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Windows 8 Changes Host File Blocking
An anonymous reader writes "Windows 8 has been confirmed to not only ignore, but also modify the hosts file. As soon as a website that should be blocked is accessed, the corresponding entry in the hosts file is removed, even if the hosts file is read-only. The hosts file is a popular, cross-platform way of blocking access to certain domains, such as ad-serving websites."
Just fine - I've done a number of posts on the source site already, posting portions of what I have here a ton of times (mind you, which my "skeptic naysayers" here haven't disproven a single shred of to date)... I'm just waiting for the page to update for responses I gave others there (takes time on some boards, part of what I LIKE about /. is "instant on" with posts).
It's not a "demise" by the by - MS Sec Essentials is the KEY "workaround"... so you know. There's another I posted but it hasn't come up yet there (databasepath parm in tcp/ip parms in registry & redirecting it).
You obviously also aren't aware of some of my posts over time here. I've been "into" a LOT more than hosts my man... a LOT more. I'll post some for YOUR reference after this post as an "addendum"... fair enough? Good.
Anyways:
Do I *like* what I saw on Win8 there? Heck no... especially NOT on hosts files!
However/Then again??
MS "fanboy" extraordinaire here or not??
I don't think much of Win8, due to "METRO"! Man, I've said it before - MS has to get rid of Mr. Ballmer & his crew responsible for it... too far, too fast, not enough market on PC's yet for touch screen (tablets, & phones, yes... PC OS? No!)
Not that he's some evil guy, in fact, I hear he's a hell of a NICE guy who's great @ grooming mgt. talent (& that's also from an MS mgt. man named Foredecker who posts here or did). I've said this many times here before in fact.
However - He's not a "King Billy" calibre man, who was a computer coder/technologist AND business man... that's what MS needs.
Fact is - of ALL the MS guys I am aware of, personally or otherwise?
I hope Russinovich, former "co-worker" of mine thru Sunbelt where we sold wares together takes over 1 day. We've had diff.'s over time, but he'd get MY vote.
Anyways - Pity is, Win8 "under-the-covers" is BETTER than Win7 even in a LOT of ways, such as "self-terminating services"!
(Which tuners/tweakers like myself have been into for decades, ala my guides for it from 1997 onwards, & I'd be as bold to say they WERE the 1st of their kind, as I have yet to find older ones).
Proofs: I.E./E.G.-> I have done so since 1997-1998 with the most viewed, highly rated guide online for Windows security there really is which came from the fact I also created the 1st guide for securing Windows, highly rated @ NEOWIN (as far back as 1998-2001) here:
http://www.neowin.net/news/apk-a-to-z-internet-speedup--security-text
& from as far back as 1997 -> http://web.archive.org/web/20020205091023/www.ntcompatible.com/article1.shtml which Neowin above picked up on & rated very highly.
That has evolved more currently, into the MOST viewed & highly rated one there is for years now since 2008 online in the 1st URL link above...
Which has well over 500,000++ views online (actually MORE, but 1 site with 75,000 views of it went offline/out-of-business) & it's been made either:
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1.) An Essential Guide
2.) 5-5 star rated
3.) A "sticky-pinned" thread
4.) Most viewed in the category it's in (usually security)
5.) Got me PAID by winning a contest @ PCPitStop (quite unexpectedly - I was only posting it for the good of all, & yes, "the Lord works in mysterious ways", it even got me PAID -> http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2007/09/04/pc-pitstop-winners/ (see January 2008))
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Anyhow/anyways, all that aside?
My std. post on hosts, of course...
For those of you that run Microsoft Windows 32 or 64 bit? An automated hosts file creation & mgt. program:
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APK Hosts File Engine 5.0++ 32/64-bit:
Sc
And this move makes sure you will never consider using a Windows-based platform as a small office-firewall, if you ever thought about something crazy like that before...
c++;