Ever open a website and immediately see half a dozen small windows pop up in front of you advertising everything from mail order brides to herbal male enhancement?

These incredibly annoying popups are powered by Adware, the odds and ends of software that malicious websites will download into your computer through the web browser's cache of cookies and old files. Most of the time Adware does not cause any long-term damage to your computer, but it certainly can slow down your computer's performance and block your view of web pages over and over again.

That's why it's no small wonder many people look for an effective way to zap adware before ever even gets on their computer. And, luckily for all of us, there are lots of options to help us to just that.

The first thing you need to know is that following a few simple rules will drastically reduce adware's ability to infect your PC. Some websites ought to be avoided at all costs. This includes websites with music, picture, or video downloads. The no-no list includes any website selling dating, gambling, porn, or medications. It is also a good idea to stay away from most websites for online dating services. Most comes from those kinds of sites. Avoid these sites, and chances are you will avoid adware, too.

A small percentage of adware comes from other sites, but there are options that allow you to detect and prevent it. The most current editions of popular browsers all provide some form of adware protection. You might get a red warning flag informing you that a website you are about to visit could put your computer at risk. If you enable these features of your browser, you can protect your computer from problems before they ever start.

The very best way to block adware from your computer is to have a good version of anti-adware software installed. This software detects potential adware, and blocks or deletes it before it ever enters your cache.

Anti-adware remains on all the time. Usually you can find an icon for it in the taskbar at the lower right hand of your computer screen. Each time you open a web page, open an email, or download a file, the program will scan the content of those files and warn you if there is any malicious content. Sometimes anti-adware will block downloads, and in the most severe cases it will quarantine files in the same that your anti-Virus software does.

With common sense and close attention for high-risk sites, and a good anti-adware program, it is easy to keep your computer safe from infectious files, unwanted popups, and annoying adware that slows you down and gets in your way.