Help Home Still Seeing Pop-Ups? General FAQs Troubleshooting FAQs Feedback

 

For some reason I seem to be getting more pop-ups now that I've downloaded PopSwatter.  Why is that?

If you have downloaded other programs on the Internet (file-swapping software, for example), you may very well have simultaneously downloaded adware that generates additional pop-ups once it identifies a pop-up blocker on your computer. These pop-ups basically appear when your adware software tells them to appear.

Here's one way to check for and remove such software:

1. Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and click on the "Task Manager" button.
2. Click on the "Applications" tab. (You may already be on this screen.)
3. Select "WINSERVS" or "WINSERVN". (If you don't see either, close the window.)
4. Click the End Task button.  Be patient - it may take a minute or two before you see a "not responding" warning. When you do, press End Task again. 

Windows 98 users:  You will need to remove WINSERVS.EXE or WINSERVN from your StartUp folder.

1. Go to Start > Settings > Taskbar
2. Click on the Start Menu tab.
3. Select "Remove".
4. Find and select the StartUp folder, then delete WINSERVS or WINSERVN.

Windows XP users: You will need to do  the following:

1. Click the Start button and select the All Programs option
2. Click the item marked Startup
3. Right-click on the WINSERVS or WINSERVN item and select "Delete" from the right-click menu
4. Click OK or YES to delete the shortcut, if prompted. 

Of course, you can also eliminate adware/spyware pop-ups by removing the software yourself. Here's how:

  • To see if you have adware installed, simply click on your computer's Start button, select "Settings", and then select "Control Panel". 

  • Double-click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon and review the list of software currently installed on your computer. Should you find a program that you believe is adware, select that item and click "Remove". Of course, in doing this, be careful not to eliminate programs that you actually want to keep.

If you are feeling uncomfortable about doing this without a little advice, there are a variety of products available on the Internet to detect and remove such software. One product we're familiar with is called "Ad-Aware." Please note that we are not affiliated with this product, nor do we endorse them, and you may wish to search for other such products that are available to assist with removing these types of software generated pop-up advertisements.

Back to top



Help & Feedback - Policies
© 2005 Ask Jeeves, Inc. All rights reserved.