Do not even click the close button in the upper right.
Realize that it is simply an advertisement and the mischievous company is trying to fool you into thinking it is a real computer error message, but it isn't. Do not even click the X close button on the advertisement because it will not make the message go away. The best thing to do with advertisements posing as error messages is simply to ignore them. The above message is a trick. DO NOT CLICK ON IT or it will take you to another Web page and try to sell you something that you most likely do not need.
A script error indicates that there is a problem with the computer code that the Web designer wrote for that particular Web page. In other words, the Web page has a "bug" in it, but you still should be able to read it. Realize that you have done nothing wrong and there is nothing that you need to do to fix the problem. Some people e-mail the Web designer to inform them, but usually I don't waste my time. If you accidentally click "Yes" you will most likely see a number of windows open so that you can read the computer code (HTML and JavaScript). If this happens to you, just click the X close buttons to close the debugger windows so you can return to the Web page you were on.
They may open another browser window in front of the one you are using, thus disabling the Back button. If the browser window does not let you go back a page, look in the taskbar on the bottom of your screen and click on another instance of your browser.
Sometimes Web pages will open up advertisement windows behind the Web page
you are currently viewing. These "pop under" windows clutter up your
desktop, but they are not an issue until you close/exit your browser. More
obnoxious are advertisement that "pop up" in front of what you are
trying to see. Usually these windows can be closed by clicking the X button in
the upper right hand corner. 
Recently I have seen "pop up" advertisements that do not have a close button. In order to deal with these tricky windows, click in the title bar to make the advertisement active and then press ALT+F4 (press and hold down ALT can tap the F4 key) on your keyboard.
In the future there are sure to be more schemes and advertisements on the Web that try to trick you and/or end up wasting your time. Remember to always use your best judgment before clicking.
Return to the Internet Miniclass home page.
Bill Straub
4/2002