Pardon my stupid question...

[clifffreeling]

I'm not up on this subject as much as many, so
what I want to know is just HOW all these damn
ads (standard popup, and the ones that use Messenger)
actually get to my computer? Just what is the process
that allows this to happen? Is my ISP to blame at all.
These ads seem to be pretty unrelated to the site I'm
visiting. It really is beginning to piss me off,as it's
reaching epic proportions and bogging me down. I've
used a good popup blocker for a long time, but more
are getting through, and there doesn't appear to be
any updated versions of the blocker I use.

So guys, could someone here fill me in a little on how
this works? Thanks.

 

[David Dorward]

I'm not up on this subject as much as many, so
what I want to know is just HOW all these damn
ads (standard popup, and the ones that use Messenger)
actually get to my computer?

Generally through one of two ways:

(1) A website you visit has advertising on it, and you either don't have a
popup blocker or they are hacking their way around it with onclick events,
Flash or some other silly technique.

(2) You have malware installed on your computer. Most likely through either
installing dodgy downloaded software, or using Microsoft's Internet
Explorer web browser (quite likely without keeping upto date with security
releases). You can scan for such software with a tool like AdAware.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Is my ISP to blame at all.

Probably not. Most ISPs are pretty good about not installing junk on end
users computers.

 

[Randy Webb]

Generally through one of two ways:

(1) A website you visit has advertising on it, and you either don't have a
popup blocker or they are hacking their way around it with onclick events,
Flash or some other silly technique.

(2) You have malware installed on your computer. Most likely through either
installing dodgy downloaded software, or using Microsoft's Internet
Explorer web browser (quite likely without keeping upto date with security
releases). You can scan for such software with a tool like AdAware.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

(3) The MS devised idea of messages (not real popups but nonetheless
just as annoying). I don't recall how to disable them (they are now
disabled by default in Windows but could be re-enabled). They use the
Messenger service if memory serves me correctly.