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Stop annoying ads on your desktop

Created: 12 Aug 2007 ::: Last updated: 21 Aug 2007
Applies to: X Win95 X Win98 X WinMe X Win 2000/NT X WinXP X WinVista _ MacOS

By Andy Walker

If you have pop-up advertising on your desktop and can't get rid of it, here's a quick guide to doing away with these pests:

Symptom: Annoying ads pop open on your desktop

Your computer is slow and occasionally annoying ads pop open that you can't seem to close or refuse to go away. And no matter what you do you can't stop them.

Cause: Your system has been infected by adware

Spyware and adware can infect your system simply by browsing the Internet with an unprotected computer. Viruses can also download adware and spyware. These intrude on your privacy, show you ads, slow down you computer and can also corrupt your system.

What can I do to fix it?

Your best bet is to scan with more than one anti-spyware program and remove unwanted adware infections. No single antispyware program will catch all infections. You should can with at least two. Also do a virus scan in case a hidden virus on your system is downloading new spyware and installing it.

What tools can I use?

Recommended: Webroot Spy Sweeper. It's one of the most effective antispyware tools.
CA Antispyware. This is good too.
More scan and remove tools in our Spyware FAQ.
The antispyware tool Windows Defender is available in Windows Vista (type Defender in the search box of your Start menu). Scan with that. If you have a legal copy of Windows XP, then you can get a copy of Windows Defender for free from Microsoft

If you can't afford a commercial anti-spyware product, use this free virus scanner and remover: AVG Free Edition