A New Supertrick Installer

[Xero Grid]

Supertrick XG
Last Project Update: July 11, 2004 | Last Post Update: July 11, 2004
Supertrick XG is designed to edit a standard Windows file called HOSTS to restrict access to websites or servers. Using this trick you can block websites that serve ads or ones that might compromise your privacy and security. This also speeds up the loading time of websites, because the ads don't have to be downloaded. It also has many more options that concern pop-ups, security, usability (some of which are specific to the needs of the OS). Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher is required for options noted as requiring Internet Explorer.


Download the Supertrick XG Installer
Version 1.5 (http://tinyurl.com/27ghj) <---Hosted on FileSharingPlace, thanks to NightStalker
Version 1.4 (http://tinyurl.com/2poaw) <---Hosted on KLiteTools by sharedholder.
Version 1.4 (http://www.supertrickxg.tk/) <---Hosted by haxor41789 with it&#39;s own domain name.

For the Supertrick XG project page and Supertrick XG Forums, check the links in my sig.


**Please note that this post has been abandoned.**
**If you want updates or information, visit the links in my sig**


===================================
The complete changelog (http://tinyurl.com/2eaoh)
===================================
Changes in version 1.4:
- Setup now compiled with Inno Setup 4.2.7
- The installer components menu is now in a tree-like format. This will allow for easier reading and choosing of components. Some components will not inherit the check from it&#39;s parent checkbox because those options are not for every user.
- Updated the links in the uninstall information to the project&#39;s current home. Also included links to the new Supertrick XG Forums.
- Created and added the HOSTSupdater, a wizard that will download and install the latest HOSTS file entries without reinstalling Supertrick XG. Requires internet connection at time of use.
- Added an option to run CWShredder to remove CWS browser hijackers. It is recommended that you use the "check for update" feature. Before it is executed, another small CWS remover will be executed to prevent CWShredder from being closed by a trojan.
- The HOSTS file switch will now unlock the HOSTS file before disabling HOSTS file protection, so you don&#39;t need to use the UnlockHOSTS tool before the HOSTS File switch. The user will have to use the LockHOSTS tool to lock the HOSTS file when HOSTS file protection is reenabled.
- When configuring the DNS client service, "disable" is now checked by default.
- DNS Client service now stops when choosing to set it to "manual" or "disabled" without needing to reboot.
- The Windows Messenger service is now stopped when disabling it without needing to reboot. It also stops before it is uninstalled if the user chooses to uninstall it. This may help prevent the need for a reboot.
- Rid the need of a few more batch files to allow for a cleaner installation.
- Made lockHOSTS and unlockHOSTS work on Windows 9x/NT based machines instead of having separate files for each.
- The option to lock the HOSTS file is checked by default because the HOSTS file switch will unlock it to disable HOSTS file protection.
- The option to install Microsoft Internet Explorer Power Tweaks Web Accessories is no longer checked by default. That way, the only people who should install it are the people who know what it is and how to use it.
- Microsoft IE Power Tweaks Web Accessories is now installed silently.
- Removed more HOSTS file entries that conflicted with legitimate sites, thanks to OPaul and others. Also removed several invalid entries.
- Added more HOSTS file entries to block more undesireables, but most noteably, many "Shock Sites" are now being blocked, thanks to true_neo for the entries.
- Increased the amount of malicious ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer that can be blocked by Supertrick XG.
- Added more sites that can be placed in the restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer.
- The option to create a HOSTS file editor icom in the Quick Launch bar is now unchecked by default.
- The start menu icons have been reorganized and two internet shortcuts have been added, one for the Supertrick XG Project page, and the other leads to the Supertrick XG Forums.
- More components and options regarding system security have been added to the Supertrick XG Installer.
- Other minor tweaks, fixes, and changes in appearance.
====================================



I have tested it on Windows XP Pro SP1 and it works perfectly. Uninstallation is clean, and will place everything back the way it was, except services which don&#39;t cause any conflicts and can be changed manually by using the registry patches in "RegPatches" directory of the Supertrick XG installation directory (version 1.4 and above). Another method is explained on the project page

NOTE: Uninstallation may seem like it&#39;s frozen, but just let it do it&#39;s work. It takes a little time to remove only the installed HOSTS file entries. This only applies if you choose not to clear the HOSTS file upon uninstallation (version 1.3 and above).

If anyone has any issues or requests, it would be greatly appreciated and will only serve to make the installer better for everyone.

-- Xero Grid --

[LSA]

Nice http://www.mcbriens.net/liam/img/smilies/thmbup.gif

[OPaul]

Very nice indeed.

Why is www.zap2it.com blocked?

[Xero Grid]

I merged a bunch of HOSTS files totalling well over 73,000 servers, and I did my best to filter out anything that caused problems. I don&#39;t go to that site, so I didn&#39;t catch that one. I&#39;ll take it out, next time.


Some of the bad entries I took out (I should place them in this format in the furture):
#127.0.0.1 a248.e.akamai.net # BLOCKS WINDOWS UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;
#127.0.0.1 us.rd.yahoo.com # Prevents Yahoo Driving Directions from loading
#127.0.0.1 us.i1.yimg.com # blocks yahoo images
#127.0.0.1 view.atdmt.com # CONFLICTS WITH TECHTV.COM QUIZ
#127.0.0.1 stat.livejournal.com # blocks CSS and pics on livejournal
#127.0.0.1 ads.msn.com # This may cause problems with zone.msn.com
#127.0.0.1 global.msads.net # This may cause problems with zone.msn.com
#127.0.0.1 rmads.msn.com # This may cause problems with zone.msn.com
#127.0.0.1 c.msnbc.com # prevents certain parts of MSN from loading
#127.0.0.1 msid.eu.msn.com # prevents msn.co.uk from loading
#127.0.0.1 msid.msn.com # prevents encarta.msn.co.uk from loading
#127.0.0.1 fpdownload.macromedia.com #Prevents Macromedia Updates
#127.0.0.1 pinger.macromedia.com #Prevents Macromedia Updates
#127.0.0.1 download.macromedia.com #Prevents Macromedia Updates

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

Oh, for the people who check out my installer, can you tell me any problems you might have, and what OS you&#39;re running on?

Also, should I add a small text editor to the installer? If I were going to, I would add EditPad Lite (http://www.editpadpro.com/editpadlite.html). I&#39;&#39;ve used it and I replaced notepad with it. Very efficient. I should ask the creator of course. :D

-- Xero Grid --

[h1]

:lol: I get free advertising now.

Great job, Xero Grid. B)

[h1]

TextPad (http://www.textpad.com) would be better. Include the 30-day trial and I&#39;ll see to it that the end user... fill in the rest. :D

[100%]

Brilliant thanx for all the work

What exactly is the Lock Hosts (is that something to prevent hosts from being changed?)
and
why is it necessary to disable the DNS server - what is it?
(ever since i disabled it- iget alot more questions about downloading stuff-eg.in hotmail it asks if i want to download some adxxx.dll file wtf? never seen that before-but it keeps poping up - i guess this is a good thing)
Does the Hosts file also work with Firefox?
Thanx

[Xero Grid]

Okay, I got some big changes in mind, for starters, but I&#39;ll give out the details when I finally complete it. Shouldn&#39;t take too long.


Since the HOSTS file is a Operating System file, it will work with any browser... and the entries will work in any operating system, except Macs have a slightly different format.


The Lock HOSTS option is another security measure, that will make the attributes of the HOSTS file Read-Only, and hidden. You can view it, but if you&#39;re going to edit it, then you need to unlock it.


As for the DNS client service. I made the installer so this option would only appear in Windows 2000 and XP. Now there was a problem that started with Windows 2000 that I mentioned briefly in the installer. Basically, with large HOSTS files, the service tries to cache all the locations of each entry in the file and tries to resolve them... or something to that effect. This can cause a lag about 20 or 30 seconds or so, either at boot time, or when you virst start your browser. If you open task manager, you should see "svchosts.exe" taking up 100% of your cpu during that time. Even though this generally happens in Windows 2000, I&#39;ve seen it happen with almost every XP machine I&#39;ve worked on. The option DOES NOT make any changes other than making it so the service doesn&#39;t start up on it&#39;s own.

Choosing "Manual" will make it so if any application needs it, it will start up on it&#39;s own. Choosing "Disable" will... well disable iot completely. If you need to change the setting, you cna either uninstall and simply change the option on reinstallation, or you canoprn a run box, and type "sevices.msc" (without quotes) and it will be there.

Keep in mind that the common user doesn not need this service, nor does it have any dependncies with Windows. There is also no known application that needs it. It isn&#39;t needed for DNS lookups, but apparently, if you attempt to repair you internet connection via opening the Local Area Connection Status menu, you will get an error.
Please, also note, that the lag doesn&#39;t happen to every computer and I placed it there as a "just-in-case" measure, so you shouldn&#39;t have to disable the service by hand.


A bit drawn out, but I hope that helped. :)


-- Xero Grid --

[100%]

XeroGrid
Thanx for the info-that helps alot
presently running it - cpu does use 100% at all.

Cheers

[OPaul]

www.aprelium.com is Abyss Web Server, not sure why it&#39;s blocked.

I also had to add a840.g.akamai.net to my IE trusted sites to get Trend Micro&#39;s online virus scanner to work. Not sure if that was related to this installer through.

[Xero Grid]

a840.g.akamai.net is on the HOSTS file apart of the ads component, but it is not among the restricted domain registry entries.

I&#39;ll see if I should remove it from any later release.
That&#39;s the thing.... Akamai is notorious for ads, but also have numerous legit sites hosted on their servers, and I have a nice long list of their servers, but only know of few conflicts.

As for www.aprelium.com, like I said, I had to deal with a lot of HOSTS files, and the entries were making my eyes bleed. :lol:
Must&#39;ve slipped through the cracks.

I thank everyone who gives me some input. It would be so much more difficult to examine all the conflicting entries myself.

-- Xero Grid --

[Expire]

Originally posted by Xero Grid@5 April 2004 - 20:48
a840.g.akamai.net is on the HOSTS file apart of the ads component, but it is not among the restricted domain registry entries.

I&#39;ll see if I should remove it from any later release.
That&#39;s the thing.... Akamai is notorious for ads, but also have numerous legit sites hosted on their servers, and I have a nice long list of their servers, but only know of few conflicts.

As for www.aprelium.com, like I said, I had to deal with a lot of HOSTS files, and the entries were making my eyes bleed. :lol:
Must&#39;ve slipped through the cracks.

I thank everyone who gives me some input. It would be so much more difficult to examine all the conflicting entries myself.

-- Xero Grid --
so if i install this program i can add popups that get through it and itll block it from then on?

[Xero Grid]

Essentially, yes. You can right-click on a pop-up, and look at what address it comes from (not always the same as the address bar), and add the main site name to the HOSTS file, in the same format as the other entries.

A few things to keep in mind:
- The HOST file cannot block addresses that start with IP addresses. There is another another way to handle these. You can add the IP address into the restricted sites zone of your internet settings.

- Some pop-ups use multiple servers. The code that geberates the pop-up will be executed from one and the image will be downloaded from another. If only the image server is blocked, you will still get the pop-up and it will be blank. My file blocks many of the code execution servers.

- What&#39;s great about Supertrick is, it isn&#39;t a program, so it doesn&#39;t slow down your computer. It edits something already in your computer. :D


========================

About restricted sites zone:
This is something used by Internet Explorer and IE based browsers. It shouldn&#39;t work for Mozilla-based broswers. Some examples of browsers that will work are IE, MyIE2, Avant Broswer, SlimBrowser, and the dreaded AoHell.

-- Xero Grid --

[shn]

Great work Xero-Grid http://www.alexscriptengine.de/news_engine/smilie/thumbs-up.gif

I&#39;ll give it a try here soon. My XP is in hiding at he moment. :P

[deathonastick]

My Supertrick is bigger than your Supertrick:

ed2k://|file|hosts.rar|130867|07a8fe32878f01f95bbbc186cd099b28|/

Enjoy&#33; :D

[Xero Grid]

Maybe you shouldn&#39;t download it yet. I am almost done with a new version already.

One thing, though. Would adding a text editor be wanted... or even used? I think the OS specific shortcut should be sufficiant. I really need the installer to be as small as possible. With my current changes, it&#39;s 1 mb even. So, for now, I think I&#39;ll leave the user to either use notepad or wordpad.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

I wouldn&#39;t include a text editor, I know I wouldn&#39;t bother with it, TextPad works for me.

Also one other entry that seems out of place in the HOSTS file is hotpop.com and www.hotpop.com. Their just a free POP email provider.

[Xero Grid]

Originally posted by deathonastick@6 April 2004 - 21:51
My Supertrick is bigger than your Supertrick:

ed2k://|file|hosts.rar|130867|07a8fe32878f01f95bbbc186cd099b28|/

Enjoy&#33; :D
I didn&#39;t try to make it the biggest in the world. :lol:

I wanted it to do more than the standard supertrick. My full HOSTS file is over 2 mb, blocking well over 73,000 servers. That&#39;s enough. :D

Are you sure you removed all duplicates, spaces, and comments? Don&#39;t know because I didn&#39;t download it.
I didn&#39;t download it because... (and this is gonna sounds really dumb) I have no idea how to use that link. :lol:

-- Xero Grid --

[shn]

Originally posted by Xero Grid@6 April 2004 - 20:56
Maybe you shouldn&#39;t download it yet. I am almost done with a new version already.

One thing, though. Would adding a text editor be wanted... or even used? I think the OS specific shortcut should be sufficiant. I really need the installer to be as small as possible. With my current changes, it&#39;s 1 mb even. So, for now, I think I&#39;ll leave the user to either use notepad or wordpad.

-- Xero Grid --
Well I was going to since I&#39;m on another box but if you say so, I&#39;ll wait. :P

[h1]

That&#39;s an ED2K link, just use it like a Sig2Dat link with any eDonkey2000 client.

:P BTW, Supertrick XG has been downloaded over 1500 times. :clap:

[Xero Grid]

:lol: That&#39;s why I didn&#39;t know it. It looked familiar, but I&#39;ve never used eDonkey before.

:blink: ...1500 times....
Woohoo&#33; :lol:

I didn&#39;t expect that kind of response. This was technically a beta, too. :D
I knew it wouldn&#39;t cause any problems though.

I think it&#39;s already time for a new installer. Fixed several problems that I found along with some suggestions from users.

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

Okay, I&#39;m done with version 1.1. It has a nice list of changes all logged.
I currently updated the link to the new version, but I haven&#39;t been able to contact haxor41789, yet. So it is temperarily hosted at Yousendit.com (http://www.yousendit.com)

==========================
Changes in version 1.1:
- Fixed bug in choosing DNS client service setting.
- Added more entries to the several components of the blocklists.
- Changed the format of some entries in HOSTS file that were causing conflicts with legitimate sites. They were left there so the user can see what not to use. The entries will not be used with the other valid entries.
- Removed some blocklist redundancies.
- Reordered some HOSTS file entries to properly fit the component categories.
- Made base HOSTS file no longer mandatory, although it is highly recommended to install it.
- Made adding restricted domains option more comprehensive by adding many more malicious domains and seperating them into sections.
- Removed having to make a choice between having a HOSTS file editor in quicklaunch or on the desktop. The user can have both.
- Fixed a registry key for eDexter. It is now only installed if edexter is installed.
- Fixed problem with eDexter files installing without the user choosing the component.
- Fixed problem with eDexter not starting automatically with Windows when chosen.
- eDexter no longer requires a restart to begin replacing ad images. It starts after installation.
- If eDexter is still running during installation, it will be deleted upon the next restart.
- Setup now compiled with Inno Setup 4.2.1.
- Minor cosmetic changes to installer.
=================================

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Very nice, no problems installing.

[Xero Grid]

Good. :D

Okay, any problems would be appreciated, but I don&#39;t expect any.
I triple checked everything. :lol:

I think it&#39;s stable enough to keep it here for quite a while.

NOTE: Uninstalling any old version of Supetrick or Supertrick XG before installing the new one would be advised. It&#39;s a given really....

-- Xero Grid --

[h1]

Updated to version 1.1.

http://www.supertrickxg.tk

[h1]

Added new entries myself and removed some offending ones.

http://www.supertrickxg.tk

[Xero Grid]

I&#39;m actually really curious as to how you did that. :lol:

Did you recreate my installer?

-- Xero Grid --

[zapjb]

I installed this & my 56k got f&#39;d. Went from 48Kbps to 19.2Kbps. What&#39;s up with that? I would have liked to use this. Oh well thats where my sig comes in handy. :lol:

[h1]

No, I just had a friend disassemble the original installer and then reassemble what I sent back to him. :)

[OPaul]

Originally posted by zapjb@11 April 2004 - 06:56
I installed this & my 56k got f&#39;d. Went from 48Kbps to 19.2Kbps. What&#39;s up with that? I would have liked to use this. Oh well thats where my sig comes in handy. :lol:
Did you turn the DNS Client service off?

[zapjb]

You got me OPaul. Where, how, why? Thanks.

[OPaul]

Originally posted by zapjb@11 April 2004 - 14:17
You got me OPaul. Where, how, why? Thanks.
Start--&#62;Run--&#62;services.msc--&#62;DNS Client--&#62;Turn it off and see if that helps, if it does disable it.

[zapjb]

Thanks Opaul. I&#39;ll try this after the next time I clone my HDD.

[sharedholder]

When goes final send me a pm , i&#39;ll host and post on klitetools.com site. :)

[Xero Grid]

DNS client service.... That&#39;s why I placed the option to configure it in my installer. :lol:

sharedholder, that&#39;s awesome. Thanx :D


Well, the only problems now are with the blocklists themselves.
Will probably integrate "name brand ads" option and "useless" into a secondary ads component. I am breaking apart the Porn blocking section. There are a lot of regular ad entries that should be in other sections.
Currently almost done.

I was thinking about adding an option to install a program that uses the HOSTS file to speed up browsing by caching the IP address and recording it in the HOSTS file, but I really want to minimize the programs running in the backround. Plus, it can hypothetically cause problems, and I just never get around to actually trying the program.... :lol:

-- Xero Grid --

[zapjb]

Umm XG you&#39;re not using this?

[Xero Grid]

Not using it? I made it.
You think I&#39;m just gonna release it without testing it?

I started this to make it easier for myself at first, but I decided to give it away.
What OS are you using? The problem should only be in Windows 2000 and XP machines. It is only on these systems that the option to configure the DNS client service shows up.

-- Xero Grid --

[zapjb]

Xero Grid&nbsp; Posted on 11 April 2004 - 19:29
...I just never get around to actually trying the program....

Guess I misunderstood this.

Btw I&#39;m using XP Corp.

Not going to try this again for a while as I stated earlier.


zapjb&nbsp; Posted on 11 April 2004 - 13:28
&nbsp; Thanks Opaul. I&#39;ll try this after the next time I clone my HDD.


Thanks. L8r.

[Xero Grid]

Oh, you see, I was talking about integrating FastNet99 into my installer, but I never get around to trying it.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Another fishy entry.

pics.ebaystatic.com

Blocks a lot of Ebay pictures, and I mean a lot.

[Xero Grid]

Originally posted by OPaul@12 April 2004 - 01:17
Another fishy entry.

pics.ebaystatic.com

Blocks a lot of Ebay pictures, and I mean a lot.
Thank you&#33;
That would&#39;ve been bad to release a new version with that entry still there.

BTW, a new version is on the way.

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

Version 1.2 released. ENJOY&#33;
First post updated. Will add another link once installer is hosted on klitetools.com.
I would also like to have a torrent link, but can&#39;t ever find a decent tracker, and direct torrent links aren&#39;t allowed.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

No problems at all (except my ISP blocking all the TK domains).

[h1]

Version 1.2 is live.

Download (http://www.supertrickxg.tk)

[sharedholder]

Xero Grid i got your pm, please send me a full description about the proggye with the supported OS. :)

DOWNLOAD (http://www.klitetools.com/MM/Supertrick%20XG%201.2.exe)

[Xero Grid]

Updated first post. Now, currently two links to installer.
So, people who have ISPs blocking .TK domains can download it now. :D

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

Hey, it looks good there. :lol:
Image Resized
[img]http://server6.uploadit.org/files/XeroGrid-Capture3.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://server6.uploadit.org/files/XeroGrid-Capture3.jpg')

Thanks a lot sharedholder.

-- Xero Grid --

[sharedholder]

:) :rolleyes: B)

[OPaul]

Another useless entry.

imdb.com

[winXPHE]

hey nice theme/style
which 1 is it?

[Xero Grid]

Entry removed from next release. Thanx
I am working on a new release, but I&#39;ll take my time. It&#39;s not exactly revolutionary, and I don&#39;t have any problems to fix.

The theme is actually only on my browser MyIE2 (http://www.myie2.com/) and it&#39;s called Crystal 2 V3.0. The skin site is HERE (http://www.skinnable.com/myie2/)
I think you should be able to find the icons themselves HERE (http://www.mavisxp.com/crystal/index.htm)

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

ffmedia.ign.com
Blocks like every image on IGN, see here (http://filmforce.ign.com/startrek/articles/502/502404p1.html).

[Xero Grid]

Thanx, OPaul. It&#39;s been removed.
I will release a new version soon, and the changes I made were bigger than I thought it would be. I should make a site for this, but I&#39;m too lazy. :lol:
I&#39;ll probably get around to it.

BTW, I added a notes file (which should answer many people&#39;s questions) to the version I&#39;m going to release, and anyone who helped me out is acknowledged at the bottom.

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

Updated version to 1.3. I made a lot more changes than I originally intended, but it&#39;s all for the better. Significant changes in usability and security. I hope everyone likes it. :lol:

Temporarily hosted on yousendit.com. Will let everyone know when both sites have been updated. View changes on the first post.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Everything installed smoothly, nice.

What&#39;s the name of the DCOM service in services.msc?

[Xero Grid]

It&#39;s not a typical service. If you want to enable/disable it, go to the following registry key (Or you can make a patch with the following):


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

&#91;HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE&#092;SOFTWARE&#092;Microsoft&#092;Ole&#93;
&#34;EnableDCOM&#34;=&#34;N&#34;


"N" means disabled. "Y" means enabled. Works on all versions of Windows.

You can use the following tools to check for the M&#036; patch, disable/enable it and check to see if it&#39;s enabled or not and to check if the port it uses is open.
DCOMbobulator (http://grc.com/dcom/)

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

Hey, all. Made a last minute revision. If you already have version 1.3, you don&#39;t need the new version. It&#39;s just a bit smaller and I fixed a few spelling errors. The temporary download link is updated, but the klitetools site and supertrickxg.tk haven&#39;t been updated yet.

-- Xero Grid --

[sharedholder]

Gonna be updated in the next 2-3 hours.Thanks for SUPERTRICK. :)

[Xero Grid]

Coolness. Spread the love. :lol:

BTW, I&#39;m making a really simple site for my projects. It&#39;s on a free webhosting service and it&#39;s only really basic html at the moment. I&#39;m not gonna make anything fancy any time soon. But at least it&#39;ll be a way to post links without them being blocked and spread some info on internet security.

-- Xero Grid --

[sharedholder]

Supertrick XG 1.3 updated .Hosted by The Home Of The Freeware.

[Xero Grid]

Good.
I updated the links on my sig as well to include the little project page I just created. It&#39;ll allow me to organize data, and post much more info. It&#39;s a real simple site. If you wanna check it out, click on the link that say Supertrick XG project page in m sig.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Would it be alright if I post Super XG on the Neowin Forums?
http://www.neowin.net

[Xero Grid]

Sure. Spread the love. Post it wherever you like. Of course, I would just like to know where it&#39;s been posted, but that&#39;s it. I was actually thinking about posting it on Betanews.com.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Posted.
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=8&t=161455

[OPaul]

googleadservices.com
www.googleadservices.com

Prevents click through links on Google like the "Sponsored Links".

[Xero Grid]

Posted.
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=8&t=161455

:lol: I should sign up for that forum, just to say "hi, I&#39;m that wise guy."



googleadservices.com
www.googleadservices.com

Prevents click through links on Google like the "Sponsored Links".

Entries removed. I also removed many entries blocking the MSN sites from the porn blocking component .There are so many entries in that component. It&#39;s difficult to break it up. The ads component is getting heavy as well. I only chipped a few kilobytes off. It&#39;s still about half a Mb.

I also added a short Troubleshooting page to my little projects site. It only has a few common problems right now, but there aren&#39;t too many issues with my installer, which is good. :D

--EDIT--
Something didn&#39;t seem right, and I decided to doublecheck the entries. Something just doesn&#39;t seem right about those entries. I mean, they definately deliver ads, but first of all, the addresses give you this BS error message.
Image Resized
Image Resized
[img]http://server6.uploadit.org/files/XeroGrid-GoogleBS.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> (http://server6.uploadit.org/files/XeroGrid-GoogleBS.jpg)

The Sponsored links have addresses that go through ad servers, too.

Whatever. I&#39;m kinda tired. :lol: Either way, it&#39;s still in the restricted sites zone. You can go through the server. It just can&#39;t do anything naughty. :lol:


--EDIT--
Just an update.
I&#39;m attempting to remove a lot of entries that are obsolete, and even more that are blocking decent sites. For example, The Apple Quicktime site is totally screwed. I have to eliminate those entries even though they are the dreaded akamai servers. <_<


-- Xero Grid --

[littlestevee]

Does this Supertrick thing work with Firefox?

[Lite]

Originally posted by littlestevee@1 May 2004 - 11:39
Does this Supertrick thing work with Firefox?
Yes.

[OPaul]

util.anonymizer.com

Blocks http://www.anonymizer.com Free Private Surfing

[Xero Grid]

Entry removed. Thanx.
BTW, I want to release a new version soon. I have some new features in mind that will make your internet life that much easier. ;) :lol:

-- Xero Grid --

[tesco]

hey i just installed that supertrick thing again, ive had it before but cant remember what was wrong that i uninstalled ;) so i installed again, then decided to find that rogers speed test to see if its any slower, and i typed in www.rogers.com, then it went to my download folder (D:&#092;download folder). its the wierdest thing, thats the onnly site that does that, is this a problem inn the hosts file? can you tell me how to fix it?

[Xero Grid]

That doesn&#39;t happen to me, so it&#39;s not the installer.
It could be something else that edited the HOSTS file to create a redirection. It doesn&#39;t sound too likely, but it&#39;s my best guess. I would suggest running HijackThis (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html) to be sure. It&#39;ll detect any HOSTS file redirections.

If you had selected to clear the HOSTS file before installation, there wouldn&#39;t be any redirections, but then again, I don&#39;t know exactly what could be casuing that..

-- Xero Grid --

[erRor67]

Open the HOSTS file in notepad and see if any of them redirect to unwanted sites. Manly non-127.0.0.1 entries if all you use the HOSTS file is for blocking sites.

it would be a cool option if you had included an updater that updated the hosts file from a located on the web. Sort of like updating the badip files for Kazaa Lite. :unsure:

[Xero Grid]

Well, I could post a downloadable text file online and people can use the HOSTSTool to update the HOSTS file, but what about the entries that block legit sites? They would stay in the HOSTS file. Or the other features such as adding malicious sites to the restricted sites zone. I would have to make downloadable registry patches, but any changes that the installer didn&#39;t make, the uninstaller can&#39;t unmake, so it might make it more difficult for the user.

I would also have to make a registry patch for the features I&#39;m coming up with in the next version. Blacklisting known spyware ActiveX controls and spyware cookies&#33; I was surprised how simple it was when I found out. :lol:

BTW, does anyone know how I can silently edit a text file?
I have another feature in mind that would require appending an already existing .txt file. Help would be appreciated. :D

-- Xero Grid --

[sharedholder]

300 downloads this month B)

200 downloads last month B)

Keep up the good work &#33; :)

[Xero Grid]

Version 1.4 (https://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=17103CBBC249FE122DBF8A4550EBD1BB) is out. Lot&#39;s of nice changes.

I will be posting another download link soon. I just have to work something out. :P

I set up an e-mail account for the project and completely revamped the project page. I moved many entries to the base HOSTS file even though I wanted to keep it as lean as possible to prevent conflicts with legit sites, so if anyone has a problem with the entries, post it.

Enjoy, and peace. ;)

--EDIT--
Last download link posted. I really thank everyone who helps me out. I know bandwidth is precious. :D

Hey, this topic has reached over 1,000 views. :01: :lol:

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Not sure if it was just my imagination but the installation seemed to go a lot faster that time. One thing though, the installation did not STOP the DNS Client service, it only disabled it. So you might want to add a "Please restart to complete installation" or make the installation run the net stop command.

[Xero Grid]

Well, I was thinking about having a restart after installation, but I thought ti would be too annoying to restart every time and it&#39;s only system services that don&#39;t have an immediate effect.
Hmm... maybe I can just add a note after installation saying that not all changes will take place until the next reboot. I did that in early test versions I made, but took it off thinking it wasn&#39;t too relavant. I am going to have to think this over again but what does everyone else think?

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

Can you not just have the installation run net stop "dns client" at the end? That will stop service without having to restart.

[Xero Grid]

Oh, man. That is blindingly easy. I can&#39;t believe I missed that. I feel bad that I didn&#39;t know that command. :lol:

Well, the actual command is this:
net stop dnscache

If nothing else, I can make a batch file that extracts to a temp directory and executes, and problem solved.
Thanx, OPaul.

--EDIT--
I made a last minute revision, even though I don&#39;t like to do that, but the only change is the one stated above, and if you already installed 1.4, you don&#39;t need the revision.

The only change is that the DNS client service is stopped is chosen upon installation. The other services are not noticable and can wait until the next restart for the setting to be permenant.

-- Xero Grid --

[erRor67]

Ok, im hosting the file on my site, http://bishtawi.owns.it :D

Edit: and why are you blocking http://www.has.it ??? A lot of people use that site as a redirection to their websites. :unsure:

[Xero Grid]

Cool. It&#39;s really great since I can&#39;t afford hosting. I&#39;m too poor. :lol:
So, thanks.

Am I correct in saying that you posted it on four mirrors? Should I post all of them individually or does your site use a script that randomly choose mirrors? Your help will be noted of course. ;) :D

--EDIT--
Another one that slipped through. I don&#39;t use it so naturally I missed it. But as long as "www." is used in the URL, it won&#39;t be blocked because only "has.it" is currently blocked.

-- Xero Grid --

[UcanRock2]

Hey Grid

Some software programs block editing the Hosts file.

Here is the info I received from my original Hosts file. Maybe it&#39;ll help others as well.


The purpose of this HOSTS file is to act as an ad-blocker,
it will significantly reduce the number of pop-up ads that will appear while you are surfing the internet.
Not every pop-up will be blocked, because the internet is dynamic and is constantly changing.
Additional entries may be edited into the file, they can be used to either block previously unrecognized pop-up ads,
or to allow quicker access to frequently visited sites.
The process is simple, but it is imperative that you understand the file format before you do any editing.

A quick lesson about the HOSTS file.

The HOSTS file does not have any extension (like .bat .dll .exe, etc.), it is simply named HOSTS.
The pound sign (#)is frequently used within the HOSTS file. When the # symbol is encountered,
it is usually at the beginning of a line. The # sign is interpreted to mean that everything that follows can be ignored.
Any text that is preceded by a # sign is considered to be a comment. For an entry, within the HOST file, to be interpreted correctly,
the entry must follow a specific format. The format is made up of two seperate parts.
The first part is a "numbers" address (the IP address).
This part consists of a series of numbers, seperated by periods (like 192.24.15.1).
This "numbers" address is somewhat akin to a telephone number, it is the "real" address of a site.
The second part of a line entry is the site name, this is a series of "words", seperated by periods.
These "words" are used to find the "numbers" address for, and then to connect to, the specified site.
Addresses like www.mysite.com and ftp.down.net are both "words" addresses.
A "words" address can be roughly equated to the name that you might write next to a speed-dial button,
on a conventional telephone. On a phone, when you select a name and push the corresponding speed-dial button,
a series of numbers are dialed, and a connection is made.
The resulting connection was solely due to the numbers dialed, not the name associated with them.
The name was just a convenience to allow for easy identification of the underlying numbers.
An internet "words" address serves a very similar function,
it is only a convenient way to reference the underlying "numbers" address. To actually go to any web site, if you enter a "words" address,
it must first be converted to a "numbers" address.
This conversion is accomplished by, first, looking within the HOSTS file, then, if needed, looking at a conversion database,
located within an internet "names server" (Domain Name Server or DNS for short).
After the "numbers" address is obtained, a connection is established. As previously stated,
when trying to convert a "words" address, to a "numbers" address, the HOSTS file is checked first.
The enclosed HOSTS file contains a very large listing of pop-up advertising sites, in "words" format.
Each of these sites has been assigned the "numbers" address of 127.0.0.1 (0.0.0.0 might also be used),
instead of their correct "numbers" addresses. The addresses 127.0.0.1 and 0.0.0.0 point to your local machine (the one you are using to read this).
Thus, because the HOSTS file provides a "numbers" address first,
the correct "numbers" address is never looked up, on the internet. So, by redirecting all these "words" addresses
to your own machine, you prevent them from connecting to the places that have the pop-up ads.
If they can&#39;t connect to the ad site, they can&#39;t get the pop-up contents, thus the ads can not appear.

As stated previously, the HOSTS file may be edited, at any time, to include any new sites that you want to block, or you may also edit in correct IP addresses,
for any sites that you visit frequently.
There is no reason that correct "numbers" addresses can&#39;t be mixed with the phony ones. When entered, correct IP addresses will speed up access to the corresponding site,
this is because the "numbers" are obtained from your computer,
instead of from a DNS on the net. Simply obtain the correct "numbers" address, for any desired "words" address, and manually enter them into the HOSTS file.
It is important that you adhere to the same format that has been used by all the other entries. You may obtain the correct "numbers" address for any "words"
address by using the TRACERT command. This command is supplied as part of the Windows operating system.
The TRACERT command must be run from the "DOS Prompt". For example, to obtain the "numbers" for www.google.com, open the "DOS Prompt" window and type the command TRACERT WWW.GOOGLE.COM.
The only part of the resulting display that you will need is the first line. It will say "Tracing route to ....", it will then restate the "words" address,
and it will also show the "numbers" address, in square brackets. This "numbers" address, along with the corresponding "words" address,
can then be typed into the HOSTS file.

Please note that the preceding editing process is not a needed part of this installation. This information has only been provided to give you some guidance concerning
additional use and customization of the HOSTS file.
The HOSTS file supplied in this package may be used without any modifications. If unmodified, this HOSTS file will block those annoying pop-ups,
but it will not speed up your surfing (except that you won&#39;t have to close all those stupid advertising windows).

To start using this HOSTS file, it must be extracted, copied or moved to the appropriate directory. If you are using:

Win95,98, or ME, extract it into your Windows directory.
This is normally C:&#092;Windows

WinNT or 2000, extract it to winnt&#092;system32&#092;drivers&#092;etc
This is normally C:&#092;WinNT&#092;System32&#092;Drivers&#092;Etc

Windows XP, extract it to &#092;windows&#092;system32&#092;drivers&#092;etc
This is normally C:&#092;windows&#092;system32&#092;drivers&#092;etc

If Windows is not on your "C" drive, simply modify the
path to reflect your correct Windows directory.

Before using this HOSTS file, make a backup copy of your current HOSTS file, just in case something should go wrong.
A reasonable alternative is to just RENAME the original HOSTS file (I used HOSTS1).

It is strongly suggested that you open the original HOSTS file, with any text editor (like NOTEPAD), to examine its contents.
Some programs, like Norton Antivirus, may have added entries.
If the original HOSTS file does actually contain any entries, it is advisable to highlight them, right-click on the highlighted text,
then choose COPY, to copy them to the clipboard. After the entries are copied, the original HOSTS file may be closed.
Next, open the new HOSTS file (the one that came in this archive), with any text editor (like NOTEPAD), choose a convenient place within the file
(I chose the top, after the comments, but before the other entries). Exact position is not important. After your cursor is positioned, at the spot you want to use,
right-click that spot, choose PASTE, and any material that you copied from the original file will be inserted into the new HOSTS file.

Lastly, if you do come across new pop-ups, that are not currently blocked, please submit the site name, but substitute 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0 for the IP address.

[Xero Grid]

Yep, that should answer some questions. Well, except having to open the HOSTS file with notepad to merge the entries because my installer does that for you. :P


Oh, I can&#39;t forget. Here are a couple of entries that will be removed from the next version. You can choose to remove them on your own if you wish.


127.0.0.1 omen.ru
127.0.0.1 has.it
127.0.0.1 a744.g.akamai.net

I will make a table on the project page displaying currently conflicting entries that will be removed from the next release.

-- Xero Grid --

[erRor67]

Originally posted by Xero Grid@15 May 2004 - 18:50
Cool. It&#39;s really great since I can&#39;t afford hosting. I&#39;m too poor. :lol:
So, thanks.

Am I correct in saying that you posted it on four mirrors? Should I post all of them individually or does your site use a script that randomly choose mirrors? Your help will be noted of course. ;) :D

--EDIT--
Another one that slipped through. I don&#39;t use it so naturally I missed it. But as long as "www." is used in the URL, it won&#39;t be blocked because only "has.it" is currently blocked.

-- Xero Grid --
Yup, its on four different mirrors owned by me. I only do it cause sometimes one doesnt work or one would banned me from stealing their bandwidth. Just like them to my site, dont give them the dirrect link cause I dont like that, its leeching <_<
Lol, ok, keep up the good work, its cool to see that the installer isnt just about the supertrick and HOSTS file, you got other neat options avaible. :lol:

[Xero Grid]

I made the changes to the project page and as usual, anyone who helps is duely noted.
On another note, I introduced my installer to the B.I.S.S. forums (http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?act=idx). Someone liked it and maybe I can get some more help from there as well as here.

-- Xero Grid --

[erRor67]

http://www.grc.com has a lot of info on security. It also has some info on disabling certain services that are useless and a security risk. You already have some of them included in the installer, but you can always add more ;)

[Xero Grid]

That&#39;s actually where I got the idea for disabling some of those services. :lol:
I was thinking about adding and option to disabling Universal Plug and Plug, but I don&#39;t think it&#39;s really that important. I do have that URL in the Supertrick XG readme file, though.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

aim-charts.pf.aol.com

Causes AIM version 5.5.3595 (and probably previous versions) to lock up as soon as you sign online, even with that AIM.com Today window turned off on startup.

-- EDIT: --
spamarrest.com
www.spamarrest.com

It&#39;s in the "Less common ads, useless sites, and bogus sites" but it seems legit to me, not them I would be willing to sign up to find out however.

-- EDIT 2: --
infobeat.com
www.infobeat.com

Seems like a news article site to me.

[erRor67]

You know, Xero Grid, seeing as alot of people block freewebs.com you can always move to another host. I use to have freewebs but its sucks as in you can only load one file at a time. I recommend other free hosting. Just search on Google. You can probably find some without ads, FTP enabled, and good space and bandwidth.

Edit: and on freewebs, cant u put your installer on there?

[Xero Grid]

OPaul, I&#39;ll put those emtries on the exclusions list for now until I can get some confirmation. Better to be safe than sorry... but I guess that logic can work both ways.

Bishtawiman, it&#39;s funny that you said that because Nightstalker just contacted me and asked me if I wanted to host the site on [SPAM], which has a reliable server. I&#39;ve been looking for a way to get away from freewebs anyway. :lol:

I can&#39;t say enough, how cool everyone&#39;s been with me and my little project. ;) B)

--EDIT--
I wouldn&#39;t risk putting my installer on freewebs because free sites like that don&#39;t allow for much bandwidth. I mean it&#39;s been downloaded hundreds upon hundreds of times on all mirrors since it&#39;s first release and freewebs probably couldn&#39;t handle more than a hundred... probably not even fourty times. I forgot the exact limitations.

-- Xero Grid --

[Hitchhiker427]

Yeah, I tried your newer version, and I couldn&#39;t use AIM anymore. I had to go back to 1.3.

[HeWhoWatches]

Great program, just the sort of thing I was looking for... Thanks&#33;
One thing I noticed:

Image Resized
[img]http://members.lycos.co.uk/perceptualmotion/jpg/xg.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://members.lycos.co.uk/perceptualmotion/jpg/xg.jpg')

Ad-aware picks up what you see above (ignoring the Alexa one at the top obviously&#33;)...

I would think it does this because certain addresses are often entered into the hosts file to redirect your browser for malicious reasons. Ad-aware probably doesn&#39;t know that if the redirection is to 127.0.0.1 it&#39;ll be blocked so it treats any suspect entry the same. Is this just about accurate?

Sorry if anyone&#39;s already pointed this out - on dialup so reading through every page of the thread would take a long time.

[Xero Grid]

Interesting. I&#39;ve never seen those results from a scan before, but yes, if you already have spyware and it tries to contact home, it will be redirected to your box, so it can&#39;t do anything. So, Ad-aware either can&#39;t tell the difference from a malicious redirection and one you use to protect youself, or since the redirection is related to specific spyware that was already there, it probably thinks it was caused by it.

Oh, BTW, I kind of did a silent release on the tw mirrors I have direct access to, in an attempt to minimize AIM problems, but I did post a warning and how to get rid of the problem on the project page. I doubt people would have problems with Trillian (http://trillian.cc/index.php), Gaim (http://gaim.sourceforge.net/), Miranda Instant Mesenger (http://www.miranda-im.org/), Messenger2 (http://www.messenger2.com/), or any of the other multi-IM clients that support AIM, but I can&#39;t confirm this, right now.

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

No problems with Trillian.

[Hitchhiker427]

I&#39;m not having problems with AIM anymore, thanks.

[apunkrockmonk]

wierd, I have st 1.4 and never had any problems with aim.

[Xero Grid]

I&#39;m not having problems with AIM anymore, thanks.

Thank OPaul. ;)



wierd, I have st 1.4 and never had any problems with aim.

Well, did you install the component with the entry that causes the problem? Otherwise, I have no idea. :lol:


On another note, filehsaringplace is my new host.
Of course, because of some damn genius, me placing the URL anywhere on this board, will be replaced with [SPAM]. I got a way around that, though. I&#39;m not advertising filesharingplace. I just want to link to my site.

Why does it seem like the people who help me are banned or I&#39;m just prevented from using their help...?

-- Xero Grid --

[OPaul]

www.stileproject.com

Probably would be more fitting under the pornography section, right now it&#39;s under "Most of the more common ads, banners, and pop-ups"

[Xero Grid]

Done.

[OPaul]

Oh shit.. where&#39;d all those bad entires go I posted? Well if you didn&#39;t see them here is the list of commented out entires I have since the last release.

www.audiogalaxy.com -- P2P music sharing
aim-charts.pf.aol.com -- AOL locker uper
ak.buy.com -- product images
dps1.travelocity.com -- travel itaniry
ea.pogo.com -- don&#39;t remember
my.netzero.net -- netzero email
www.stileproject.com -- wrong section
www.thelist.com -- list of ISPs
audiogalaxy.com -- see above
koti.mbnet.fi -- domain forwarding i think
netzero.com -- ISP
netzero.net -- ISP
theproxyconnection.com -- don&#39;t remember
www.mbnet.fi -- don&#39;t remember

-- EDIT --
att.com
Just a phone company

[Xero Grid]

Hey, everybody.
I haven&#39;t been on this forum in a while.

Okay, I&#39;d like to thank everyone for their help, but I don&#39;t think I&#39;m going to visit this forum anymore. I currently don&#39;t have a permenant place to discuss my little project. Really, I haven&#39;t decided exactly what I should do about that, but I can usually be found on the Bluetack Internet Security Forum.
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php

If anyone still wants to help out, I have a SXG thread there as well. That forum is always in need of help, anyway. :lol:

Anyway, it&#39;s at least worth checking out.
Peace.

-- Xero Grid --

[TRshady]

why are google ads blocked?

[Mr.BrYcE]

because these are ads ? 8-)

xerogrid your package is wonderful, really.. if everyone knew it there would be really less problems about spyware.... really, thank you mate.

still... i m having troubles accessing some websites, which i can when i swap to my original host file. these are serious websites... i think maybe you could fix it in your host file.

http://www.boutell.com/ -> this is a website hosting th GD library for PHP.
i wonder if this is because there are google ads on the side of their webpage....

also i cant access www.mtechnik.net which hosts my friend &#39;s website.

so far these are the only sites i can remember having trouble with.
do you want me (us?) to post those mistaken hosts on this board or do u prefer receiving an email ? :)

thank you for your work anyway.
you made my netpeeker firewall blocking feature quite useless :D

[Xero Grid]

Ohh, sorry for not getting back sooner. Like I said, I wasn&#39;t coming back to this forum for a while... if at all. I added the google entries because they are ads... and mostly annoying ones. As accurate and as great as google is, the ads are waaay off many times and some lead to malicious websites. They can always be removed from the HOSTS file.

As for the entries that block legit sites, they will be removed. :)
I am still working on the project, but I haven&#39;t had much time to do it, lately. I have some really cool features in mind, too&#33; The next really great feature I came up with is a HOSTS file updater. I thought I couldn&#39;t do it, but I found a way. This will make things a lot easier and will almost eliminate the need for updating the entire project for quite some time.

About the submissions for inclusions/exclusions, I will be setting up a forum where that can be done. I just have to finish up a few things. Any specific info will be posted on the SXG website when I&#39;m FINALLY done. For now, it may be best to e-mail the submissions, but I will have the board up soon, anyway.

Once again, I&#39;m not coming back to the FST forum when like I used to, so it&#39;ll probably be a while before I read any posts made here. ;)

Peace.

--EDIT--
BTW, www.mtechnik.net is not blocked. http://www.boutell.com/ was being blocked, but only in the Porn-blocking HOSTS file, which I didn&#39;t expect too many people to use. It has been removed, though. ;)

-- Xero Grid --

[Xero Grid]

**Please note that this post has been abandoned.**
**If you want updates or information, visit the links in my sig**

This is it. Version 1.5 is out. For download links, check the first post, or the project page. I now have a small forum just for the project and security related issues. I&#39;m not trying to compete with any other forum. I just needed my own for it. This wasn&#39;t the proper environment for it. If you would like to check it out, check the links in my sig.

Peace. I&#39;m out.

-- Xero Grid --