A Question About My Host File

Hi,
Windows XP Home
IE6/Firefox 0.8
K-Lite v2.6

I just received an e-mail from my financial institution. I know it is safe and
secure to open links from them so, that is not a problem.

When I tried to open a link within the message my default browser,
Firefox 0.8 tried to open it and on the top of a blank page was:
"This site/picture is blocked by the HOSTS file!"

The reason I am posting in FileSharingTalk is because just recently I had
amended my ETC>host file by adding some items that Lite supplied me to
block ads I was still getting in my K-Lite v2.6. I deleted a host.off
file that was in my SYSTEM 32>ETC, added Lite's entries, ads were gone,
and everything was fine.

I'm a little uneasy when it comes to messing with Registry, SYSTEM 32,
Host files and such.
I don't like messing with my system anymore than I have to due to lack
of experience.

So, how can I safely open the link?

I have a couple of small Programs....Hostess 3.0 and also Host Toggle which I've used in the past.
They allow me to toggle the host file off and on.

Am I going to mess things up with KL for example if I toggle OFF
my host file in order to view this link and then toggle it back on? :(

Thanks,
mrlessk :)

your klite will work fine if you turn off your host file. Or if you like you can go to C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc and edit your hosts. file and find the line where your web site in question is at and add a ; in front of it and it will remark it and not block it any longer, or you could just delete that line. That should work.

Quote:

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Originally posted by firefox@10 August 2004 - 14:21
.... find the line where your web site in question is at and add a ; in front of it and it will remark it and not block it any longer, or you could just delete that line.  That should work.

---

Wow! Pure Genius....it worked!
Turns out the link was categorized as an "Ad"....(ad.double click.net) when I right-clicked>Page Info.

I opened etc>host in Notebook, found ad.double click.net, put that semi-colon in front of the IP address,
Saved the file, and the link opened on my next try.

I wonder if I should remove that semi-colon now so as not to receive
any random ads that I don't want?

Thanks much firefox for the cool trick,

Nicely done!
:beerchug:

mrlessk ;)

double click is a online advertising, email marketing company which is related to popups, banners, tracking cookies and more.

therefore i would advise putting this line back in ur hosts.

what did the image show which was blocked? was it an ad?

Quote:

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Originally posted by hungrylilboy@10 August 2004 - 17:21
therefore i would advise putting this line back in ur hosts.
what did the image show which was blocked? was it an ad?

---

Ok, I just removed that semi-colon I inserted in front of 127.0.0.1 ad.doubleclick.net
in host and saved the file which should return it to it's previous state.

Yep, basically the link was an AD for a service they were offering.
Pretty standard stuff.
So, I read it and decided not to take them up on their offer.

This was an interesting excercise. Now I know what to do next time something
is blocked by the host file that I might want to view.

Thanks for the reply,

mrlessk :)