# How do I get rid of this annoying spyware popup? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763 "2003-08-26T15:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/1 "2003-08-26T15:46:01Z")
For the last day or two, I have had this annoying popup appear on my computer every half hour or so. It’s made to look like a windows alert box and it says something like SYSTEM ALERT and UNSAFE USER and then (conveniently) gives the URL of a website that I can visit to “learn how to stop these popups forever.” It seems to vary the URL between [Fightpopups.com](http://Fightpopups.com) and [Bustpopups.com](http://Bustpopups.com). It appears that this is some sort of spyware because it pops up throughout the day, no mateer what web site I am on. I ran Spybot and Adaware (and made sure both had their latest updates as of last night) and neither one found this thing. Anybody else have this problem or know how to get rid of it? ---
**Author:** ![kookiecanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e495f1/32.png) [@kookiecanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kookiecanuck)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/2 "2003-08-26T15:54:41Z")
Had that problem until I went back to adaware version 6 got rid of it all…oh yeah and stinger got rid of a bunch of little pesky viruses that were clogging up the works too. Wish I could remember where I got stinger but was suggested by someone on this site, captain evil or something. Hope this helps ---
**Author:** ![chillihead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@chillihead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chillihead)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/3 "2003-08-26T15:58:13Z")
Which O/S are you using? ---
**Author:** ![jbird3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aeb1de/32.png) [@jbird3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbird3000)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/4 "2003-08-26T16:01:26Z")
It’s probably a Messaging pop up. Go into Administrative Tools (I think) and pick Services. Find the one called Messenger and turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![chillihead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@chillihead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chillihead)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/5 "2003-08-26T16:05:37Z")
Control Panel Administrative Tools Services Find Messenger and double click to get its properties Stop the service and set it to disabled OK and close all windows HTH ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/6 "2003-08-26T17:02:17Z")
The message looks like windows alert box because that’s exactly what it is. They’re exploiting a service on your computer intended for local network messaging (Things like your printer saying it’s out of paper, or your network server announcing it’s going offline.) As they are mis-using a legitimate pre-installed service they leave no trace and won’t show up as spyware or adware. You’re right that it doesn’t make any difference what your doing at the time. These spammers fire out the message to computers pretty much at random on the offchance that you’re online. Install a firewall like ZoneAlarm that’ll block them from external computers without affecting your local setup. ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Jass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4da419/32.png) [@Hugh\_Jass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Jass)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/7 "2003-08-26T17:06:31Z")
chillihead and jbird3000 have it just right. I had the same thing. Annoying as heck. Just make sure it says disabled because I set it to start again every time I restarted my computer. Just my own personal stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/8 "2003-08-26T17:09:17Z")
Whoops. Fortgot to mention the OS. It’s Windows XP Pro. Thanks for the help chillihead and jbird. I disabled Messenger so I’ll see if that stops the alerts. Just a followup question – does disabling messenger affect anything else? In other words, should I be prepared for other things that use mesenger to behave differently (i only ask because the info box for the messenger service says “If this service is stopped, Alerter messages will not be transmitted. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.” I assume this is no biggie, but is there anything I should be aware of when it is disabled? ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/9 "2003-08-26T17:16:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > \*\*Install a firewall like ZoneAlarm that’ll block them from external computers without affecting your local setup. \*\* That’s another thing I’m confused about. I’m running Zonealarm so I thought I was blocking this sort of thing. Is there a setting in ZA I should change, or a specific program I should look at in the ZA program control so I am not allowing this sort of activity? ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/10 "2003-08-27T02:08:48Z")
Nothing will be disrupted unless you sometimes get legitimate messages this way. In short, it is one of XP’s official security holes. ---
**Author:** ![Lockfist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/11 "2003-08-27T05:27:43Z")
I’ve found [this](http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_all.php) to be very useful. It contains a list of almost every possible program that could be running in the “background” upon startup. Simply follow the recommendations as to whether the program is required to operate your computer. I use cntrl+alt+del to see what programs are running. Then I use the “find” function of my web browser to search the page in the link I provided. Once I find a malicious program (rare these days) I use Start \> Run \> “MSCONFIG” \> Startup to identify and disable all the uncessary programs scheduled to open upon startup. . Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-annoying-spyware-popup/197763/12 "2003-08-27T15:20:42Z")
And [here](http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm) is a list of “services” that is part of XP, a ton of which you may [not need running](http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm) at all.