Many legitimate advertisers on the Internet use windows that pop up in
the middle of your screen to display a message. They might also open when
you click a link or button on a Web site, and they might open either over
or under the window you wish to view. Some pop-ups are helpful. For
example, if you click an image to see a larger version, it might open in a
pop-up window. Unfortunately, some pop-up windows can contain
inappropriate content or can be a way for you to accidentally download
dangerous software (called spyware or adware) onto your computer.
With Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Internet Explorer allows you to
prevent most pop-up windows from appearing over pages you want to view
while you're using the Internet.
Using Pop-up Blocker When you install SP2, Pop-up Blocker is turned on in Internet Explorer
and set to the medium setting, which means it will block most automatic
pop-ups. The default settings for the pop-up blocker allow you to see
pop-ups that are opened when you click a link or button on a Web site.
Pop-up Blocker will also play a sound and show the Information Bar when a
pop-up is blocked. You can adjust these settings so that Pop-up Blocker
works the way you want it to.
To change Pop-up Blocker settings
|
1. |
Open Internet Explorer. |
|
2. |
On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker, and
then click Pop-up Blocker Settings. |
Internet Explorer Tools menu
If you want to see pop-up windows from a specific Web site, type the
address (or URL) of the site in the Address of Web site to allow
box, and then click Add.
Pop-up Blocker Settings window
Tip To temporarily allow a site to display pop-ups, click the
Information Bar when it notifies you that a pop-up has been blocked. Then
click Temporarily Allow Pop-ups.
To block pop-ups even if they are launched when you click a link or
button on a Web site
|
1. |
Open Internet Explorer. |
|
2. |
On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker, and
then click Pop-up Blocker Settings. |
|
3. |
Select the High setting in the box near the bottom of the
dialog box. |
Note If you want to see pop-ups that are blocked when you have
this setting turned on, hold down the CTRL key while the window opens.
Troubleshooting Pop-Up Blocker If you've installed SP2 and you still see pop-ups in Internet Explorer,
try the possible solutions below.
| • |
Make sure Pop-up Blocker is turned on: Pop-up Blocker is
turned on by default, but someone may have turned it
off. |
To turn on Pop-up Blocker
|
1. |
On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker.
|
|
2. |
Click Turn on Pop-up Blocker. |
| • |
Rid your system of spyware: If you get similar pop-up
windows no matter what sites you visit or even if you're not on the
Web at all, you could have spyware, adware, or other software on
your computer that's launching pop-ups. To stop these pop-ups, you
will have to identify the software, then remove it or change its
settings to stop it from launching pop-ups. To learn more about this
read How
to Protect Your Computer from Spyware and
Adware. |
| • |
Some windows are not blocked: Pop-up Blocker is smart
enough to not block pop-up windows that you open deliberately by
clicking a link—for example, if you were on a travel reservation
site and you clicked a link to open a pop-up window containing your
confirmation details, this pop-up window would not be blocked
because you opened it intentionally. Also, Pop-up Blocker will not
block some pop-ups with certain types of animated content or pop-ups
from Web sites that are in two Web content zones: Local
intranet or Trusted sites. To learn more about security
zones, see Working
with Internet Explorer 6 Security
Settings. |
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