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Ad Blocker recomendations?


fernieite

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Hi all,

 

I'm tired of seeing ads while surfing the web!   Is there anyway I can block them?

 

I use Internet Explorer 10 as my browser and my laptop is an older Toshiba with Windows 7.  I have premium Malwarebytes and Microsoft Security essentials.

 

Thanks.

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Hello Fernieite,

Is there a particular or persistent set of ads that keep showing up?

 

Adblock Plus is an ad blocker  (open-source browser extension)  that is available for Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, and Yandex.

It's free and very simple to install.

https://adblockplus.org/en/internet-explorer

 

I'd also suggest you re-check your I.E. and tighten up the security there, and recheck the Popup blocker setting.

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I'd also suggest you re-check your I.E. and tighten up the security there, and recheck the Popup blocker setting.

 

Yepper.  Should be using IE 11 not IE 10 on Windows 7.

 

I also suggest a real anti virus application and replace Microsoft Security Essentials.

Microsoft Admits That Third-Party Antivirus Is More Effective Than MSE

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Thanks for the responses so far!  There's no particular site that bothers me.  I just see ads on lots of the web pages I'm on (off to the sides of the page) I usually just surf EBay and guitar related forums.

I'm not experiencing any pop ups.  I have my IE pop up blocker enabled, plus all of my IE internet settings are set med-high.

 

I may try the adblock plus.

 

Any other comments?

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Thanks again. 

 

At this point I've only just installed the Adblock plus and left everything else the same.  The results have been fantastic!  :D  All of the sites I regularly visit are ad free like they were years ago.

 

Thanks for all the tips guys!  I'll research the other suggestions as well. :)

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There's nothing wrong with IE. In fact, it is superior in many ways, in particular security in preventing infections through socially engineered distribution methods. So do not pay attention to folks who say to dump it. If you want to use IE, which I do on all my systems, go for it. But since you have Windows 7, you should be using the latest, IE11.  Contrary to what many want you to believe, IE11 is not IE6 (that said, IE6 was not what the FF fanboys and MS bashers said it was either).

Note for the last several years IE has consistently topped its competitors against socially engineered malware. That is the most prolific method of malware distribution. As seen year after year in independent testing by NSS Labs with truly dismal results from some favorites, like Firefox and Safari. And before others balk, as reported by Information Week's Dark Reading, "NSS Labs did not receive any compensation in return for vendor participation; All testing and research was conducted free of charge."

If you want to use an alternative, I recommend Liebao Browser (which is a hybrid IE and Chrome browser) or Chrome. But if you like IE, stick with it, just go with IE11. That said, it does not matter what browser you use, as long as you keep it updated, keep Windows fully updated, have a decent anti-malware solution and firewall, and not be click-happy on unsolicited links, attachments and downloads. But those are things you must do with any browser. So ignore those who try to impose their personal biases on you. 
 
To answer your question, I also recommend and use Adblock Plus for IE. I see by your reply you installed it. Now upgrade to IE11!
 
There is also nothing wrong with MSE (or Windows Defender in W8/W10). You don't need an Abrams tank to be safe. But you do need a properly maintained car and you must drive defensively - which is what you need to do with any anti-malware solution. So if you keep your system fully updated, don't participate in risky behavior (illegal filesharing via Torrents or P2P sites, visiting illegal pornography or gambling sites, and are not click-happy), MSE (or WD) is just fine.
 
See Ask Leo! Do I need to Stop Using Microsoft Security Essentials.

That said, I do recommend having a supplemental scanner just to make sure you, the user (and always weakest link in security) or your anti-malware solution did not let something slip by. And MBAM is perfect for that. And of course, MBAM Premium, with its real-time component, plays well with MSE/WD too.

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Thanks again. 

 

At this point I've only just installed the Adblock plus and left everything else the same.  The results have been fantastic!  :D  All of the sites I regularly visit are ad free like they were years ago.

 

Thanks for all the tips guys!  I'll research the other suggestions as well. :)

 

Yep, ABP is great.

 

Any recommendations for a (free) replacement anti virus?

 

It is a forum practice here NOT to endorse any particular AV (since Malwarebytes Corporation works with so many other security software vendors).

There is no one "best" AV for all computers, all users, and all budgets.

Here is a forum sticky: List of well known antivirus products

Here is another link or two:

http://www.sevenforums.com/system-security/72070-whats-best-anti-virus.html

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/407147/answers-to-common-security-questions-best-practices/

 

As for "Free" antivirus applications, you might find this post interesting and helpful: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/591902/best-antivirus/#entry3833274

 

My own personal opinion is that a few $$ (which works out to pennies a day per computer) for a robust, paid product with good support and without popup ads and bundled toolbars is worth the investment.  And it's cheaper than the lost time and productivity from a serious infection or data breach.

 

Cheers,

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Try uBlock Origin to block adds, I find it works better than adblock or adblock plus.

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I use AdBlockPlus for IE+a 27MB (and counting) HOSTS file (created with HostsMan with an extensive list of custom sources for various HOSTS files). I also set all the blocks in the HOSTS file to 0.0.0.0 rather than 127.0.0.1 (the default loopback address) which seems to have sped things up when browsing and ads get blocked by my HOSTS file, though the primary reason I actually did so was to resolve an issue with DNSCrypt which sets my DNS server address to 127.0.0.1 on my network adapter.

And of course Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium, which I also have installed (naturally) blocks quite a few ads and other often undesirable elements on many webpages.

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Quote

Just to add : I tried ABP in IE11 (I rarely use IE) and it had an impact on browser performance. Could've just been me.

 

My guess is it was conflicting with another add-on or something happened during install or, it is just you! ;) I've been using ABP in IE going back many versions of IE on many systems and never seen it impact performance. I have had ABP stop working, but restarting IE brings it right back.

 

It should be noted that many sites, like most of the free tech support sites, depend on ads to pay the bills. So not all ads are evil.

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Just to add : I tried ABP in IE11 (I rarely use IE) and it had an impact on browser performance. Could've just been me.

 

What did reduce ads and tracking for me without reducing performance was using IE's 'Tracking Protection List' options. You can manipulate the values to an extent within its panel and/or get additional prepackaged lists. Two of the prepackaged ones are also in ABP, Easy List Standard and Easy Privacy.

 

MSFT site -- http://www.iegallery.com/tpl

 

There are sites that host other lists (Malware Domains, Fanboy complete, etc..) that've been converted to IE TPL language.

Yep, I use Tracking Protection as well (EasyPrivacy, PrivacyChoice and Stop Google Tracking). I also have IE configured to ask to allow/deny all cookies from all websites so that each new website I visit throws a prompt to allow once, allow always or block always cookies from the selected site (I usually block unless it's one of the very small handful of sites where I actually need/want cookies, i.e. Netflix, Amazon, the forums here etc.).

edit: By the way, while it's probably overkill, I also use SpywareBlaster to block a ton of stuff via the restricted zone in the registry (handy for blocking cookies and preventing many known malicious sites from being able to execute code/plugins etc.).

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