Using Pop-Up Blockers & Spyware Removers

In today's world of pop-ups and spyware, it's important that you know how to protect your computer from seemingly enless pop-ups and undesirable software.

There are several programs that will block pop-ups. For my purposes, I use the one in Safari. I have no affiliation with the following products; I'm just directing you to them. The following is a list of free and commercial pop-up blockers available on the internet. Some of the large ISP's offer pop-up blockers with their service; if you don't belong to such a service, the utilities below should work regardless of your provider.

Mac OS Browsers that Block Pop-Ups:
OmniWeb
Safari

Cross-Platform (Mac & Windows) Browsers that Block Pop-Ups:
Mozilla
Opera
Firefox

Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP, with Windows XP Service Pack 2 applied, also blocks pop-up ads.

Standalone Mac OS Pop-up Blockers:
Pop-Up Zapper (Lite for OS 8/9)

Unfornately, spyware is also a real problem. Nearly all spyware is exclusively for Windows. Spyware is noted for causing seemingly unsolvable problems and general system slowdowns/performance reductions. It can also infringe on your privacy; some will send data on anything you've typed back to its maker! Fight the spyware problem by removing it from your computer. I've had great success with Ad-Aware, from LavaSoft. There is an invaluable free version available for personal use, as well as more advanced paid products. Also available is AntiSpyware from McAfee.

(Note: I do not endorse any of the above products, nor is the list of products above all-inclusive. Links are provided solely for your information.)