How to get rid of pop-ups, viruses and adware.

If you keep seeing pop-ups every time you open a new window, you may need to make some changes to your computer.

It is possible your computer is infected with a virus or malicious software. You should take action and remove it as soon as possible!

Malware from pop-ups can be fairly easy to remove by making a few changes to your operating system. You just have to Add/Remove a few programs.

Sometimes when anti-viruses and malware are not easily removable, you may need to reformat your hard drive and reinstall the operating system.

For laptops, installing the operating system from the partition backup may not completely remove the malware. Be sure to get installation disks for your operating system from your hardware and reinstall your operating system.

Here are some ways you can keep those pop-ups under control and configure your computer with the latest version of software.

Part 1 of 3: Updating Your Browser

#1 Check for Updates.  

Always keep your browser up to date.  You will find this extremely helpful when trying to control pop-ups in your browser.  Most browsers will update automatically, but sometimes this feature has been disabled.

• Firefox – Click the Firefox button in the upper-left corner.  Hover over Help and select About Firefox.  Click here for a more detailed guide on updating Firefox.
  
• Chrome – Click on the menu button in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window. Select About Chrome near the bottom. A new tab will open and Chrome will do its job checking for updates. Check out the video below for further details.

• Internet Explorer - Updating on Internet Explorer depends on the version you are using.  Older versions of Explorer will require you to restore from the Tools tab at the top of your browser, then go to Windows Update.  For Internet Explorer 10 and 11, you can enable automatic updates by clicking on the Gear icon and selecting About Internet Explorer.  See this guide for more help.

#2 Reinstall your web browser, or install a new one.

Pop-up software is embedded so deep that sometimes you can not remove it just by updating.  For cases like this, you have to reinstall or change your web browser to solve the problem.

• First step is to download the latest version of the browser you are using.  You can easily find download links on the homepage of each browser.
• Uninstall the current browser you are using.  You can do this from the Control Panel from the Start Menu.
  1. Open the Programs and Features
  2. Go to Add/Remove Programs
  3. Click Uninstall/Remove and follow the prompts
  4. Please note: Internet Explorer cannot be uninstalled in Windows
• Keep up with your bookmarks and user settings so they can be imported when needed to be installed again.
• Install the new browser. After the old browser is uninstalled, run the installation file that was previously downloaded.

Part 2 of 3: Enabling Pop-up Blockers

#1 Enable pop-up blocker in Firefox

Pop-up blocking is automatically enabled in Firefox.  If it has been disabled, you can access the pop-up setting in the Options menu.

• Click the Firefox button and select Options
• Click the Content tab
• Check the “Block pop-up windows” box
• Click the Exceptions button.  Make sure you trust all the sites on the list.

#2 Enable pop-up blocker in Chrome

Chrome blocks pop-ups by default.  You can access the pop-up settings from the Settings menu.

• Click the Menu button in the upper-right corner and click Settings
• Click the “Show advanced settings” link at the bottom of the page
• Click the “Content settings” button in the Privacy section
• Scroll down to the Pop-ups section.  Be sure that the “Do not allow any site to show pop-ups” option is selected
• Click the “Manage exceptions“  button.  Make sure that only trusted sites are listed.

#3 Enable pop-up block in Internet Explorer

Pop-up blocking is enabled in later versions of Internet Explorer.    You can follow this to make sure it has been disabled.

• Click on the Tool menu or Gear icon.  Select “Internet options“
• Click the Privacy tab
• Make sure the “Turn on Pop-up Blocker” box is checked
• Click the “Settings” button.  Recheck all the sites to make sure you trust them
• Adjust the “Blocking level“. Use the drop-down menu at the bottom to decide your blocking level.  Set it at “High” to prevent pop-ups

#4 Install browser add-ons

Many browsers have add-ons that you can install on Firefox and Chrome that will help with your pop-up issue.  Many add-ons are available to download.  Here are a few helpful ones:

• Firefox – install AdBlock and NoScript to prevent websites from loading pages and content that is not needed
• Chrome – NoScript is available to use, although, AdBlock is not

Part 3 of 3: Cleaning Up Your Operating System

#1 Run an antivirus scan

Viruses are likely to install pop-ups on your computer and take over your browser.  Getting rid of these pop-ups is going to take a virus scan to detect the invading programs:

• Running an antivirus scan and run and anti-malware/spyware scan as well.  Well known scans are Malwarebytes or Spybot Search & Destroy.  The programs are free but should only be downloaded from the developers’ websites.
• Scan in Safe Mode, it is more effective than doing it in Windows.

#2 Uninstall toolbars

Uninstall toolbars because they may be slowing down your browser and even lead to more pop-ups.  Here is a guide to removing toolbars from your browser.

#3 Run a registry cleaner

A registry clean removes the lingering entries waiting in your registry.  Registry cleaners do not remove viruses or malware, so they should run after removing those with other programs.  CCleaner is a popular and free registry cleaner.

If you follow these steps, you can improve the health and speed of your computer.  Have you come across a way to avoid pop-ups or found an application to help maintain them?  Please share your comments below!

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References:
How to Get Rid of Pop Ups – Wiki How
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Pop-Ups
How do I get rid of pop-ups, viruses, adware, or spyware? – Yahoo! Security
http://security.yahoo.com/rid-pop-ups-viruses-adware-spyware-000000179.html