Army Thread 6th January
Evening
My MWO is fine, so I'd guess that the problem is with your lappie, Jackie. I think this pretty much covers it:
"There are many types of software related to advertising and aggressive marketing. The types of advertising software vary, but are generally the following:
Adware - Software that supports itself or another program by displaying ads while you are connected to the Internet. Most adware programs track how you browse the Internet and report the information to an interested party.
Spyware - Software that gathers and transmits information without one's knowledge. Spyware programs usually track information about the Web sites visited, browser and system information, and your computer IP address (the number that represents a network device on the Internet).
Browser hijacking software - Aggressive advertising software programs that change the settings of your browser without your knowledge. These can be very annoying and may appear as a virus at first (slow Internet connection and lots of network activity). Typical changes from hijacking software are: the browser's home page address, search bars, tool bars, the creation of desktop shortcuts, and intermittent advertising pop-ups. Once a browser is hijacked it may also redirect links to other sites that advertise or collect your usage information."
I would first check that you haven't inadvertently installed a new toolbar in your browser and uninstall it if you have. They may be hidden. On Internet Explorer go to View > Toolbars. Also go to Tools > Internet options and select the Programs tab and click on Manage add-ons and disable any that look suspicious. Then I would run a full system scan with whichever anti-malware program you're using.
Now that I think about it, my mum's PC was plagued with advertising when I got here a couple of weeks back and it turned out she had installed a couple of new toolbars. A lot of free software (such as toolbars) is funded by advertising.
Evening
My MWO is fine, so I'd guess that the problem is with your lappie, Jackie. I think this pretty much covers it:
"There are many types of software related to advertising and aggressive marketing. The types of advertising software vary, but are generally the following:
Adware - Software that supports itself or another program by displaying ads while you are connected to the Internet. Most adware programs track how you browse the Internet and report the information to an interested party.
Spyware - Software that gathers and transmits information without one's knowledge. Spyware programs usually track information about the Web sites visited, browser and system information, and your computer IP address (the number that represents a network device on the Internet).
Browser hijacking software - Aggressive advertising software programs that change the settings of your browser without your knowledge. These can be very annoying and may appear as a virus at first (slow Internet connection and lots of network activity). Typical changes from hijacking software are: the browser's home page address, search bars, tool bars, the creation of desktop shortcuts, and intermittent advertising pop-ups. Once a browser is hijacked it may also redirect links to other sites that advertise or collect your usage information."
I would first check that you haven't inadvertently installed a new toolbar in your browser and uninstall it if you have. They may be hidden. On Internet Explorer go to View > Toolbars. Also go to Tools > Internet options and select the Programs tab and click on Manage add-ons and disable any that look suspicious. Then I would run a full system scan with whichever anti-malware program you're using.
Now that I think about it, my mum's PC was plagued with advertising when I got here a couple of weeks back and it turned out she had installed a couple of new toolbars. A lot of free software (such as toolbars) is funded by advertising.
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