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Topic: Stopping Harmful Ads by Updating Your Hosts File (Read 451 times) |
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Ann
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Stopping Harmful Ads by Updating Your Hosts File
« Thread started on: Dec 30th, 2006, 11:39am » |
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Simplified Instructions:
Do a search in your computer - click on All File Folders - type - etc - scroll down to look in My Computer & search. Open up the etc file folder, then open hosts - I chose notepad to open it. Select all & delete everything in it & then minimize it.
Now, go to this link - http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.txt
It's too large to select all & copy, so copy large sections of it at a time & paste it into the hosts file that you opened with notepad. Keep copying & pasting until you've got it all in. Once it's all in there, click on the red x, top right corner of the newly updated hosts file to finish. A pop up will appear asking you if you want to save the changes in C:Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file. Click on yes and you're done.
The hosts file protects your computer from harmful ads - you will notice after updating the hosts file that your computer will be virtually ad free!
Note: You should periodically update the hosts file by repeating the above instructions.
If you're nervous about deleting what's in your Hosts File before replacing it. Simply save the contents in a folder.
After you've replaced what's in the Hosts File, reboot your computer. Once you sign back onto the net & start surfing, you'll find that 99% of the ads have vanished!
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| « Last Edit: Oct 2nd, 2008, 05:54am by Ann » |
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Ann
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Re: Stopping Harmful Ads by Updating Your Hosts Fi
« Reply #1 on: Apr 30th, 2009, 5:13pm » |
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To remove ads, I am now using a freeware utility called Hostess. It works great.
Free Hosts file editor/manager you can get from here: http://www.raymarron.com/hostess/
When using the Hostess freeware utility, click on the square that looks like a mini tv under the help button. You will then see the hosts file via notepad. Replace what's on that hosts file notepad with what you find at the following link:-
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.txt
Updated Hosts File
After you've replaced it with the updated hosts file, click on the red 'x' and save.
Simply reboot and practically everywhere you surf on the net will be minus most ads.
Your computer will not not show ads from every address on your updated hosts file in your Hostess Freeware utility.
From time to time, check the updated hosts files link to see if it has been updated again & simply follow the above instructions.
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| « Last Edit: Apr 30th, 2009, 5:25pm by Ann » |
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Re: Stopping Harmful Ads by Updating Your Hosts Fi
« Reply #2 on: May 4th, 2009, 09:06am » |
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Thanks so much Ann. I installed Hostess & woohoo, practically all ads are gone wherever I surf.
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