Gelsenkirchen, Germany  - Nobody likes pop-up adverts and banners. Deleting the unwanted windows is both annoying and wastes time. The latest versions of popular web browsers bring relief to this universal internet pest, blocking unwanted pop-ups automatically. Users can also install add-ons to the browsers to eliminate unwanted adverts and banners as well.

Trying to get a handle on pop-ups with an older browser can be an effort in futility. Programmers go out of their way to hide the little "x" that closes the annoying windows, ensuring that the ad will be on screen for a few extra seconds. Accidentally click the area near the "x" instead of the letter itself and you unleash a flood of unwanted little windows or find yourself in the midst of the site advertised.

The easiest solution is for the browser to suppress the annoying pop-ups before they can launch it in the first place. The current versions of popular browsers Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera all offer that functionality, says Prof Norbert Pohlmann, director of the Institute for Internet Security in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

"So always use the latest version," the expert recommends. "New browsers recognize pop-ups automatically, and you can change the settings to allow or deny them," Pohlmann says.

The Opera browser also provides the IP address for anonymous pop-ups so that the user can tell where the advert originated. Firefox also allows for extended functionality beyond the integrated block. Add-ons like NoSript, available for free at http://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox, prevent non-trustworthy sites from executing scripts in Java, for example.

Firefox users, who want to get rid of ad banners on internet sites, can install the add-on AdBlock Plus, also on the Mozilla home page. The free add-on recognizes and blocks even Flash-based advertising. Individual images, ad buttons or even all content from a specific server can be filtered out. The user simply clicks with the right mouse button on the ad and makes the appropriate settings using the context-sensitive menu. Buttons that can be blocked are marked with a semi-transparent "block" tag.

Internet Explorer users can also download and install IE7Pro, a free extension available at http://www.ie7pro.com. The program does more than just block ads and Flash objects. It also offers a series of other practical functions, such as reopening pages after a browser crash and mouse gestures.

"Pop-ups can be used to load software on your computer that does things you don't want. One example of this is Trojans, which might, for example, spy on your password and then send it to the spyware's author or turn your computer into a spam zombie," Professor Pohlmann warns. That's a good reason to always set the browser to block pop-ups.

Some sites require pop-ups to function properly, reminds Tristan Nitot, president of Mozilla Europe. "That's why Firefox blocks pop-ups automatically but makes it very easy to unblock them as well," Nitot says.

Exceptions can also be specified in advance. Just as pop-ups are constantly being updated and upgraded, the browser's developers are also constantly working up new countermeasures. "Sometimes an unwanted pop-up or two can sneak through," Nitot says.

The Mozilla boss considers pop-ups "generally more annoying than unsafe." They lead to longer load times and make the overall internet experience slower. They also distract from the actual content.

Matthias Gaertner, spokesman for the German Federal Agency for Security in IT in Bonn advises caution when handling pop-ups. As they work with active content that is executed on the user's computer, the little windows can be "a potential trapdoor for malicious software," says Gaertner.

For this reason it is crucial that users install current antivirus software and keep their operating system up to date, Gaertner recommends. Windows users surfing with Internet Explorer in particular are urgently advised to activate automated updates so as not to miss any security updates. Want to know how well your browser is armed for the pop-up wars? A free test is available at http://www.popuptest.com. (dpa)