Block those Popups

We hate those annoying popups, so why not fight against it? Of course, choose a robust and smart blocker. In this post, we examine some of the popular popup blockers available


How Tough is Your Blocker?

We all agree - we hate those annoying popups. They really sap away the internet surfing experience. Popups are those little, sometimes borderless and modal, windows that contain nothing but advertisement. Nowadays, popups are not limited by that description no more. Advanced popups uses the DOM and JavaScript to convey their messages and annoy the average web surfer.

Of course, you could always use a popup blocker to purge those pesky windows, but how effective is your popup blocker? If you are using a popup blocker, test how effective it is by going to the Popup Test site. It contains every available popup method to see if your popup blocker can detect these type of 'attacks'.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 has included its own popup blocker, and it's quite effective - but not always. Some popups bypass the blocker unless it is set to strict mode, where every popups are blocked. To override the setting, just hold CTRL while clicking the link. If you haven't installed a popup blocker yet, here is a list of some of the popular ad blocking programs that you can try. Some of them are free, while others have free limited-time trial. Find a one that works for you.

PopUp Ad SmasheR
PopUp Ad SmasheR has a weird name, but it stops most of the typical browsing annoyances in Internet Explorer. You can configure it to stop pop-up and pop-under ads, animated and floating ads, Flash ads, timer ads (which can prevent you from accessing a Web page), deceiving dialog box ads, and message box ads.

Ad Annihilator
Ad Annihilator is good--very good, in fact--at blocking pop-up ads, banner ads, Flash ads, and other distractions, including cookies. Once you've started blocking ads, the program's "suppression mechanism" (which sounds like an antibiotic) recognizes and kills similar banners and pop-up windows. If you identify a keyword or character string that often appears in ads, you can add it to the program's Web content filtering and blocking feature.

AdBarricade
AdBarricade is a network-based ad-blocking service that supplies you with new DNS (Domain Name System) numbers; as a result, ads are blocked before they get near your PC. You have nothing to install, and the service works with every browser and operating system.

Super Ad Blocker
Super Ad Blocker tackles even the most annoying ads, including pop-ups, banners, and the distracting fly-in and slide-in types. It works nicely on all counts; if you're curious about how well it does, you can obtain detailed logs for all the blocked ads. Super Ad Blocker comes with a comprehensive configuration panel showing you its options for stopping ads, including those that annoy you while you're using instant messaging programs.

ZeroAds
ZeroAds tries to remove all types of ads, but it's most proficient at blocking simple banners and pop-ups; it didn't touch most of the Flash ads on the sites I tried. The program includes a cookie remover and an active antispyware module. The 15-day trial will help you decide how well the $30 product works at blocking ads on the sites you visit.

Popup Free
Popup Free is a small, no-frills tool that stops pop-up, banner, and Flash ads, and loads into the system tray when Internet Explorer launches. It halts most banners and some Flash ads reasonably well, yet has trouble stopping slide-in and fly-across ads. If Popup Free nails a legitimate pop-up window, you can add the item to your whitelist to let it through in the future. The tool is free, but to continue using it, you'll need to obtain a free registration code within 14 days.

Google Toolbar Pop-Up Blocker
You probably know the Google Toolbar as a terrific search tool for Internet Explorer or Firefox. But it also comes with a free pop-up blocker that works as well as some of the pricey ones do; it's amazingly accurate at diagnosing and blocking pop-ups that I don't want to see while letting "good" pop-ups appear. The toolbar supports Web-based bookmarking, and throws in a spelling checker and an automatic form-filling feature

Yahoo Toolbar
Yahoo's free Toolbar fits snugly into your browser, right under the address field, and protects you from pesky pop-ups.
Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything about the other annoyances, namely banner and Flash ads. If you don't find those bothersome, however, Yahoo's customizable Toolbar might be the choice for you. It's loaded with other features, too, including competent Web searches, the ability to check Yahoo Mail, and free Norton antivirus and antispyware scans. The Yahoo Toolbar also lets you create Web-based bookmarks that are separate from your system-based bookmarks, ideal if your other browsers also have the Yahoo Toolbar installed.