This Windows XP machine in France using French AOL is suddenly plagued with pop-ups. They all advertise the same thing. That is the opportunity to remove pop-ups which try to get you to install a program to remove pop-ups !
Removing one by clicking X only results in yet more appearing within minutes .They sometimes have the same name but often the names are variations on the same theme and as they appear to hunt in packs it seems likely they all have the same origin.
What to do please ? My other XP machine back in the UK on AOL has not yet been plagued.
The ads always claim that they can appear because of the system being used , XP.

Have you tried using POW? It's by AnalogX. Here's the link to download.
ANALOGX

Fred:

Are you, by any chance, speaking of the "grey" pop-ups that have the title (in some fashion): "Messenger Service?"

If so, JWooden posted instructions on how to turn off the service and a link for a very small program that will turn it off.

messenger pop ups. His instructions are in the 6th post from the top, and the link is in the 9th post from the top - "Shoot The Messenger."

This is not to be confused with MSN Messenger, or Windows Messenger. The Messenger Service was INTENDED (thanks SO much, Mr Gates, for this vulnerablility) for networked PC users to communicate - sort of a local Instant Messaging - with each other.

The only other thing I can think of is spyware/adware that was secretly installed with a downloaded program. I do know that the file sharing program "iMesh" contains a number of these that seem to be immune to pop-up blockers/defeaters.

Hope this helps.