it.
Could part of the problem be that they're not running regular Spybot and Ad-aware scans (at least I don't think they are)?
The PC runs AVG on boot-up so I think I'm right in saying it's not a virus problem.
Does anyone have tips on cleaning up this mess? I'm really not looking forward to going over in a couple of days and trying to sort it out
They worry about how to get rid of windows that pop up, and I'm wondering if they've clicked on something that looks like a cross to close them, and it's actually taken them to a dodgy site and made matters worse (if you know the sort of window I mean)
I can understand how upsetting stuff like this is as I had it happen with an old PC running W98, and I knew less about computers than I do now (still not an expert by any means )
Any help will be muchly appreciated,
Thanks,
Zippy
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above pretty much answers them all with the addition of Stopzilla
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has also got a very good popup blocker built in. This works fine with W98.
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Thanks very much albertross and marley for your suggestions,
I'll have to see what's what when I go over there, and I'll post back when I've done that....
has also got a very good popup blocker built in. This works fine with W98.
Thanks for the suggestion Rex_Mundi, but they're only just starting to get to grips with IE (first time computer users in their sixties), and changing browsers would be too much confusion
Any other suggestions on how to keep surfing relatively trouble-free for a couple of novices would be great...
Thanks folks,
Zippy
forgot to add I had already put Zonelab's firewall on there too, thanks albertross
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they're only just starting to get to grips with IE (first time computer users in their sixties), and changing browsers would be too much confusion
Try
TOG
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Try
TOG
That makes interesting reading Toxteth,
but a couple of questions occurred to me...
If you have a different web browser; Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, whatever - how does this run alongside Windows Explorer, for example I'm thinking of how you can link to your Internet favourites from My Computer.
And, (assuming you're running a system with XP), what are the implications for firewalls and stuff? Does this need to be done seperately, and if you surfed using IE instead you'd have its firewall, or would you still have the XP firewall while using (eg.) Firefox?
I hope this is making sense, I'm getting myself confused with the difference between Operating Systems and browsers.
Another situation I'm thinking of is; sometimes if I help my friend (who's with AOL, boo hiss) out with her PC, I'll use IE as that's the browser I'm used to, but I'm wondering are there security/firewall implications as I mentioned above, or does using them interchangably not really matter as long as her security is up to date?
Also, am I right in thinking that, as sra says -
But with no more MS updates, 98 is just going to get more and more vunerable..,
it wouldn't matter which browser you had; because you have W98, you're still going to get problems, and ideally you need to be running XP?
Or, just to confuse myself completely, if you wanted to run Linux (I'm wondering about this as a lower cost alternative for my parents to upgrading to a computer with XP), could you run a browser of your choice alongside that (apart from, I'm assuming, IE as that's Microsoft's)? But bearing in mind that they have a 7 year old CPU with 64mb RAM and 8GB storage, would it be better to chuck it in the bin and get a new, faster, more capable PC (albeit maybe one without an OS installed?)
Goodness, my brain really hurts from all these questions , I probably should've started a new thread, but they just kept coming to me as I typed
Just one more (sorry! ) -
bingo bango - I did an install a few nights ago, and took the shortcut to IE off completely. The guy now has FF, and I just told him this was the new browser, which worked almost exactly like IE. He was more than happy.
If they really are going to be stubborn, you could always download FF and then add the IE plugin for it.
What is the IE plugin?
Thanks to anyone who has read this far without falling asleep
Any answers most gratefully received!
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I'd also really suggest trying out Firefox.
Normally these days I don't suggest it when the question is unrelated - It really annoys me when someone asks a Windows question and someone elses ony suggestion is "Buy a mac " so I guess that's what is sounds like to someone with an IE problem who gets told "get Firefox".
But with no more MS updates, 98 is just going to get more and more vunerable..
You can have it on your computer as well as Explorer, so it's not as if you have to choose only one, and in actual fact I've found its people who are new to computer who find it easier to transfer - It's the experienced user who's been staring at explorer for years who can't cope with the change
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I did an install a few nights ago, and took the shortcut to IE off completely. The guy now has FF, and I just told him this was the new browser, which worked almost exactly like IE. He was more than happy.
If they really are going to be stubborn, you could always download FF and then add the IE plugin for it.
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I tried the some of the malware removal suggestions...
Some weren't compatible with Windows98, but I think I managed to put on Ccleaner and Stopzilla...and I ran the spybot and adaware scans and updates again...
Their PC seems to be running a little better, touch wood, and the "nasty stuff" seems to have gone.
The only problem is that there is a DLL file (is that the right term?) that can't be removed; there is an error message after boot up, but it doesn't stop you doing what you want to do on the PC.
In any event, I've advised my parents that they really need to upgrade to a new PC with more memory that also has Windows XP, as they couldn't run XP on this one and it wouldn't be feasible to put more memory in such an old system.
So...
I'll probably do another post asking the MSEs for advice about that when the time comes! (specifically about who does warranties with ONSITE repairs rather than return-to-base).
Thanks very much again to everyone who posted,
Zippy
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Here's an actual walkthrough of installing Firefox (but it's XP)
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Thanks very much for your help sra and all who replied
Zippy