Does this story sound familiar? One day you were using the Internet and went to a Web site. You were moving your mouse around a web page, when suddenly for no apparent reason extra browser windows started opening, showing you Web sites you had no intention of going to visit. Surprised, you closed these new windows, but that made even more windows open, many without even a control bar or menus at the top. Worse still, some of these windows were showing offensive material.

Worried, you took your hands off the mouse and the keyboard, wondering what on earth to do, but confidant that if you stopped doing anything the problem would at least stop. Instead, even though you did nothing, more and more windows continued to magically open, as if your computer had become possessed. Completely panicked by this sudden turn of events, you shut down your computer, the only way you could think of to stop the nightmare. Now you feel nervous about using the web again in case the problem reoccurs.

Has this ever happened to you? If it has then you have been caught in a "Javascript loop," which is a cunning technique used by Web site makers to trap you in their Web site and force you to see Web sites you never selected.

Javascripting

Javascript is a programming language, used to make Web sites perform many user-friendly functions, including multiple operations in a sequence (called a "script"). But on the downside, Javascript can also be used to take control of YOUR Web browser and make it do things without your consent. You've probably seen Javascript in action many times without realizing, for example when you go to a Web site and a little window pops up for no apparent reason with an ad in it.

One of Javascript's more annoying uses however, is to trap you inside a Web site, so that every time you close out the window or use the back button, the same Web site pops back up again. Spammers (people who send you unwanted advertising) also use Javascript to redirect you against your will to any other Web site of the spammer's choice. This can be activated by you doing nothing more than moving your mouse over a certain area of the Web site, clicking on a link, trying to use the back button, or trying to "x" out the window. If this happens to you the only effective way to stop it is to shut down your computer and reboot.

A Way to Control it All

There is an alternative. You can, if you choose, turn Javascript on and off as you wish, simply by altering your Web browser's settings. Here is how to turn Javascript off:

If you are using Netscape 6 and up:

1. Pull down the "Edit" menu and select "Preferences."
2. In the "Preferences" window select "Advanced."
3. Now on the right you will see a click box for "Enable Javascript for Navigator" and one for "Enable Javascript for Mail and News."

Make sure these two boxes are empty (Click in them if you need to).

4. Then click "OK" and that’s it!

Simply reverse these steps if you wish to turn Javascript back on.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer (MIE) 5 and up, things are slightly more complex, but you can do it. Just follow these instructions:

1. With MIE open, select "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu.
2. Make sure you have selected the "Internet" icon at the top of the window that comes up (It’s the blue and green globe icon on the left).
3. Click on the button at the bottom of that window that reads "Custom Level."
4. Now scroll down to a section called "Scripting." In the three sub-sections of "Scripting" called "Active Scripting," "Allow paste operations via script," and "Scripting of java applets." Click the "Disable" radio button in each one.
5. Then click "OK" twice to close out.