HOSTS File

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lee Marsh
  • Start date Start date
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Lee Marsh

Anyone have or know of any good utilities to enable / disable the HOSTS file
for ad removement, also anyone know of a good resource for updating the
ads/spyware in the HOSTS file?
 
Thanks for the links everyone! Been wondering whether to remove
SpywareBlaster and just stick with the HOSTS file?.
 
Hi Lee - I would strongly advise against removing SpywareBlaster. I highly
recommend it. It adds no overhead at all after you've run it - just marks
"bad" ActiveX CLSID's and tracking cookies as non-executable. It's
frequently updated, and currently up to 812 ActiveX and tracking cookies are
blocked. It also has some ancillary capabilites to
take a System "snapshot" and to back up and restore and/or protect certain
critical data including your home page and HOSTS file, etc. It's very
effective and as far as I'm concerned has no drawbacks at all in its basic
usage, and none in its extended functions that I'm aware of (although I
personally don't use them). It doesn't touch the HOSTS file at all (except
as an ancillary function it can save or restore an encrypted backup copy of
it for you). Basically it looks in the Registry for "bad guy" CLSID's (to
stop them running if they're already present) and/or adds them if they're
not there (to prevent new ones from being loaded) and sets the "kill" bit.
You do have to keep it updated with the built-in updater. Notice of new
updates is usually posted in most of the security/ie/os related newsgroups.
It will also take you directly to an update page for download if there's a
new program version (I think two or three by now). I've never had a single
problem with it or complaint about it. BTW, it's fully reversable also if
you want to "unprotect" some or all entries for any reason.



--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
 
Aaron wrote:

| Why? They serve quite different functions.
|
|
|
| Aaron

It's possible to block spyware and I think cookies with the host file isn't
it?.
 
Anyone have or know of any good utilities to enable / disable the HOSTS file
for ad removement, also anyone know of a good resource for updating the
ads/spyware in the HOSTS file?
Click to expand...

Here's another alternative since a few users had problems with
Host Toggle.

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/RenHosts.bat
-------------------
You can use a simple batch file to rename the HOSTS file "on-the-fly".
Download: RenHosts.bat [right-click and select: Save Target As]

Place RenHosts.bat in your Windows folder
Create a Desktop or Quick Launch shortcut to RenHosts.bat
You can also place a shortcut in your Favorites if needed.
Note: if IE is open when you toggle the HOSTS file, click Refresh (F5)

To use: click (the shortcut) once to rename HOSTS to NOHOSTS
Click again to rename NOHOSTS back to HOSTS
Note: you will see the above small on-screen message as to the status.
 
Has anyone found a way to get around the Win2K problem of sluggish
performance and large hosts files?
 
TW wrote:
| Has anyone found a way to get around the Win2K problem of sluggish
| performance and large hosts files?

Yes, disable the DNS Client in the Services.
 
TW posted this on alt.comp.freeware
Has anyone found a way to get around the Win2K problem of sluggish
performance and large hosts files?
Click to expand...

Go to "parameters-control panel-admin tools-services"
stop and disable the DNS Client service, done !

agate
 
There is a better way of blocking any domain from Internet Explorer.
Go to "Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Edit". All you have to do is
enter the domain name, i.e. "doubleclick.net", and it will block everything
coming from that domain no matter what appears before "doubleclick" or after
".net".
You can also setup heavy duty cookie handling from the Privacy page.
I'm using IE6SP1 but I think IE5 had that ability also. If your version
doesn't have it just download the current version.
 
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 22:22:36 -0400 "Jason de Bougainville"

:>There is a better way of blocking any domain from Internet Explorer.
:>Go to "Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Edit". All you have to do is
:>enter the domain name, i.e. "doubleclick.net", and it will block everything
:>coming from that domain no matter what appears before "doubleclick" or after
:>".net".
:>You can also setup heavy duty cookie handling from the Privacy page.
:>I'm using IE6SP1 but I think IE5 had that ability also. If your version
:>doesn't have it just download the current version.

That seems to just block cookies.

I have found that Content|Content Advisor|Approved sites does a good job of
blocking the domain.

:>:>> Anyone have or know of any good utilities to enable / disable the HOSTS
:>file
:>> for ad removement, also anyone know of a good resource for updating the
:>> ads/spyware in the HOSTS file?
 
Binyamin Dissen wrote:

| found that Content|Content Advisor|Approved sites does a good
| job of blocking the domain.

That's a good idea never thought of using that before, but how can you
import over 10,000 entries to the content advisor?.
 
Jason said:
There is a better way of blocking any domain from Internet Explorer.
Go to "Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Edit". All you have to do
is enter the domain name, i.e. "doubleclick.net", and it will block
everything coming from that domain no matter what appears before
"doubleclick" or after ".net".
You can also setup heavy duty cookie handling from the Privacy page.
I'm using IE6SP1 but I think IE5 had that ability also. If your
version doesn't have it just download the current version.
Click to expand...

Agree. The hosts file is a terribly inefficient method of domain
blocking - it was never designed for that, and when it gets too big it's
a downright drag on performance (as I just experienced with a hijacked
20K hosts file). There are much better choices offered within proxies,
firewalls and browsers themselves, as you mention. Hosts is redundant if
one of these methods is used.
 
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