Defeating the new annoying Drudgereport.com popbehind ads which thwart antipopup software

me | 5/11/04 | adam_az

[adam_az]

I am a frequent Drudgereport.com visitor - in fact, it's my homepage.

Unfortunately, Matt Drudge is using a new type of popup ad which will open the window even if you use anti-popup software.

I am also an afficianado, as I'm sure many other FReepers are, of anti-popup software. I don't mind seeing ads when I browse, but popups are very intrusive and often end up crashing my web browser, or hanging it for a minute or three at a time. BTW, the anti-popup software I use is built into the free & excellent Google Toolbar, available from http://toolbar.google.com/

I don't feel bad for using technical means to control my own computer, so please no moralizing replies about how I'm stealing from the people whose sites utilize these obnoxious ads. They don't have a right to crash my browser!

Here is what you have to do to block the new Drudge Report popups on Windows computers:

Browse your way with File Explorer to

C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc

Right click on the "hosts" file and click "Open With..." then pick Notepad\

Add the following line under the "localhost" entry:

127.0.0.1 a.tribalfusion.com

This will redirect requests for the popup ad to your own computer, preventing the window from opening.

Click File->Save

Close notepad.

You're done!

Your welcome. I thought I'd share this, since I can't be the only one whose been annoyed by this.

[adam_az]

I know Drudge reads Free Republic.

Matt, we love your website - but hate the popups.

Kill 'em and I will not have a reason to explain how to defeat them!

[laotzu]

Good work! Thanks.

[baltodog]

My computer at home is completely frozen because of ads.

I cannot surf the net.

My children even have ads pop up when doing a word document.

[devnull]

Use Mozilla www.mozilla.org

[xrp]

Uh, are you sure? The request to pop open a new window is made from DrudgeReport.com if I am not mistaken, the content is then the other site (tribalfusion.com). You adding a 127.0.0.1 in your hosts file would simply make the pop up window display a "page cannot be displayed" window, unless you run a webserver on your local PC.

[July 4th]

PeerGuardian catches them too, if you use that software. Unfortunately, it also tends to catch a lot of other things that shouldn't be caught.

[adam_az]

It sounds like you have some kind of spyware on your computer

Try running Ad-Aware, the free version is GREAT at finding and removing this stuff.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

[Jonah Hex]

Ping for later...

[Bommer]

Try using a different browser http://www.flashpeak.com It's a free, multi-tabbed browser that blocks pop-ups. I have no problem keeping Drudge Report up and connected to it 24 hours a day with no crashing and no pop-up ads!

[adam_az]

I did it, and it works.

No empty window popus up.

[EggsAckley]

I don't know why, but I'm not getting the pop-up ad on Drudge. I've got a ton of anti-virus, anti-spam, etc. so maybe it's taking care of it for me.

[egarvue]

If you are getting popup ads while not surfing the net, you have worse problems. You probably have some kind of spyware/adware on your system. I don't have the web addresses, but you should search for two programs: AdAware by Lavasoft, and SpyBot Search and Destroy. Download and run those two programs, and they'll clean your system of spyware.

I also use the browser Opera. It has a nifty little feature that I can turn off popups with a click of the mouse. Presto, no more popups. Plus, its the world's fastest browser.

[dagar]

Google toolbar for IE and Mozzilla/NS6 will block it.

The host file thing is good; better if you do it on your box doing IP maquerading (heh, just lost 99% of the audience). I use IPCOP (from IPCOP.org) and have the hosts file resolve all (okay, a huge chunk) of the ads to the loopback (127.0.0.1).

[Freemeorkillme]

bump for Mozilla

[adam_az]

I use Google TOolbar and the new Drudge popup code defeats it. Thats why I wrote this :)

[CyberCowboy777]

I don't use IE for general browsing, I use Firefox and have not seen a popup in some time.

[NeonKnight]

bump

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

The Opera Browser also stops these popups...

[Izzy Dunne]

Here is what you have to do to block the new Drudge Report popups on Windows computers:
Browse your way with File Explorer to
C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc
Right click on the "hosts" file and click "Open With..." then pick Notepad\
Add the following line under the "localhost" entry:
127.0.0.1 a.tribalfusion.com
This will redirect requests for the popup ad to your own computer, preventing the window from opening.
Click File->Save
Close notepad.
You're done!

Here is what you have to do to block the new Drudge Report popups on Macintosh:

Choose BLOCK POP-UP WINDOWS under the SAFARI menu.

You're done!

[thoughtomator]

I know the issue you have... it's not pop-ups, it's the new "Windows Messenger Service".... it is intended for admin messages over corporate networks, but the dummies at MS left it on for every user... I know that's a "feature" of XP, and probably one or more of the other newer versions of Windows.