Mike's ad blocking hosts file

Usually not. I try to err on the side of caution and don't block any ad servers that might cause any problems with web functionality. Please email me if you encounter any ad blocking related problems and I'll make sure to fix it in the next release.

Join the adblocker announce group to get an email when I update the list. The older the list the less effective it becomes. Updates are roughly once a month. This is not a mass email list, its simply for update notifications.

When in doubt, just use the installer. When really in doubt you can uninstall "NoAdHosts" from Add/Remove programs in Control Panel.

You also may need to restart your browser or reboot your computer after making host changes. You will also have to clear your browser's cache to delete the ads you've already downloaded. The cache in Internet Explorer is under Tools>Internet Options>Delete Files. Click the "delete all offline content" button too.

I've also noticed that some anti-spyware or even spyware applications will mess with or lock the hosts file. Zonealarm and other apps do this. You'll have to unlock it or run an good anti-spyware and anti-virus app.

Why are you doing this? Is this legal or ethical?

I quickly got sick of all the flashing banners and other junk advertisers like to send my way. Many of the ad affiliates use web cookies to track users across websites. This is your computer, you have every right to render the web how you like it. There is no legal obligation to view anyone's ads. Hopefully, mass ad blocking will force marketers to find smarter and less intrusive ways to advertise, like with text ads.

Also, I have a hard time reading content with flashing banners and such distracting me. I mainly do this for usability reasons, it is not an anti-commercial project.

Does this block pop-ups?

No, only in-line ads. It does block ads inside pop-ups. You'll need to enable pop-up blocking in your browser (Mozilla and Opera do this) or use a pop-up blocker. Google's toolbar blocks pop-ups for Internet Explorer users. You can download it here. Make sure to pick the one without the "advanced features," as advanced features means spyware. Service Pack 2 for Windows XP has a built in pop-up blocker for Internet Explorer.

How can I make this go faster?

You can use a text editor to change the '127.0.0.1' to '0.0.0.0' in the hosts file. Leave the first entry, "localhost" pointing at 127.0.0.1. Caveat: This may cause problems with Opera and other software.

Does this fight spyware/malware?

Indirectly, yes, by blocking spyware sites. I *highly* recomment running Ad Aware at least once a month to fight spyware. I also recommend Disabling Signed ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer or switching to Firefox. Here's how to block ActiveX goto Tools>Internet options>Security>Custom Level
Download signed ActiveX controls: Disable

Can I use this in my software project, commercial or otherwise?

By default no. I get a lot of email about this. I have to do this because someone thought it was funny to write their own installer and charge people 20 dollars per download. By controlling it, I'm keeping it free for the ordinary people I want to share it with. Also I dont want mirrors of it because people will download an old version and then send me ad servers that have been already added or complain about something that was fixed a year ago. You can email me if you would like to license the list.