There could be many reasons why PopUpCop is failing to block some popups.
Here are some of the more common ones:
The most common reason that PopUpCop will fail to block a popup is that it considers the site
exempt from blocking. By default, exempt sites are:
Web pages stored on your local computer
Web pages on your local Intranet, if any.
Web pages that use the secure protocol (https) to communicate.
Web pages that you have placed in your "Trusted sites" security zone.
You can override PopUpCop's handling for these classes of sites by changing their
setting at the top of the Popups page in the PopUpCop options dialog.
To view this dialog, choose Customize PopUpCop... from the PopUpCop main
pull down menu (click the shield button).
Another common reason that PopUpCop might not block popups is
that the popups are produced by a program that you have downloaded and installed.
See the remarks about "adware" below.
Some software available for download on the Web is supported by advertising.
Most of this advertising-supported software, sometimes called "adware", is
published by reputable software companies with no intention of misleading their customers.
While we at EdenSoft do not publish any advertising-supported software, the business model employed by
the companies that do publish such software is both ethical and very explicit. The agreement that you
make in order to use that software is: you get the utility of the software without paying any
money to the publisher, and the publisher can then show you advertisements while you are using the
software. Most reputable publishers of advertising-supported software also allow you to "opt-out" of
the advertising by paying either a one-time nominal license fee or a periodic subscription fee.
It is EdenSoft's position that it would be unethical for PopUpCop to block these ads,
since by doing so, we would be help users violate their explicit agreement with the
publisher. Indeed, it is conceivable that EdenSoft could be subject to civil or criminal liability
if we aided users in violating their license agreements.
While most reputable software publishers will inform you that you are exchanging the services of
their software for viewing advertisements, this information is often contained in a Terms of Service document
on their Web site or a "click-wrapped" End User License Agreement (EULA).
Since many of these agreements are written by attorneys, the agreements might be difficult for the
average consumer to understand. After attempting to struggle through a few of these agreements,
many, if not most, consumers give up and do not even bother to read these agreements. They just "click-through"
and install the software.
There are a few unethical companies on the Internet who do not disclose the Terms of Use for their software.
If you believe that you have encounter such a company, you can report the company to EdenSoft by sending email to:
Gator (sm) eWallet, published by The Gator Corporation.
Gator (sm) Precision Time/Date Manager, published by The Gator Corporation.
Hotbar, published by HOTBAR.COM (tm) Inc.
WeatherBug (tm), published by AWS (tm) Convergence Technologies, Inc.
SaveNow, published by WhenU.com.Inc.
WeatherCast, published by WhenU.com.Inc.
Also, "adware" is often included as part of the installation of commercial peer-to-peer file sharing software.
For example, BearShare includes SaveNow from WhenU.com, Inc.
The easiest way to get rid of "adware" is to uninstall the software from your computer.
If you know the program's name or publisher name, you can often uninstall the program by
finding the program in the Add / Remove Programs page of the Windows Control Panel.
If you don't know what software is producing the advertisements, there has been quite a bit of software written
to help you find and uninstall or disable adware. Many of our users have had good luck with a free program
called SpyBot. You can find this program at CNET's download site. If you try this program, please make sure that you update this program's database of
known adware before you scan your system. To update the program's database, click on the "Search for Updates" button in the main window.
You should note, however, that these adware detection programs are not all-inclusive, and might not
help you rid your system of this problem. If you continue to experience problems with adware,
please contact PopUpCop technical support at
at support@popupcop.com,
and we will attempt to provide you with assistance.
shield button).