Internet Explorer
 

I keep getting an error message on IE, which closes it down, it seems it is a smartpops problem, and I have a link on how to remove the smartpops software, but before I do it, does anyone know what it does. I'm on Windows XP and the dreaded AOL.

As they say: it does what it says on the box:

1. Click on the "Start" button
2. Select "settings" and then click on "control panel"
3. Click on the "add/remove" programs icon
4. Select "Network Essentials" and click the "remove" button
5. Reboot your computer

(I assume you mean "what does the removal procedure do?")

Go for it. Get rid of it. XP is robust enough to stand the shock. Wonder what you thought was wrong with your system that you felt the need to download/install one of these glitzy "go faster" add-ons that only result in the kind of problem you've been experiencing.

I strongly advise clients to avoid contaminating perfectly satisfactory Operating System code with these packages.

Oh, and I strongly advise a run through with SpyBot or similar to get rid of any Spyware that SmartPops may have left behind.

Thanks fobotcso, as far as I know I did'nt install this software as my PC is quite fast enough, and I still don't know what it is for. I can't find Network Essentials in my control panel, but I will have another look to see if I can mess things up a bit more. As you no doubt have gathered I don't know much about Computers.

FWIW I don't have a 'Network Essentials' under 'Add or Remove' either.

Ah! Well, as I'd never heard of "smartpops" before, all I did was to do a google search and then I went to here and cut and paste. If it got there without your participation then your firewall may have let a bit of spyware through.

"Smartpops" is a bit of adware well documented Here and Here

If I could get my hands on the beast it would be a simple matter to purge the registry of any reference to "smartpops".

Perhaps you could give some more info from "Task Manager" and say what you can see that may be responsible. So:

Right-click on an empty part of the task bar at the bottom of the screen (usually). Left-click on Task Manager. Click on the tab called "Processes" and look down the awesome list of stuff you've got running when you're not doing anything much.

Tell us what you can see that resembles smartpops.

I take it Big Red also has smartpops running.

Download the evaluation copy of PestPatrol (Free download on the top bar).

Nothing on the task manager which resembles smartpops. I am now wondering if the problem is the Google toolbar which I installed,(which had stopped 25 pop ups) conflicting with another pop up stopper which I already had, so I have uninstalled the google one.
ORAC, pestpatrol also requires access to Network Essentials which I don't seem to have.
BRL, have you installed the Google toolbar and are you on AOL?