Stopping the ads?

It's all to do with the cookies. You have to accept cookies in order to be able to browse the site but then of course the sites you have browsed have your ip address to bombard you. You can probably delete cookies as an option in your usual "delete history" menu.

Just had a look at Firefox, which I use instead of Internet Explorer, and found this on Help
"As you browse the web, Firefox remembers lots of information for you: sites you've visited, files you've downloaded, and more. There may be times, however, when you don't want other users on your computer to see this information, such as when shopping for a birthday present."
If you use Firefox, have a look at "private browsing". That may help.

Thanks Learner not currently using Firefox, but used to in the past. I'll give it a go!

phoenix Have you tried blocking cookies?
In windows toolbars. (the bit with File. Edit. View. etc along the top.)
(Sorry if you know that bit)
Click on Tools.
Scroll down to Internet options and click on that.

Click on the tab for Privacy.
Click on Sites
It brings the sites you have looked at in an alphabetical list and you can block the ones you don't want.
You may need to unblock them if you need them again but it saves getting a lot of junk sent to you.

I hope it helps

There's only one site named on my list - and I've never heard of it! Yet I've looked at hundreds of sites since I've had this PC.

Don't tell, but I've been looking on (ahem) Amazon.

Thanks for the advice all, will experiment tomorrow. Although if Mr P sees the current crop of ads he might think that I have ordered him a "Hello Kitty" fleece blanket!

When I had my laptop serviced & upgraded, the chap installed this free program...

www.piriform.com/ccleaner

I run it once a week and you'd be surprised what it cleans off the computer, including cookies. You have to re-set your passwords for Yahoo/Gransnet/Facebook etc after each cleaning, but that only takes seconds.

By cleaning all the stuff off, it not only makes the system faster but minimises the amount of stuff that hackers,scammers & fraudsters can use as a back door into your system.

Stuff. It's a techy term for anything on my laptop that isn't the screen, keyboard or mouse.

Notso then you for the clarification of the techy term! I always thought it was called gubbins.