Pop-up windows appear with Pop-up Blocker turned on in Windows XP Service Pack 2

After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), pop-up windows may still appear, even though the Pop-up Blocker feature is turned on. (The default setting of this feature is on).

Note To determine if the Pop-up Blocker feature is turned on, click Internet Options on the Tools menu in Microsoft Internet Explorer, and then click the Privacy tab.

This issue can occur when one of the following conditions is true:

• You click a link that opens a pop-up window.
• The Web site where the pop-up window originates is either in the Trusted sites Web content zone or the Local intranet Web content zone. Because Web sites in these zones are considered safe, their pop-up windows are never blocked.
• The pop-up window is opened by software that is running on the computer.
• The pop-up window is opened by ActiveX controls that are enabled from a Web site.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Remove the Web site from the Trusted sites or the Local intranet Web content zone.

To remove the Web site from the Trusted sites or the Local intranet Web content zone in Internet Explorer 6.0, use one of the following methods:

• If you want to remove the Web site from the Trusted sites Web content zone, follow these steps:
  1. Start Internet Explorer 6.0.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  3. On the Security tab, click the Trusted sites Web content zone, and then click Sites.
  4. In the Trusted sites dialog box, click the Web site that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
  5. Click OK to close the Trusted sites dialog box.
  6. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.
• If you want to remove the Web site from the Local intranet Web content zone, follow these steps:
  1. Start Internet Explorer 6.0.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  3. On the Security tab, click the Local intranet Web content zone, and then click Sites.
  4. In the Local intranet dialog box, click Advanced.
  5. Click the Web site that you want to remove, click Remove, and then click OK.
  6. Click OK to close the Local intranet dialog box.
  7. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.

Method 2: Have Internet Explorer 6.0 prompt you before running ActiveX controls and plug-ins.

To prevent a pop-up that is opened by an ActiveX control from a Web site, follow these steps:

1. Start Internet Explorer 6.0.
2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
3. On the Security tab, click the Internet Web content zone, and then click Custom Level.
4. In the Security Settings dialog box, under Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins in the Settings list, click Prompt to replace Enable wherever Enable has been selected.
5. Click OK to close the Security Settings dialog box.
6. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.