How to Block Ads,
Spyware, and Sites of Your Choice Using a Hosts File for Windows
Often times websites bombard you with advertisements when all you want to do is
view the page. Other times you may accidentally download spyware from a harmful
website. Sometimes you just need to block a webpage, either from a child or from
a co-worker. A custom HOSTS file solves all of these problems.
Steps
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Visit
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm and download the file
"hosts.zip". Extract this zip file to your desktop.
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Next, locate your HOSTS file. The hosts file is located in different places
depending on your Windows version. For XP it is located in the
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC directory. For 2000 it is located in the
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC or C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC folder,
depending on the nature of your Windows install.
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Copy the file "hosts" from the extracted zip file by right clicking on it
and selecting "copy" and then paste it in the directory listed above.
Windows will ask you if you wish to overwrite the existing file. Choose
"Yes". Many advertising sites and known spyware sites are now being blocked.
Tips
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To view the contents of this file, browse to the location of the file and
double click on it. For XP Users you will be asked whether you want to
search the internet for a program to open the file or if you wish to choose
from a list. Choose the list option and open the file with Notepad. You can
now view all of the websites that are being blocked.
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To manually block a site, go to the bottom of the file and on a new line
type "127.0.0.1 siteyouwanttoblock.com" without using quotes. This will
block siteyouwanttoblock.com. Repeat the process for any other sites you
wish to block, and then save the file by going to File>Save.
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To unblock a site, find its line and put a "#" in front of the 127.0.0.1 for
that line.
Warnings
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This file will block many common adware, spyware, and advertising sites. In
some cases where you actually wish to view an advertisement it may be
blocked, or may lead to an error page when clicked. This is most common when
using Google Adwords or searching in Google. To view the site, simply type
its full real url into the browser.
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On some pages, you may receive a "page not found" error on part of the page,
usually in a square or rectangular box. This is normal and is part of the ad
blocking process.
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NEVER delete or comment out the first line of the file reading "127.0.0.1
localhost". This is normal and is needed by Windows.
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If other PCs connect to the internet VIA your PC, such as pcs using Internet
Connection Sharing, the HOSTS file will block websites not only on your PC,
but on the other PCs as well. This is because the HOSTS file blocks all
outgoing connection attempts by ANY PC to these harmful web sites.
-
This file does not block all harmful websites, rather it blocks the most
common known harmful sites. This file is not a cure-all and thus you should
still execute caution when downloading files from the internet.
Things You'll Need
External Links
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Initial Author:
BMR777 
.
