Dell XPS8700, Windows 7, IE
Quite often, when searching the 'net, a video popup will occur in the lower right hand corner of the screen. On some, the audio can be muted. On others, not so. "X"ing it out does not kill the audio. Is this something within Windows 7 or IE that I have to live with or is there a "destroy" button that I can punch in order to eliminate this nagging, bothersome problem?
Richard
Hey Richard - Sounds a lot like some sort of malware or adware. It's certainly not normal.
Is it always the same video or is it a different one each time? Is there anything included in the video which provides a clue to the source, any common denominator; a site name, similar content, any references or labels at all?
If it is displaying in the lower right hand corner of the screen, it may be emanating from the System Tray (or Notification Area) of the taskbar. Hover your mouse cursor over each icon displayed in that area (hidden ones too) and take a note of the name of the program associated with each icon, paying particular attention to any icons you don't recognize or are unsure of. Then list them all back here.
Cheers mate... Jim
They are different advertisements every time. Sometimes, hovering over the IE icon in the system tray, a couple of things (bars with notation) will pop up. Clicking on the appropriate one will kill the offending ad. Doesn't work this way all of the time.
Okay, but is there anything in those popups, or the videos themselves, which help identify the source?
In Internet Explorer; go to Tools>Internet Options (if you don't see the top menu bar, including Tools, pressing the Alt key will bring it up).
Under the General tab, the top item is "Home Page". There will be a link, or links (web addresses) displayed in the Home Page box. If more than one, you might need to use the buttons on the right of the box to scroll up and down and see them.
Please let me know whatever links (web addresses) are being displayed in that box.
Now, click on Tools again, this time select "Manage add-ons".
Make sure "Toolbars and Extensions" is selected (in the left hand panel) and scroll through the list looking any mention that might indicate videos or video display.
Let us know.
Jim -
A little late in replying but I've met with success. Managed to disable something called "toparcadehits". If you separate the words, you get "top arcade hits". The question remains - how does this stuff get on my machine in the first place? I certainly did not ask for them. I'll be much the wiser should it ever happen again.
Many thanks,
Richard
richard37066 said
The question remains - how does this stuff get on my machine in the first place?
1. It is included in other software.
2. You actually installed a toolbar, but may not have been aware of the full extent of its' actions (common).
3. Vulnerabilities in your software due to not keeping the software up to date (Windows updates, etc).
If you have Java or Adobe Reader installed I would start my removing them. You probably don't need Java and there are better choices for PDF readers, like Nitro PDF. You should also scan the computer with your antivirus and a rebutable malware scanner (such as MalwareBytes, Emsisoft, or SuperAntiSpyware) just to make sure that wasn't the only thing you don't want on the computer.
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