How to Get Rid of Pop-up Ads That You Can't See

by James Wright

Internet advertising has shied away from using pop-up advertising as it took up more bandwidth than was necessary, and was more annoying than effective. Some pop-up ads are designed to be a bit more stealthy, however; and will show up under your browser window, or they will remain hidden and make noise. Many ads can be stopped by using an updated browser, but in the case of persistent, hidden ads, you can also check your computer for malware and install ad-blocking extensions.

Change or Update Browser

You can check to see if the ad problem is browser specific by temporarily using another browser. If this fixes the problem, check your default browser's content settings to see if they are set to block pop-up windows. Also check its JavaScript settings to modify what JavaScript is allowed to do -- for example, move your windows or modify your window size. Finally, make sure your browser is up to date, since updates often include security patches.

Use Ad-Blocking Extensions

Ad-blocking extensions or add-ons are installed on your browser to help control how many ads you see or block them completely. If certain websites are flooding your computer with ads, use add-ons like AdBlock Plus, NoScript and Flash Block. This requires that your browser support add-ons or extensions, and only affect the browser they are installed on.

Scan for Malware

If you are seeing pop-ups or receiving other ads when your browser isn't even open, this could mean that your computer is infected with malware, specifically adware. If you already have a malware remover on your computer, close your browsers and any other programs, then scan your entire computer. If you don't have any security programs and need an immediate solution, consider a free program like Avira, Kaspersky or Malwarebytes. Quarantine and remove any traces of adware you find, as that may be the source of the ads.

Install Security Suite

Having a security suite such as Avast Internet Security, Kaspersky Internet Security or Avira Internet Security installed on your computer can help protect it against any type of malware and even monitor your computer as you use it. This, combined with browser extensions and regular scanning, can almost eliminate ads, even ones that play in the background or try to remain hidden. These suites typically come with a malware scanner as well as a firewall to help prevent any intrusions, and they monitor your traffic to make sure no malicious application is hijacking it to access the Internet.

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