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>> Popup Stopper.

The issue here wasn't your classic popups, but about advertising sent via that nasty "Windows Messaging" applet that Micro$oft put in the current version of Windows.

It is enabled by default, though a third party firewall seems to block access to it (the WinXP firewall, also enabled by default, doesn't seem to). I have only dialup here, but after upgrading from Win98 here, I went online to download new Norton & Zone Alarm updates and I wasn't on five minutes before junk advertising messages started popping up on my screen, mostly invitations to visit shopping websites fairly tame things like that - but unwanted and annoying.

The little download from the GRC website will kill it (though it can be disabled farly easy through the computer management applet - when you find it).

As for classic internet popup ads, I haven't seen a perfect blocker. I am a political forum junkie and I participate here on FR and various others, particularly some on Yahoo Groups. The Yahoo Groups have a lot of popups. For safety, I use two browsers. I use IE most of the time, for straightforward browsing in places like FR, but I use Mozilla Firebird for websites where I'm likely to encounter popups and other trash (there's quite an underworld out there - more than just popups - all kinds of scripts and other little nasties that'll do everything from changing your homepage to emptying your wallet). Mozilla is easily configureable to eliminate popups & things like that, and none have ever gotten through it.

Dave in Eugene