Summary:
Turn off all pop-up blockers
Details:
FIND ALL OF THE POP-UP BLOCKERS ON YOUR COMPUTER
Identifying all of the pop-up blockers you have running can take some time, so you'll need to be patient. Some of the pop-up blockers you are likely to have on your computer include the following:
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Pop-up blocker with Internet Explorer (if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher installed on your workstation)
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Pop-up blockers on the Google, Yahoo, and MSN toolbars
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Pop-up blockers included with Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiSpam
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Additional third party pop-up blockers, such as ZoneAlarm, may also be installed. Instead of being on a toolbar in your web browser, these may appear in your System Tray (on the Windows taskbar at the bottom right of your screen).
Hidden toolbars may contain pop-up blockers that are enabled without your realizing it, because you can't see them. To check for hidden toolbars that are not visible on your screen, but are installed behind the scenes, click View > Toolbars in your browser window. A menu similar to the one shown below will display.
In the example below, the Google toolbar is not selected, so the toolbar is hidden - you can't see it in the browser window. However, the pop-up blocker for the Google toolbar is still enabled and functioning... which means it's preventing lessons from launching.
Hidden toolbars
To turn off pop-up blockers on hidden toolbars, select the hidden toolbars. This will enable you to see them in your browser window so that you can turn off the popup blockers.
After you identify all of the pop-up blockers on your workstation, you'll need to decide which pop-up blocker you want to use.
USE ONLY ONE POP-UP BLOCKER
To prevent conflicts, Microsoft recommends that you use only one pop-up blocking program at a time. In general, you can use the pop-up blocker you like the most, and either turn off or uninstall the others.
If Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later and the MSN toolbar are both installed on your computer, Microsoft recommends that you only use the Internet Explorer pop-up blocker (from Windows XP Service Pack 2). Turn off the MSN Search Toolbar pop-up blocker.
Determine which pop-up blocker you are going to use. You'll need to either turn it off each time you want to run PLATO lessons, or configure it to allow pop-ups from your PLATO web site.
All other pop-up blockers that you will not be using should be turned off (disabled) or removed completely (uninstalled) from your workstation.
HOW TO TURN OFF OR CONFIGURE A POP-UP BLOCKER
The procedures to turn off or configure pop-up blockers differ, depending on the pop-up blocker(s) you are using. Look for help files in your pop-up blocker for instructions, or look for menus or buttons on the toolbar that you can click to turn the blocker off.
Other pop-up blockers, such as ZoneAlarm, can be turned off by clicking the pop-up blocker icon on the System Tray at the bottom right of your Windows screen).
The links below provide instructions for turning off or configuring common pop-up blockers.
GOOGLE TOOLBAR
- Launch your browser.
- Navigate to the web site for your PLATO product. (For example, go to the login page for PLATO Web Learning Network.)
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Click the "blocked" button to always allow content from the site:
The pop-up blocker will remember the site and allow pop-up windows to launch.
Another option is to press and hold the CTRL key down each time you launch PLATO lessons.
More about the Google pop-up blocker
INTERNET EXPLORER AND WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 2
If your version of Internet Explorer has a pop-up blocker, you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later installed. To run PLATO lessons successfully, you will need to configure both the pop-up blocker and firewall installed by the the Service Pack.
Configure the pop-up blocker
Follow these steps if you see the information bar "Pop-up blocked..."
- Click the information bar.
- Click "Always allow pop-ups from this site." You should now be able to launch lessons successfully.
Follow these steps if you don't see the information bar "Pop-up blocked..."
- If you don't see the information bar below your browser's address bar, click Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings.
- In the Address of Web site to allow box, type the web address for your PLATO web site, and then click Add.
- Click Close. You should now be able to launch lessons successfully.
Configure the firewall
Follow the firewall configuration steps in Unable to launch lessons with XP Service Pack 2 installed (pop-up blocker, firewall).
More info
More about the Internet Explorer pop-up blocker
MSN SEARCH TOOLBAR
If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later on installed on your computer, you also have the Internet Explorer pop-up blocker. To prevent possible conflicts, Microsoft recommends that you use only the Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker, and turn off the MSN Search Toolbar Pop-up Blocker. Microsoft may display the following dialog to prompt you to choose one or the other.
If you see this dialog, choose the Windows XP Pop-up Blocker, then follow the rest of the prompts. The MSN pop-up blocker will be turned off.
If you don't see the prompt to choose a pop-up blocker, or you don't have Internet Explorer, follow the steps below to either turn off or configure the MSN pop-up blocker.
How to turn off the MSN Search Toolbar pop-up blocker
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On the MSN Toolbar, click the arrow next to the Pop-up Blocker button, and then click Options.
- Clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box.
- Click OK.
How to configure the MSN Search Toolbar pop-up blocker
- On the MSN Toolbar, click the arrow next to the Pop-up Blocker button, and then click Options.
- Under "Allow list", type the web address (URL) of the PLATO web site for which you want to allow pop-up windows.
- Click Add.
NORTON ANTISPAM & NORTON INTERNET SECURITY
To run PLATO lessons successfully with Norton Internet Security installed, you'll need to turn off the pop-up blocker and configure the firewall. Follow the steps below for your version of Norton Internet Security.
Norton Anti-Spam & Internet Security 2005
- In the main window, on the left side click Norton AntiSpam.
- Click Pop-up Blocking > Turn Off.
- Follow the instructions to configure the firewall in article 27697 - Unable to connect to CTX.PLATOWEBxx.COM when Norton Internet Security is installed.
NOTE: Norton AntiSpam also has an Ad Blocker, but it does not affect PLATO products. Only the pop-up blocker needs to be turned off when you use PLATO web products.
Norton Internet Security 2004 and earlier
- In the main window, double-click Ad Blocking.
- Uncheck Pop-up Window Blocking.
- Click OK.
- Content from the PLATO web site may still be blocked because of information that is stored in your web browser's cache. Clear your browser's cache for the changes to work.
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Follow the instructions to configure the firewall in article 27697 - Unable to connect to CTX.PLATOWEBxx.COM when Norton Internet Security is installed.
YAHOO TOOLBAR
Choose one of the following methods to override the pop-up blocker:
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Turn off the Pop-Up Blocker by clicking the Pop-Up Blocker button and unchecking Enable Pop-Up Blocker.
- Press and hold the CTRL key while you are launching PLATO lessons . This will override the pop-up blocker and allow PLATO lessons to run.
- Add PLATO content to your Allowed List by clicking the Pop-Up Blocker button and selecting Always Allow Pop-Ups From.... Then select the site (for example, www.platoweb.com) from the Sources of Recently Blocked Pop-Ups list and click Allow.
If you are unable to configure the pop-up blocker to allow PLATO content, the Yahoo toolbar and pop-up blocker may be running in the background. To check this, right-click on your browser toolbar. If "Yahoo" appears in the menu that displays, select it. The Yahoo toolbar will appear. Either uninstall the toolbar or turn the Yahoo pop-up blocker off. You should then be able to configure the Yahoo pop-up blocker successfully.
More about the Yahoo Toolbar pop-up blocker
ZONEALARM
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Right-click the ZoneAlarm icon on the system tray on your taskbar (bottom right of your screen):
- Click the option to turn Zone Alarm off (for example, click "Shutdown ZoneAlarm Pro").
To configure the ZoneAlarm firewall to allow PLATO content, see the documentation for your ZoneAlarm product. For user guides or additional help, contact ZoneAlarm Technical Support.
HOW TO COMPLETELY REMOVE (UNINSTALL) POP-UP BLOCKER PROGRAMS
You may wish to uninstall one or more pop-up blocker programs that you will not be using.
Some programs require that you remove them completely. Others, like E-Anthology/Stop-Sign, are often installed by file sharing programs like Bear Share or Kazaa. You may want to remove these programs as well, since they use up system resources and make your system vulnerable to adware, spyware, and browser hijacking.
To remove or uninstall a pop-up blocker program, use the Add/Remove Programs utility in Windows. Follow these steps:
- Click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.
- Look for the name of the program installed (such as Pop-up Begone).
- Select the program name, and then click Remove.
- Follow any instructions you are given, then close the Control Panel.