Weird Things Happening to My Computer

[ninnymary]

I started listening to Steve and started to get bolder about using the computer. So, I started downloading some pdf files to print out children materials. Sometimes the downloading would go smoothly sometimes I they asked for too much info. and I would cancel mid-way.

Ever since I started doing this, I have had the following:

Tons of pop-up ads.

Posts have double underline in some words.

I will click on a post and I will get surveys. One was on TEG but others are not.

Also, while on TEG, I wil click and random sites pop up

What have I done? This is why I play it safe because I was afraid of doing what I have done.

Mary

P.s. Steve, you're still my friend.

 

[digitS']

I've never had problems with pdf files, Mary!

I am careful what I click on. .edu websites are a favorite. I'll also trust government websites far more than commercial.

You need to tighten up your computer security. Have you run a scan lately? Beyond that, I'm not sure what to tell you, Mary. My old PC works much better lately probably because it's not on very long at a time.

Steve

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

I would agree with Steve on upgrading your computer security, it sounds like you might have gotten into a bad website.

.edu and .gov websites are usually safe places to go. Also keep a lookout for a "/s" or similar in a websites html code, that "s" stands for secure (no viruses,etc).

EDIT: never mind about the "s" for secure thing, I just checked and it seems to be outdated now (?) I took classes on html and CSS style formatting last year and they had a section about how to tell if a site is good by it's code.

 

[bobm]

Like Mary, I get all kinds of pop up ads. When I type a response (especially on this site)full page adds that I cant "X" out as there is none ( I have to shut off the computer , then restart) or when I am just typing away a response, everything that I typed disapears, and I have to start over again. I always do a virus scan every morning before I get onto the internet. More often than not , no virus is found and still I get these annoying items.

 

[Smart Red]

I don't think I have ever gotten a full sized ad on this website. I know that often topics discussed here bring pop ups related to the conversation, but nothing that bothers me excessively.

 

[seedcorn]

Mary, might do a restore. Do you have any protection on your computer? What Windows do you have? Thinking you allowed"cookies". If so, run "clean disk". Then delete what it suggests.

 

[ninnymary]

My husband talked to computer support and they claimed we have tons of downloaded files from the past 3 years that need to be cleaned. For $250 a year, they will keep it clean. This seems high and like a scam to me.

seedcorn, what is this "clean disk" and how do you run it?

Mary

 

[seedcorn]

Rip off. Can buy new one for another $100.

Programs, accessories, system tools, disk clean-up. Follow that up with a system defrag.

Depending upon how new your operating system is, can down load WINDOWS DEFENDER from Microsoft web site for free. They do their best to protect window based computers-it's free.

 

[seedcorn]

Also a good thing to buy a flash drive and back up your computer-$8-10 should buy 16Gig which should be large enough unless u have a huge photo/song library. In which case an external hard drive for less than $100 will do the trick.

 

[PhilaGardener]

I suggest that you start by clearing the history of your web browser (you will find that in the menu or among your preferences settings - it depends on the specific browser). That will make your computer "forget" all the pages you have visited (bad and good) and a lot of bits of information (called cookies) that can be used to track you, trigger those pop-ups, etc. The down side is that you will have to log back into websites like TEG the first time you visit (that is what "good" cookies do), but the upside is that it will resolve at least some of those issues (maybe not all, so other suggestions may become important) and make your browser faster.