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Will a Free Pop up Stopper Really Work?
Are Free Pop Up Stoppers Adequate or Will They Do More Harm Than Good?
Your Problem: You're looking for a free pop up stopper to stop pop ups from invading your screen.
The Solution: The solution is as easy as you think. Free software can be plagued with spyware and other data stealing software. Your best bet is to purchase very inexpensive software that will fix your problem the right way!
The Results: Inexpensive software is not going to have spyware and adware installed within it, and therefore, you will not be creating a bigger problem for yourself.
What Are They?
A free pop up stopper is a tool that supposedly helps an internet surfer protect themselves from useless pop-ups that get in the way, slow down their browsing and computer, and open their computer to malware.
What is a Pop Up?
You'll know it as soon as it happens. They are usually a small (or even big) advertisement that is hard to close and usually contains no useful information. They often open one after another, frustrating you to no end.
With so many windows opening on your computer it's no wonder why they can substantially slow down your computer. A pop-up can even threaten system safety and stability.
But My Browser Already has a Pop Up Blocker
Yes, it's true, some browsers do include a free pop up stopper program.
Unfortunately, they are not customizable and cannot be updated without updating the entire browser.
That often is a problem because new browsers don't come out very often (usually only once or twice a year) but new forms of pop ups come out every month. This means many of the pop ups will not be blocked by free integrated programs.
What About Free Pop up Stopper Programs?
Fact of Life:
What software developer is going to be motivated to keep a program up-to-date and effective if they aren't making money off it? Not many companies are willing to do that; unless they are making their money from adware, which, of course, just adds to your problem :(
I do not recommend free stand-alone programs because popups tend to change their way very fast, and it is very hard to keep up with them.
Most free pop up stopper programs won't offer any upgrade possibilities, which over time will make them useless. This makes them very inefficient at blocking these ads just like the free pop up stopper programs that are integrated into some browsers.
What Should YOU Do?
Well, that can be hard to say. It really depends on you and whether you want to spend a few dollars on a good pop up stopper program or if you just want a very basic, and many times, ineffective program.
Browser Integrated Programs:- Offer better protection than the free stand alone programs (most of the time)
- Don't update very often making them very ineffective at stopping many of the newer pop ups
- Rely on the browser source code to run and update them
- Require the browser to be open in order to work. Many pop ups open even when you're not surfing the net, so this often creates a problem
- May stop the pop up from displaying but often won't stop the spyware code within it from running
- May block ActiveX or JavaScript from running. Which can be good sometimes, but with the newer websites,they can prevent them from displaying the content you wanted to see
- They don't require a browser to be open to work
- Being free, there is no incentive for the creator to keep it updated to the latest pop up technologies or newer version of operating systems. This means they become outdated and ineffective fairly quickly
- Many times these programs display a pop up window of their own to announce they have stopped a window from showing. This basically defeats the purpose of the program as these announcements can become annoying themselves
- Many of these free programs have advertisements imbedded within them to generate some type of income for the creator. These ads can be annoying when you are trying to setup and use the program
- In order for some free pop up stopper programs to generate an income they will imbed spyware or malware into the programs source code to track what you do. This information is then sold to other companies
Did You Know?
Many free pop up stoppers actually contain data stealing code such as spyware and malware. Hey, people need to make money somehow, right? Why not offer a free product that actually steals your information, and then sell that information to other companies.
My Recommendation
Overall, I have found that having a free pop up stopper really isn't worth all the frustration. The only real solution to stopping these annoying ads is to purchase a reliable program that will stop ads from displaying.
I spent several weeks purchasing and testing pop up stoppers that are available over the internet or through any good computer store. These inexpensive pop up stoppers are the best ones I could find.
Did you find this article useful? If so, please consider linking to it and telling your friends and family. If you found it useful chances are they will too, and thank you for it!
