nc10's Full Review: Panicware Pop-Up Stopper Companion Full Version fo...
Pop-up Stopper Companion is an extension for Internet Explorer versions 5 and 6 that is capable of blocking pop-up windows from most web sites, while selectively allowing desired pop-ups, and provides tools to remove any trace of web sites visited. Companion ($39.95 list price) is Panicware's top of the line ad blocking utility, offering a few more features and options than Pop-up Stopper Pro ($19.95) and Pop-up Stopper (free). Pop-up Stopper Companion works Win 95, Win XP and all versions in between, but does not work with Netscape, Opera, or versions of Internet Explorer earlier than IE5.
Like most web surfers, I can live with a few pop-up ads, as most websites pay their bills with advertising. But, a few sites, overwhelm users with pop-up ads, opening a pop-up window with each mouse click, slowing web browsing, cluttering the windows desktop, and making it difficult to quickly find the web page you are looking for. A few of these popup ads try to trick you into clicking on them to take you to their website, download spyware, or change your home page. Pop-up Stopper Companion integrates into the Internet Explorer Web Browser, adding a tool bar under the URL window, and is capable of automatically blocking almost any pop-up ad, but, more importantly, allows you to chose to enable web sites where pop-up ads are allowed, letting you make sure that web sites you want to visit receive their due advertising support
Installation/Setup
I purchased Companion at Compusa, $30 less a $20 rebate, for a net cost of $10. It's also available as a download from the Panicware website, and can be tested free for 30 days. In the box was a single cd and 4" X 6" instruction sheet telling users to put the cd into a cdrom drive to install the program, and then telling users to enter the registration code shown on the bottom of the card. I immediately wrote the registration code onto the label side of the cd, ensuring that if I ever lost this card I would still be able to install the program again.
The install program offers two options, installing Pop-Up Stopper Companion and an accessory pack of sound effects which you optionally hear each time a pop-up window is blocked. Hearing a loud gunshot or explosion is satisfying each time a pop-up is blocked, but gets old after a few times, and I chose a softer, less annoying sound after a few days. Its useful to hear when pop-ups are blocked, as their may be cases where you want to see pop-up windows.
Choosing to install the Companion leads to a quick installation, after which you are enter the registration code, prior to launching an Internet Explorer window. This also takes you back to the install window, where you can install the sound pack, if desired.
The first time you launch Internet Explorer, you should see a new toolbar under the address window, with icons to access the different options and controls offered by Pop-Up Stopper Companion. If not, right click on the main IE toolbar at the above the address window, and add a check mark next to Pop-Up Stopper Companion, if listed, which should make the Companion toolbar appear. If Companion is not listed, you probably need to check the Advanced tab under Internet Options, (accessed from the Internet Explorer Tools menu), to make sure third party extensions are enabled.
DOES POP-UP STOPPER WORK?
Pop-Up Ad Blocking
Pop-Up Stopper Companion works very well, offering "standard" and "aggressive" modes of pop-up blocking, neither of which negatively impacts browser performance. I use "aggresive" mode. For comparison, I previously used the free version of Pop-Up Stopper for a couple of months. The free version is a stand alone program that runs in the background to block popup windows, and worked pretty well, but also required users to hold down the CTRL key to open new Explorer windows from the Start menu, and occasionally I had to use the CTRL key to open new windows from within web pages. Pop-Up Stopper Free, (but not Companion), also would occasionally stop web pages from performing desired actions (ie deleting messages on a forum, for example), if those actions were tied to the opening of pop-up windows. Pop-up Stopper Companion, even in "aggresive" mode, does a much better job of allowing you to open new Explorer windows when you want to, while still blocking almost all Pop-up ads. Companion still allows you override pop-up blocking by using the CTRL key whenever you want to allow a pop up window, although Companion does such a good job of knowing which pop-ups to block, you'll rarely need to do this.
If there is a site that offers pop-up windows that you want to see, Companion allows you to add that site to a list of domains where pop-ups are allowed. For example, if you want to allow pop up ads on the Best Buy website, adding the page WWW.BESTBUY.COM to the "pop-ups allowed" list will allow pop-ups from any page on the Best Buy web site.
Companion offers a few other options for ad blocking. Users can chose from over 25 sounds to hear each time an ad is blocked, or no sounds. Additional sound packs (scifi, horror, etc) are available for a $2.95 download. Companion also tracks ad blocking statistics, tracking the number of ads blocked from each domain you visit. This list continuously increases until cleared.
Windows and Web Tracking Tools
Pop-Up Stopper Companion includes several tools for paranoid web surfers to optionally ensure no one can track your web browsing and Windows computing habits. These tools include:
- a toolbar button to clear the drop down URL history in the address bar
- a button to clear your browser history
- buttons to clear browser cookies and the temporary cache
- buttons to clear all data saved for auto completion of forms and passwords
- buttons to clear the Windows recently viewed documents history and the recycle bin
- a "clear selected" button which will clear a user selected combination of browser history, cache, passwords, url history, run history, recently viewed document history, and the recycle bin.
- a "scheduled" cleaning option that clears some or all of these items, either when you open or close Internet Explorer, or when you navigate to a new web site.
These buttons and controls all work as advertised. The Pop-Up Stopper Companion tool bar can be configured to show any or all of these buttons, in the arrangement you desire.
Web Surfing Enhancements
Pop-Up Stopper Companion also offers a few web surfing enhancements, some designed for the paranoid web surfer
- the ability to add web pages to a temporary bookmark list, that disappears at the end of your browsing session
- a button to addd the current URL (web address) to the clipboard
- a button to open a folder where you last downloaded a file (have you ever downloaded a file, and then forgot which folder you saved it to?)
- a button to add the current domain to the list of domains where pop-ups are allowed
- a button to add web sites to the Companion Hot Links menu, which is a second Favorites list, protected from unscrupulous web sites that automatically try to add to your favorites menu.
- a button that assigns cookies from the current web page to a list of cookies that are saved when you "clear" the cookie list (for example, this allows you to automatically sign into some websites, even after you have cleared the rest of your cookie list)
Support
The website offers FAQ's and email support for their products, and a download section for updates is listed, although no patches for this program were offered. Phone support does not seem to be an option. No manual is included with Pop-up Stopper Companion, although the help files and FAQ's listed on the website should be more than adequate for most users. A short manual and trouble shooting guide should have been included, though. Most importantly, the website includes a link to report any pop-up windows not blocked, which should help Panicware keep up with any new types of pop-ups.
Should you buy this program?
Pop-Up Stopper Companion effectively blocks 99% (my estimate) of undesired pop-up ads, without slowing web browsing for users of Internet Explorer 5 and 6. Companion also offers a wide range of adjustments and statistics to satisfy the most enthusiastic "tweaker". At the list price of $40, this easily installed and intuitive program is a little expensive. But if you can find it on sale, Pop-Up Stopper Companion will enhance your web surfing, primarily by eliminating pop-up ads that annoy or offend you, while giving you enough control, through a well designed interface on the Internet Explorer tool bar, to ensure you will still see all the pop-ups you want to see. Paranoid web surfers will also appreciate the easily configured "one button" options for editing and eliminating all of the Windows histories and caches which track your surfing and windows usage habits.
It works by blocking those pop-up ads, which speeds up your browser by giving it less to load Those annoying mini-camera and casino ads will become a ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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