How to Stop IP Address Pop-Ups

Never give your IP address to any pop-up ad.

Certain pop-up ads try to trick you into revealing your IP address. They often claim an antivirus program needs it for security or pretend to be Windows requiring it as a password. Don’t be fooled. These pop-ups come from a piece of adware on your hard drive. They are trying to steal your information and maybe even download viruses to your computer. Stopping the pop-ups is as easy as removing the adware generating them, which you can do with a tool that comes with Windows.

Things You'll Need

• Windows Defender

Instructions

1. Launch Windows Defender. This free tool comes included on any PC running Windows 7 or Windows Vista. To open the program, type the title (“Windows Defender") into the Start menu’s search bar, then click the ENTER key. Though Windows XP does not come with the tool pre-installed, XP users can download a fully functional version from Microsoft Security (see link in Resources).

2. Click once on the arrow next to the “Scan” button. Select the "Full Scan" from the menu that appears.

3. Click the “Scan” button.

4. Wait for the full scan to finish. When it does, click "Clean System" or “Remove All” to remove the adware and stop the IP address pop-ups.

5. Restart your computer.

References

• Microsoft Support: Windows Defender

Resources

• Download Microsoft Windows Defender