Editing the Hosts File in Windows XP +SP2

[Uncle John]

Editing the hosts file to speed up the discovery of web site DNS used to be
a common practice with Windows 98 but it seems to have been more or less
abandoned in Windows XP. Rather the file is used to block adware and banner
ware and Malware see the links provided by helpful MSVP's
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/restricted.htm
from the first link you will get a Hosts file which blocks a myriad
addresses some of which many users will want to use. The second provides a
registry merge file that adds the works offenders to the Restricted Site in
the Internet Explorer Security settings. The Restricted Site settings can be
modified but the number blocked is still huge.

It seems to me that there are many useful sites which are supported by
advertisements and they should not be completely exorcised: personally I
find bannerware and intellitext acceptable I do not have to click the
banner or text if I don't want to.

I wonder if any one has got a hosts file which blocks the dangerous sites
but not the possibly offensive but not dangerous links?

[Rock]

Uncle John wrote:

> Editing the hosts file to speed up the discovery of web site DNS used to be
> a common practice with Windows 98 but it seems to have been more or less
> abandoned in Windows XP. Rather the file is used to block adware and banner
> ware and Malware see the links provided by helpful MSVP's
> http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
> http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/restricted.htm
> from the first link you will get a Hosts file which blocks a myriad
> addresses some of which many users will want to use. The second provides a
> registry merge file that adds the works offenders to the Restricted Site in
> the Internet Explorer Security settings. The Restricted Site settings can be
> modified but the number blocked is still huge.
>
> It seems to me that there are many useful sites which are supported by
> advertisements and they should not be completely exorcised: personally I
> find bannerware and intellitext acceptable I do not have to click the
> banner or text if I don't want to.
>
> I wonder if any one has got a hosts file which blocks the dangerous sites
> but not the possibly offensive but not dangerous links?
>
>
>

IE-SPYAD
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm

[Uncle John]

Rock,
That is the list I have mentioned above. unfortunately it blocks pretty well
everything

[Rock]

Uncle John wrote:

> Rock,
> That is the list I have mentioned above. unfortunately it blocks pretty well
> everything
>
>

Ok, sorry I didn't realiz3e it was the same one. You can edit the host
file by deleting the entries for the web sites you don't want to block.