Got it!:D

I think I thought that Ad-aware was naughty because it was loading during startup on one of the laptops I mentioned earlier - along with some genuine spyware - and the poor beast was crippled.

Back to my cage. :O

Someone mentioned it earlier, but the best answer imo to this problem is simply Opera. It leaves IE floundering in its wake and has a selection of popup options on a "quick preferences" menu.

Can't recommend it enough.

Screenshot