Internet Crap all over my new Laptop

Ubuntu is junk. Their commercial partner put ads in it.

Linux mint is the linux package to have at the moment.

Macs are great until you need some windows software.
 
I wouldn't call Ubuntu junk necessarily, but it's absolutely not the best Linux platform. I have not tried Mint, but I have been using Cent OS for about 7 years. It's clean, secure, and does everything I need it to without fluff (for specific server stuff).
 
sideways said:
Macs are great until you need some windows software.
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Windows is Windows software and it runs on Intel Macs. Macs are not a serious gaming platform because they do not support surround sound. If you are a serious gamer (or game developer) there is no substitute for a real Windows computer. For anything else, if you need Windows software on a Mac, use Apple's Boot Camp and dual-boot between OS X and Windows. If you need Mac and Windows software running concurrently, run Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion or VirtualBox, and run Windows in a virtual machine within OS X. If you run Windows on a Mac, you need Windows anti-virus and anti-malware software. But if you use a Mac in business without Windows, you need Mac anti-virus and anti-malware software. That is because you can spread Windows viruses and malware which do not run on a Mac. Your clients and customers will not like you if their Windows computers are infected by your email attachments. If you do not use your Mac in business, you probably will not receive enough email to be contaminated.
 
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Windows 8s GUI was intended for use with a touchscreen, so to say its hard to use, is like saying a civic makes a poor boat. Yes its not a great design, but dig into the options, and there is far more customization that is available in the lower end windows 7 versions. You win some you loose some.
Contamination can come in all sorts of ways. There is still a lot of flashdrive mobile malware out in the wild. Plus not all ISPs provide good firewall protection on the user end, or even good DNS protection.

Has adding a pop-up blocker and ad-blocker helped?
 
sideways said:
I know it can be done but dual boot is not an acceptable solution for me. YMMV.
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If you need Mac and Windows software running concurrently, run Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion or VirtualBox, and run Windows in a virtual machine within OS X. Virtual Box is open source freeware which requires problem-solving skills and self-reliance. VMware Fusion costs as much as Windows, Parallels Desktop is cheaper. If you need what they do, their cost is not a deal breaker for most of us.

If you are a game developer or a dedicated gamer, there is no substitute for a real Windows computer. For writing any Windows software, I imagine you would need one too. (No programmer and I am over my head.) And if you build web sites, you need a real Windows computer or tablet to check your handiwork. A friend bought a MacBook Air and an iPad to check her work on Mac: she quickly decided that the tablet was all she needed and sold the computer.
 
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For my basic home user needs I can get by with any of the win/mac/linux systems. Windows has great compatibility but is less stable, mac is pretty but requires workarounds, linux is rock solid when set up but is a bear to set up.It boils down to this, I need some professional windows software. I don't need any mac software to get stuff done. Shoehorning windows onto a mac just adds to the complexity of the system. Linux is great for a server or a task oriented pc, using it as a general pc gets frustrating though.
 
Hey man I had the same problem. The extra tabs that kept popping up drove me seriously insane.
I got it from downloading chrome from the wrong site.

To fix:
Go into your program files and delete any strange programs that are new and were added without your permission.
After removing these programs you're going to want to reset your chrome browser to default settings.
Follow these steps.
Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
Select Settings.
Click Show advanced settings and find the "Reset browser settings” section.
Click Reset browser settings.
In the dialog that appears, click Reset.
 
RevDevil said:
I wouldn't call Ubuntu junk necessarily, but it's absolutely not the best Linux platform. I have not tried Mint, but I have been using Cent OS for about 7 years. It's clean, secure, and does everything I need it to without fluff (for specific server stuff).
Click to expand...

I ran Mint on one of my netbooks, first: because it no longer booted into Window properly; second: because a really, really good friend of mine ran his on Mint and offered to set it up for me. I really liked the set up and it worked well, because it was pre set up to my specs by my friend.

HOWEVER!!! I no longer use Mint for secure transactions because it uses an insecure kernel. I think that was the word he used. Regardless, one of the base programs of Mint was or is insecure. I will check with him and see if the problem was ever resolved. A couple of weeks ago, this was still an issue, though. Either that or I just total misunderstood him. That tends to happen when he goes all computer jargon on me.
 
Heh, i googled it. Looks like the ubuntu devs are the ones saying mint is unsecure because it does not automatically update everything that comes down the pipeline. (Edit: oh and mint unlike ubuntu comes with the firewall on by default :p) Dunno, in any case that is not a topic for this thread. I'll gladly argue operating systems if someone wants to start a new thread about it.

Nelson is right about the browser hijacker. You need to first get rid of the unwanted program then manually reset and delete the unwanted settings in your browser. I.e. change the home page, reset the browser and maybe delete a line in the config file. The problem with the installed hijackers is that once they are installed there isnt a foolproof way of knowing you got rid of the rot. There are crapware (my word) scanners available on the web but there is no guarantee that those are safe either. They could just be more crapware. You can usually get rid of the rot with a clean install. Unfortunatly there is also the possiblity for crap to go deep into the bios and boot software. That is more difficult to purge. ;)
 
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I'm having the exact same problems and much, much more. Advertisement windows are constantly appearing on the screen, with ads by Keep Now and countless others. Words are being converted into hyperlinks to irrelevant sites, and I've got Adblock plus running. What exactly do I do now?

And DON'T suggesting getting a different brand of computer, because that isn't an option right now.
 
First step is to disable any unwanted add-ons in your browser. I'm not exactly sure about how to do it in Google Chrome. But, for IE you need to go to the "tools>manage add-ons>toolbars and extensions>show all add-ons". Sort them by date or publisher and disable or uninstall any programs you don't want to run. Don't be surprised to find a bunch of programs you don't remember installing.

Second step is to uninstall any unwanted programs on your computer. For Windows OS. Go to "control panel>programs and features". Sort them by date or publisher and uninstall any programs you don't want. Every single frickin time I add anything other then business software I have to do this to get rid of the junkware that bundled with it.

FWIW, I switched to Firefox after the most recent IE security breach, and have no intention going back.

Lastly, check your privacy and security settings. Set them for medium high and either turn off cookies unless you need to sign into a site, or only accept cookies from specific sites. This will cut down on tracking, and hopefully, pop up ads.

EDIT: You get what you pay for with AV. These companies are not giving away software out of the goodness of their hearts. They have to generate revenue somehow. Consider paying for an anti-virus suite.
 
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