weird ever-spawning windows

[Renata]

Hi -

For the last few days, occasionally when using your site I will click on a link (doesn't seem to matter what link) and immediately my screen will start filling up with endless popups, all to the same site. I tried to catch one of the addresses with a ctrl-C so I could paste it here, but I'm not fast enough --- by the time I get it highlighted the next one's popped up on top of it. (I think it has 'media.ng' or something similar in the address near the start.) I have to resort to ctrl-alt-del and the task manager to be able to delete all the ever-increasing windows. As soon as the civfanatics.com window gets closed, though, all the popups go, too.

This has only ever happened when clicking on links within this site. Any idea what's wrong?

Thanks,
Renata

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

You have an avertising parasite installed on the computor.

 

[Thunderfall]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
You have an avertising parasite installed on the computor.

Most likley...

Check out http://www.panicware.com, Renata. You can get a free popup stopper.

Also, you may want to run this free AdAware program from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ to remove any spyware on your computer...

 

[Darkness]

Well, she's not the only one...

 

[Renata]

I figured it might be something like that, but this is my work computer. You'd think my company would have better security.

Nothing like this at home.

Anyway, thanks for the links; I'll see what I can do.

Renata

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

The IE setting that will prevent most such parasites from installing themselves on you computor is

"Download ActiveX controls"
set this to 'disable' or 'prompt'
it is the first one that comes up on custom security settings.

To get rid of existing parasites, you will need ad-aware, spybot, or some other ad/spyware washer program.

 

[anarres]

Does this mean there shouldn't be any popups on the main page? I get one every time I visit it. The current one is for scottish power, but it changes frequently...

 

[Renata]

@ anarres: I think that one single pop-up is normal advertising. I'm getting pop-up after popup so fast I can barely close them all (and it never ends).

@ thunderfall and lefty: thanks, I downloaded that software and have my fingers crossed. For what it's worth, I found the source of the killer pop-ups, too. It's that Vonage phone ad on the main CivFanatics page. If I hold my mouse over the ad, the address that shows up at the bottom of the window starts the same as the address in the popups.

Someone wanna contact them and complain?

Renata

 

[kojimanard]

I've had the same thing happen on this site the last two days. Thanks for posting about it and I'll try the solutions suggested.

 

[Thunderfall]

Originally posted by Renata
If I hold my mouse over the ad, the address that shows up at the bottom of the window starts the same as the address in the popups.

Someone wanna contact them and complain?

Email me the source and I will forward it to Telefragged and UGO. From time to time there are some unscrupulous third party advertisers inserting some nasty ads....

 

[anarchywrksbest]

I use Opera and when a page at CFC loads the address bar doesn't say http://forums.civfanatics.com....etc

It say this:

http://mediamgr.ugo.com:80/html.ng/...subchannel=fps&Network=affiliates&rating=pg13

I have always wondered what the hell this is?

 

[hbdragon88]

On AOL if a popup pops up on you the link in the bar is changed to that. But that is because AOL is a browser that contains windows within one frame. Does Opera do the same?

Panicware is real sweet I have downloaded it and installed it on every computer. It doesn't work on MSN or AOL or other ones though, I have to buy the deluxe. At $50, no way man.

 

[Renata]

Originally posted by Thunderfall

Email me the source and I will forward it to Telefragged and UGO. From time to time there are some unscrupulous third party advertisers inserting some nasty ads....

I'll try to write it down next time it happens. I installed adaware, but it's back (or maybe was never gone). Thanks again for the help.

Renata

 

[Padma]

Originally posted by hbdragon88
On AOL if a popup pops up on you the link in the bar is changed to that. But that is because AOL is a browser that contains windows within one frame. Does Opera do the same?

Yes, Opera does (or at least *can*) put all your web pages within one window.

 

[hbdragon88]

So there's your solution, anarcywrksbest.

 

[Renata]

Here's the web address on the windows that pop up:

http://mediamgr.ugo.com/html.ng/

And all the windows say 'cannot find server'. In the time it took me to write that down, by the way, I got about 50 windows. Driving me crazy.

Renata