Occasionally, students report seeing pop-up ads all over the SU Online (Moodle) site.  These can be frustrating to see and to try to work around, as these pop-ups are usually in the way of key sections of webpages.  However, this is not a Moodle problem as much as it is a problem with the individual student's browser or computer.  Chances are good that if you are seeing ads on Moodle, you are also seeing them on other websites as well.  (You may want to check now before proceeding to verify this.)

Typically this type of excessive pop-up ad experience is the result of a virus, mal-ware, or an unwanted browser extension/plug-in, and your browser or computer is in need of a good cleaning.  Most good anti-virus software will prevent this type of malicious software from installing on your computer, but occasionally something makes its way onto a computer system.  Often someone will click on an ad to try to get rid of it, only to download the software onto their computer.  Alternatively, some websites will install software in your computer in the background without your knowledge when you visit their site.  Regardless of how it got there, you want to rid yourself of this malicious software quickly.

Unfortunately, helping students with this type of a problem is beyond the scope of what SU Tech Support can do.  We recommend that if you not very computer-savvy that you find a local tech buddy to assist you or take your computer to a place where an expert can look at it and help you.


If you are confident in your computer skills, here are a few things that you can try*:

  • Run an anti-virus software scan and see what it comes up with.  (Make sure that your anti-virus software is up-to-date first.)
  • Go into the extensions/plug-ins/add-ons area of your browser (or browsers) and see if you can identify any ad pop-up extensions.  Remove these extensions immediately.
  • Check your list of installed programs to see if extra unwanted items have been added accidentally.  Uninstall these programs.
  • Look for a separate spyware or mal-ware cleaner software to scan and clean up your computer.
  • Use a factory-reset (PC) or Time Machine (Mac) option to revert your computer back to a time before you noticed the pop-ups.


*NOTE: The above list is based on the cumulative experience of the SU Tech Support agents.  SU Tech Support cannot guarantee that any of these solutions will work, or are the correct fix for your individual computer problem, and is not responsible for the results of trying these actions.