Anyone know what this is and how to stop it?

[McLaughlin]

Spoiler!

Been happening for a few days now, and I haven't touched anything that would make it start. Usually the ads match each other, I guess they were changing when I snapped the screenshot. It doesn't happen if I keep the main MSN window minimized, but as soon as I open it I get that box every couple minutes. I've already done spyware/malware/virus scans on the off chance it wasn't related to MSN, but they all came back with nothing, so I'm not sure how to get it to stop.

Be warned, the picture is large. >_>

[Keilyn]

The wide beautiful world of commercialized software.

What you are experiencing is being used like a tool without knowing it. Pardon me, I don't mean to offend you or sound like some forum troll but this angers me.

MSN and other programs that have flash content end up using flash to push advertisements and other things through your computer. They tell you that your programs are free, but they aren't free because each time you launch it a service launches in the background that uses part of your bandwith to actually send our advertisements and put your computer at risk.

This is why I trust hackers and their open source software because they do not bloat your computer. Try downloading Miranda IM or Pidgin and you are in for a sweet surprise for messengers. ^_^

Also btw...Not a bad image and yeah I checked FFXI Wiki a lot when I played FFXI. I got far as a Red Mage in Pandemonium and Asura, but then servers merged and even with that there still is the Linkshell Drama and all of those Dune Warriors (the people who level sync in the dunes and play there all day long since thats where most new players show up).

[Sayara]

Not even going into a discussion of hacker or whatever, Pidgin is alot more space friendly alternetive to MSN. It kind of acts like old school MSN, but also allows AIM and Yahoo messangers too if you use those. Though i think Trillian also has access to IRC communications as well.

Though that may be too bloatware for some people.

[Sinue_v2]

I don't know if this will work, since I don't use MSN much at all, but try searching the net to find the ad servers that MSN uses. Once you have a list of them, add them to your HOSTS file using wordpad and assign them an IP address that redirects to your local machine. That should stop the ads from displaying, but it might not stop the actual pop-up window.

Try it and see.

What you are experiencing is being used like a tool without knowing it. Pardon me, I don't mean to offend you or sound like some forum troll but this angers me.

MSN and other programs that have flash content end up using flash to push advertisements and other things through your computer. They tell you that your programs are free, but they aren't free because each time you launch it a service launches in the background that uses part of your bandwith to actually send our advertisements and put your computer at risk.

But, this is what you agree to put up with when you accept the Terms & Conditions of using their software. If you don't like that, then yeah, stick to Open Source software which provides the market-place competition needed to drive software/service improvement without all of the profit-driven annoyances.

This is why I trust hackers and their open source software because they do not bloat your computer. Try downloading Miranda IM or Pidgin and you are in for a sweet surprise for messengers. ^_^

I wouldn't place my explicit trust in anybody based on an over-generalization of conflicting motivations. You've stated that nothing is clear black and white, good or evil, in another thread... yet you consistently bash corporations while glorifying hackers like they're some kind of paladins of virtue. It makes you sound like an ideologue; a romantic trying to pass themselves off as a rationalist.