If you're on the Win32 platform, then I have some info for you that might be helpfull...
If you're using IE, you can stop popup ads by disabling active scripting.
In IE6 it's located here:
Tools/internet options/security/custom level/active scripting
I don't remember exactly where it is with other versions, but It should be somewhere similar.
If you're using another browser, then I'm not sure exactly, but there should be a similar option.
The only problem with turning off active scripting, is that some elements in sites won't work correctly, such as a button to download a file instead of a link. You can however, turn it back on and refresh the page if you need to. That's what I usually do. It is annoying, but not half as annoying as popups.
As far as your default home page being stuck goes, I would check the registry.
For example, the default home page for IE on my machine is stored in the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Start Page
If it's not there, or if you're using a different browser, just do a search in the registry. In your case, do a search for "http://www.cnetadd.com/d.asp?http://www.resnet.wm.edu/~mhmahe/links/links.htm" and you should be able to find it.
Good luck!
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DarioMK2 in an Impreza 2.5RS