Static banner ads and inline ads on Web pages apparently weren't attracting enough business for advertisers because pesky pop-up ads seem to be proliferating.
Annoyed by the number of extra windows popping up, I decided to test some utilities that claim to solve the problem. I tested three that specifically target pop-up ads and two which are multi-purpose, which means they also filter cookies and ads. These utilities performed with varying levels of satisfaction. One, AdDelete, reported that it blocked nearly 200 ads and cookies in the first hour I used it. So far so good.
But contending with pop-ups and the resulting reduced surfing speed they produce is not the only reason to use pop-up killers. Some of those pop-ups are really placing a cookie on your computer that sends information about you back to an ad server. Stopping them before they can do that should make your Internet experience faster and safer.
PopUp Killer
http://software.xfx.net/utilities/popupkiller
After installation, a yellow lightning bolt appears in the system tray to indicate that Pop-up Killer is working. Its Smart! engine enables PopUp Killer to identify possible pop-ups and close them even before you can see them. As it encounters each new ad, a dialog box opens. Here you decide to ignore the ad (or other pop-up window), close the pop-up, add it to the ignore list, or add it to the Black List, which means that you'll never see the pop-up again.
Double-clicking on the lightning bolt in the system tray opens the control panel. The PopUps tab window has two panes. The top pane lists all of the PopUps on your Black List, i.e., pop-ups that will always be closed when encountered. The bottom pane shows any current open windows, including the Web site you are browsing. You still have complete control over pop-ups, a key feature of this utility.
The user can participate in the process, too. There is a "Synchronize" feature that allows you to share your Black List with others as well as to download lists that others have made available. And, there is a public forum where users can ask questions, make suggestions, and get help from the creator of the program (http://software.xfx.net/uboards/ indexp.php?forum=uboard_puk.htm).
I liked the fact that you can actually see the pop-up, make a decision about it once, and then never see it again, if you don't want to. In my opinion, this utility gives the user more control than other pop-up removers I tested, and is my favorite of the utilities that simply are designed to stop pop-up ads. PopUp Killer is freeware, but if you'd like to support the developer by registering it, the cost is a token $7.00.
Pop-Up Stopper
www.panicware.com
Pop-Up Stopper did not perform as I had expected. The setting, "Aggressive popup control," will not allow any new browser windows - even those you want (e.g., legitimate Web pages set to open in a new window). However, without turning on the aggressive control feature, I still saw pop-up ads. And there is no way of knowing how well the program is working - no statistics or history of pop ups that were prevented.
Some Web sites use new windows or pop-ups to enable you to interact with the site (such as sign up for a newsletter). While using Pop-Up Stopper, if you want to see the pop-ups on a specific site, you can right-click on the page and select "Allow Site's Pop-Ups." But that assumes that you realize that a particular site uses pop-ups for interaction you want to take advantage of.
This program is also freeware, although you may make a small donation, if you'd like. A "Pro" version that allows you to view statistics regarding the number of pop-up windows blocked is available for $19.95.
Pop Not
www.hdsoft.com/popnot/
After installation, Pop Not displays a "light bulb" in the system tray which is supposed to flash when it stops a pop-up ad.
This was the third ad stopper utility I tested, and I was disappointed because this program, like Pop-Up Stopper, does not provide the user with any feedback about pop-ups that have been blocked. Features are minimal. Right-clicking on the light bulb in the system tray brings up the settings panel, which allows you to add Web sites and designate them to allow or disallow pop-ups.
During the two days I tested this program, it did not appear to actually stop pop-ups. I still saw the ads for the X-Cam and others. I set Pop Not to disallow all pop-ups, but it did not appear to do its job. I never noticed the light bulb flashing, but instead saw plenty of pop-up ads. The free trial period is only 10 days long. The purchase price is only $12, but not a good buy in my opinion.
AdDelete
www.addelete.com
AdDelete not only stops pop ups, but also filters cookies and advertising. While I was running AdDelete, there were blank spaces where the ads normally are shown on Web pages. AdDelete gives you lots of feedback as well as control over how the program works.
AdDelete comes in three versions. Personal, Professional, and Enterprise. While I didn't test the Professional version, developer comments include: "AdDelete will reduce the network traffic over your internet connection blocking hefty advertisements. AdDelete will also operate as a stand-alone HTTP proxy server and can even cascade over your existing HTTP proxy server meaning no client software to install. AdDelete will also provide monitoring on your internet connection, providing statistics and extensive details on where people are going, what they are looking at." Hmm, that's interesting — a way to track employee surfing habits.
AdDelete's controls are extensive, but easy to use. The interface provides numerous controls for filtering ads, cookies, and popups, as well as statistics and history of sites where you have specifically chosen to block or allow ads, cookies, and popups. Ad Delete's statistics show you the number of links it has analyzed, and how many links and cookies have been blocked. It also shows you the percentage of ad content it has blocked.
AdDelete states that its "built-in caching software accelerates how your computer loads site graphics and text, giving you faster access and better performance." I can't say that I noticed any increase in surfing speed while AdDelete was installed on my computer, however. The full version of AdDelete costs $29.95.
AdSubtract
www.adsubtract.com
This program offers lots of controls and feedback. It comes with a list of known ad servers on its Custom Sites Filter list. It also provides a two-way interface with a link for users to upload sites where they've found that ads are displayed, as well as to download new ad servers to their local version of AdSubtract's ad-blocking database.
The trial version of AdSubtract allows you to clean up your cookie list 10 times. This utility detected more than 500 cookies on my computer. When it scans your computer for cookies, it highlights known ad servers (such as doubleclick) in red, and pre-checks the checkbox beside the name of the cookie. You can look through all of the cookies on the list, checking the ones you want to delete, and then delete all of the checked items at once. The registered version ($29.95) allows unlimited deletion of cookies and referrer blocking among other features (referrers inform web servers of where you've been surfing).
I wondered whether the registered version would provide a way to keep cookies from being saved to your computer. I noticed that after I got rid of doubleclick and other ad server cookies, they reappeared on my computer during my next Internet session. I contacted tech support, and received an e-mail reply indicating that someone would call me, but as of press time, they had not. Since there is no phone number for tech support, you have to contact AdSubtract via e-mail.
Recommendation
Of the utilities that simply block ads, I liked PopUp Killer because it has an interface that provides the greatest user control. However, AdDelete also adds the ability to avoid almost all ads on a Web page, plus cookie filtering, and is my first choice for blocking popups, static ads, and cookies. If the functions of AdDelete and AdSubtract could be combined, it would probably be the perfect product for this niche need!
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