Internet Crap all over my new Laptop

N

numbersman

Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
596
Hi guys,

I have just purchased a new laptop. It is running Windows 8, and I am currently using Google Chrome as my browser, whereas I have previously used Firefox. My problem is that every time I browse the web, I am inundated by new pages popping up everywhere and the page I am on frequently changes to some crappy page I don't want. I think that might be due to the sensitivity of my touch pad and keyboard, and I may just need to be more careful with my hands. But these extra pages are driving me freaking crazy.

I have checked the Chrome settings, and popups are off. But these aren't really popups, they're really brand new pages, with some sort of advertising offer, or some new "service" that I don't want. So is this something in Chrome, or Windows, or whatever? I have installed Kaspersky Pure, but haven't really fiddled with it yet. Does anyone have any answers? SHould I maybe go back to Firefox, or is the problem just a settings problem?

Cheers, Gazman.
 
It might help if you were a little more specific about how these unwanted pages are acting.

Do they show up when you visit specific websites or do they show up when you open the browser. In the former it is a case of pop ups on the crap-tastic webpages you are visiting. Either do not visit those pages or mitigate the problem with software like adblock. If it is the latter case it is likely that your browser has been hijacked by some unwanted program. You get them (toolbars, stubborn new start pages, etc) when you install some freeware programs off the web. Adblock will do nothing for this kind of problem. You have to get rid of the unwanted program and clear out your browser settings (a fresh windows install is probably less hassle in this case).

Are you seeing some specific webpage more often than others?

Was this a new laptop with a clean system on it? If it was used then obviously something the previous owner did might have messed up the system. If it is a new laptop the ads might have something to do with software bundled in by the OEM. Sadly pre-installed bloatware is alive and well. In either case a fresh install of windows should clean out most of the rot. Heavy handed I know but it is the only way to be really sure.
 
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Sounds more like you have a browser-hijacking virus or trojan already. Download a good AV program like "Super Anti-Spyware" on another (and known to be clean) computer and put same on a flash drive, then run same on your computer, preferably while in "safe mode".
This particular anti-malware program uses file extensions that are not recognized by most trojans.
 
I've had trouble using touch pads on Win8 laptops. That may be part of a cause. Also might be just crap from the sites you are hitting. Like has been mentioned, get your adblocker up and running, as well as your anti-virus and other programs. Spybot search and destroy is another good one to run.
 
Are you using firm pressure on the touchpad? Have you adjusted the touchpad to your touch?

If the touchpad detects a "lift", it will treat it as a double tap. I fixed this on my laptop by updating the laptop touchpad software parameters.
 
If you look at the upper right hand corner of the ad and find a little triangle , that's from Google !! Google has gone to Making $$$$ .Those ads are everywhere and others follow . Adblock + has cut it down substantially !
 
thats because thats what google has always done. If you are not paying, you are the product. like it or not, advertising powers the internet.
 
1. Go back to Firefox. 2. Ditch the Windows machine and get a Mac. All your problems will be solved.
 
crm3137 said:
Macs have plenty of issues, they're not immune from everything.
Click to expand...

I've had my MBP for going on 5 years now. I'm on it at least 2 hours a day, everyday. I Rarely turn if off, I just leave it on stand by. I use if for everything; web browsing, music/media, photoshop, music recording, engineering applications.... ect. The battery life is still great on it and it's just as fast as it was from day one.

I may have had 3 or 4 programs crash in that whole time. From day one it's been great.

In contrast I recently bought a reasonably high-end Lenovo laptop with Windows 8 since there are some programming IDEs that won't run on Macs. It's been a constant headache. Windows 8 is over complicated and it came packed full of bloatware, literally dozens and dozens of programs I never asked for or wanted. I spend hours and hours deleting everything that was unnecessary and disabling start up programs. I was very unfamiliar with windows 8 and it took me a long time to figure out how to configure all the setting to exactly how I wanted them, and I am not a novice when it comes to computers. Not two weeks in, and it got infected with spyware that was flatlining my CPU at 100% for no reason, and I do not visit shady sites that are prone to giving out viruses. It was easy to quarantine the problem once I found a good free malware cleaner. After all that it's been okay, but I'm disappointed with some of the hardware too, particularly the rubbish trackpad and wannabe-Mac gestures. All in all it's not bad, but thats only because I know how to get rid off all the bloatware, disable useless and annoying settings, and fix it when it does develop a problem.

So, this brings me to my point, when it comes recommending something to a novice.... Mac all the way. They're 2 or 3 times more expensive, but they last much much longer. Not to mention the build quality and material quality is tops.

Sorry to jack the thread.
 
Saying one OS is better than the other and switching will solve all your problems is a bit pointless, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm a computer geek the 2h a day is nothing in comparison to what I do with my main machine, one I built myself running windows 7 without a problem. 1 or 2 issues on my Chromebook running Chrome OS. No real issues besides a lot of frustration due to new GUI on family members Win 8 machine setting it up, and their frustration using it because everything is different in the GUI (I was very vocal in warning them about that too).

A trick on disabling programs in windows machines is load up "msconfig" and go to "startup" and disable the bloatware there. From what I recall on Win 8 that meant typing it into the search on that annoying tile screen.

You can also change the GUI in windows 8 to windows 7 gui or XP, etc and kiss their annoying GUI goodbye. I can't remember what the programs are called off hand but there are a couple popular choices out there. And what did you do or not do to get your computer infected in 2 weeks? I am sitting behind my router, running windows firewall/MSE, MBAM Pro, and I use Chrome with Adblock. Everything is practically invisible to me minus MBAM telling me it wants me to install a new version which happened a few times in the past few years, and I don't consider MBAM necessary but I bought it to try it out and I haven't found a reason to uninstall it. Family members are running the same setup as me and only one who have had any issues with viruses/malware/etc was the one who decided to ignore my warnings and installed something they weren't suppose to which infected their machine.

As for the OP's problem download malwarebytes anti-malware and run it, instal adblock on chrome. And in chrome make sure "Enable phishing and malware protection" is enabled, just to play it safe. My thought is it might be adware or just plain old ads, I've encountered some which somehow bypass firefox settings and adblock and still show a popup ad. It's rare but it does happen.
 
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OS vs OS, I agree. It's apples and oranges.

I just really dislike jumping through hoops to get it set up properly. Both systems have a learning curves to be sure, but Windows 8 is just a mess. The shut down icon is in the settings menu.... nice.
 
Oh I agree with you there the windows 8 interface is a nightmare, I still wonder why they thought it was a good idea to release it. They had everyone practically screaming at them before hand telling them how bad it was and they didn't listen.
 
Definitely sounds to me as if your browser got hijacked. Make sure that when you download anything related to software, drivers, or any updates that you take the time to read through what that software entails. There may be something "bundled" with your desired software, update, or driver that is in effect installing a whole new program. The most notorious are PC Optimizer, Registry Mechanic/Tuner, Driver Updater style software.
 
Don't use Windows and don't waste your money on a Mac. There is a much better option.

http://www.ubuntu.com/

I'm using Ubuntu 14.04 LTS with Firefox 30.0 and I don't have any bloatware, viruses, spyware, or unwanted pop-ups. I also have Windows 8.1 OEM edition on the same hard drive and I did not experience any problems with pop-ups in Internet Explorer. In my experience, the newest Internet Explorer works better than Google Chrome but Firefox is better than both of them.
 
I use a machine with Vista and 3 machines with Windows 7. I run Firefox on all of them and have no problems with popups and advertisements.
 
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