It seems you can hardly surf the Web these days without a cascade of new browser windows springing open across your desktop. With flashy graphics and promises of hot deals, these pop-up advertisements attempt to lure customers, but more often than not they only annoy and frustrate those of us who find the ads disruptive and intrusive, distracting us from our real purpose online.

If you've had it with pop-up advertisements littering your desktop, and if you're worried that they're trespassing on your privacy, here are a few tricks you can use to eliminate them.

pop-up blockers

If you think you just might scream the next time you see a pop-up advertisement, you might want to try out one of the numerous applications for blocking them. Usually you can download these programs for free from the Internet.

Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to see if they have one available to their customers. If not, visit your favourite download site or search the Web for titles such as WebWasher, PopUp Killer or PopUp Stopper .

The newest generation of pop-up blocking software allows you to choose the level of filtering you want to apply. With some programs you can selectively choose which pop-ups will be displayed and build a blacklist of those you don't, and you can even import blacklists from other users. The strongest filters will let you block other forms of web advertising, such as banner advertisements, and offer protection from intrusive "spyware" downloads that some web sites use to track visitors.

Be aware that such extensive filtering can slow down your browsing, but your privacy is well worth the cost.

simple solution 

If you're not ready to install new software, you can still beat pop-up advertising with a simple tweak to your web browser's preferences. Pop-up windows are triggered by computer scripts embedded in the web page code; by disabling these scripts from running, you can keep your browser from displaying the advertisements.

The drawback, of course, is that many web sites use scripts for less offensive purposes than pop-up advertisements. Disabling scripts will hamper your ability to view or use some web sites correctly. If you find you are having trouble with an online tool or game, you can always turn scripting back on.

To disable scripts in Internet Explorer for Windows®:

1. Select "Tools > Internet Options" from the menu bar.    
2. Choose the "Security" tab, and click the "Custom Level" button.    
3. Scroll down until you see "Active Scripting" and select the "Disable" radio button.    
4. Click "OK" twice.

In Internet Explorer for Apple Macintosh:

1. Select "Edit > Preferences" from the menu bar.    
2. On the left menu, click on "Web Content."    
3. Under "Active Content" on the right, uncheck the box next to "Enable scripting."    
4. Click "OK."

In Netscape Navigator for Windows and Macintosh:

1. Select "Edit > Preferences" from the menu bar.    
2. On the left menu, click on "Advanced."    
3. On the right, uncheck the box marked "Enable JavaScript."    
4. Click "OK."

Windows® is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.