AdBlock Pro

If you're sick of visiting websites littered with banners or ones that have so many Flash elements that it slows down your browser, a great option is an application like AdBlock Pro that takes care of blocking ads from the websites you visit.

The program works as an add-on to your Internet Explorer browser (compatible with version 6 and higher), and adds a small icon in the bottom left corner that you can click to adjust the settings.

If AdBlock Pro is active while you visit any websites, it will automatically block the banners on every page. However, if there's a website you visit frequently and aren't bothered by that particular site's ads, you can add it as a safe site and then view the full page in future visits.

Aside from blocking banners, AdBlock Pro also blocks Flash and ActiveX content and pop-ups, and can even block any part of a website if you manually set it to do so. Therefore, if you're clear about what you don't want to see on pages you visit frequently, this tool can end up being very useful.