Popunders, popups, and similar unexpected happenings are generally quite easy to fix.
If you look back a couple of posts, you will see a method of troubleshooting, and although it seems to take a lot of work, it is in fact quite easy. In fact, it is harder to write how to do it than to just get it done.
See What Is Happening
The first step is to see what is actually happening. Is it happening on every webpage or blog you visit, or just certain ones? Does it happen every time you visit a certain webpage or blog, or just happen randomly.
Two Main Probabilities.
There are 2 main probabilities:
1 - It is in your PC
2 - It is on the webpage
So, surf around, and see what happens. Go to websites you know would not have such things, such as Google, or any other commercial webpage you visit regularly and have it never happen. If it occurs then you have the problem in your PC, not on the pages you visit. Scan your PC in the normal way to get rid of the issue.
If however it only happens on certain specific blogs, then it is likely that it is caused by code on the page that the blog owner does not know is there, and that is the subject of this troubleshooting advice.
Ok, so, you know it is on your blog. If it is on other peoples blogs, all you can do is let them know.
But you have access to the things that are on your own blog. The problem you now have is how to find it.
Using the same method as in the post I did the other day, you first of all list what it might be. Another way to put this would be to list what you and/or others have added to what started as a blank blog template:
Assuming that you use a free web hosting service, then there is the blank template.
Then there is your basic text, title etc.
There are posts you made.
There are comments from others.
There may be links to advertisers within the posts.
There are counters and widgets.
There are links to other bloggers.
Now, let's look at what we know about the list above:
In order for a popup or popunder to occur, there has to be a link involved. The actual web address of where the advertisement is stored has to be somehow accessed by you blog page. A straightforward link will not do this, as it has to be clicked upon. But, let's use the Linear Logical Troubleshooting, the divide and conquer method to find the pesky little critter.
Draw a line under the first half of the list.
We look at the first 3 to start with.
It is unlikely to be from the template, but if we really want to check we could start another blog and test it before we entered anything ourselves.
It is not likely to be the basic title text, as there are no links there.
Hmmm, posts, could be in there. Did you put in any code such as javascript? Even if you did, just bear it in mind for now.
So, the first 3 come up with an 'unlikely' result.
Now the remainder:
Comments from others - did you read them? Are there any new ones with javascript code? If so, save the text , then delete it on the blogpage. You can replace it later if needed.
Links to advertisers within the posts - does the popup/popunder match the same advertiser? Are the links in usual HTML, requiring clicking, or are they other type code? Bear this in mind. Possible but probably not likely.
Counters and widgets. These actually work by accessing a hidden website, and they are generally loaded when the page loads. So, highly likely. But we move on down the list, as we are troubleshooting, not guessing.
Links to other bloggers. These are straightforward
HTML code that requires clicking on, so we can rule them out unless there is something extremely sneaky going on.
So, out of the list, even after dividing it, we have only one likely reason, so, keeping a open mind, we check that one first.
We look at the source text of the page, the place where we added the text that became a widget or counter. Then we remove the text from half of the widgets and counters etc and save it. So at this point we have deleted half the widgets and counters from our blog.
Check the blog. If it is still happening, remove the other half of all widgets and counters.
If it is still occurring, we have proved that it is probably not caused by widgets and counters.
In that case, we have to go though the text that makes up the blog checking for where it is coming from. It will not likely be in the archives, as they have a different URL, so just start by looking at everything else on the main page. Try reducing the number of posts displayed. then test it.
But my guess is that if you removed all the widgets and counters, you will have removed the issue.
If so, just add them back one at a time, testing thoroughly as you go. If the removal of the first half of all the widgets and counters made no difference, you could try adding those back in a bulk manner, then testing. If still not happening, then add the remainder one at a time. This way, you will find the culprit. Then leave it off your page, and let us all know which one it was !