Norton Internet Security includes Personal Firewall - PF blocks everything!

[Gabor]

I'm not sure if you know about this because I couldn't see a thread anywhere...

In the advanced settings of Norton, there is a list of URL strings that cause a URL to be blocked....

Here's part of them:

#CLink
%23CLink
%2Fads%2E
%3Fad%2E
&ad_
&banner=
-ad.cgi
.ads/
.ad.
.ads.
.ads/
.bluestreak.com
.eshop.
.net-on.com
.webconnect.net
/199.78.52.
/?ad.
/ad-
/.ad.
/ad/
/ad_control
/ad.image
/ad.track/
/adbot.
/adclient.
/adcontent.
/adcouncil/
/adgifs/
/adgraph/
/adimages/
/adinfo
/adjuggler
/adlog.
/adman.
/adnet.
/adnet/
/adpics/
/adpopup
/adproof/
/aredirect
/adrevolver/
/ads-
/ads.
/ads/
/adsales
/adserv
/adspace
/adsrc
/adv/
/advert/
/advertentie
/advertise/
/advertiser/
/advertising/
/adverts/
/adview.
/banner.
/banner/
/banner=
/banner_images/
/banners/
/by.banclk?
/clickover.
/cyberfirst
/follow_ad?
/generate_ad.
/graphics/advert
/htmlad/
/jbanner/
/liveads/
/nph-bounce?
/nph-load?
/nph-redir?
/promo_gif/
/promos/
/promote/
/promotions/
/rankem.cgi?action=
/sponsor.
/sponsor/
/sponsors/
/videobanners/
/viewad/
1-2-free.com
199.172.144.25/2
?acb=acb
?ad.cgi
?ad=
?Adcode=
?adlink
?adserv
?adv=
?advertID=
_ad.
_ads/
a32.g.a.yimg.com/7
ad.doubleclick.net
ad.infoseek.com
ad.linkexchange.com
ad.preferences.com
ad.tw.doubleclick.net/ad/
adbanner
adbot.com
adcenter.in2.com
AdClick
adcount.hollywood.com
adlink.htm
adlink.preferences.com
adman.medius.net
adoptimizer
adredir.asp
ads.adsmart.net
ads.clickagents.com
ads.imagine-inc.com

and others:
ads.imdb.com
ads.infospace.com
ads.lycosasia.com.sg/realmedia/ads/
ads.narrowline.com
ads.realmedia.com
ads.softbank.net
ads.usatoday.com
ads.washingtonpost.com
ads.web.aol.com
ads.web21.com
adserver.adtech.de
advertisements
advertising.com
alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=
allpolitics.com/ads/
ar.atwola.com
badservant.guj.de
banner_ad
bannerad
bannerexchange.com
bannerpower.com
bannerswap.com
bf_home_ad
bfast.com/booklink
cc-dt.com
click1.wisewire.com
click100.genesis.com
click2.wisewire.com
click2net.com
clk_thru^
commonwealth.riddler.com
count4all.com
crosswalk.com/click.ng/transactionid=
dirtycash.com
ds.cybereps.com
exchange-it.com/click.go?
eyeblasterscript
fastclick.net/w/click.here
findcommerce.com/tracking
flycast.com
focalink.com
geoad?
globaltrack.com
globaltrak.net
hg1.hitbox.com
home.keyciti.com/addd2000/ok.shtml
[us.i1.yimg.com...]
images/mainad
imgis.com
impartner.de/cgi-bin/
infoback.net
infoseek.com/redirect
java.yahoo.com/a/1-/flash
java.yahoo.com/a/1-/java
java.yahoo.com/a/a-/flash
java.yahoo.com/a/a-/java
linkexchange.com
linksynergy.com
mantel/
maxcash.cgi?
mediahits.com/click.fcg
mediaserv.247media.com
mirror.qkimg.net
movielink.com/media/imagelinks/mf.ad
movielink.com/media/imagelinks/mf.sponsor
netads.hotwired.com
netbanner.com/cgi-bin/
nrsite.com
pagecount.com
pathfinder.com/r0/marketing
pathfinder.com/sponsors
pegasoweb.com
pennyweb.com
progcgi/ads
qksrv.net
rd.yahoo.com/m=2
rd.yahoo.com/m=3
rd.yahoo.com/m=4
rd.yahoo.com/m=5
rd.yahoo.com/m=6
rds.yahoo.com/m=0
rds.yahoo.com/m=1
rds.yahoo.com/m=7
rds.yahoo.com/m=8
rds.yahoo.com/m=9
register-it.netscape.com/
rmbclick.com/
rn11.com
safe-audit.com
service.bfast.com
showad.asp
smartclicks.com
spinbox.
stats.hitbox.com
submit-it.com/images
telecom-pros.com/images
texchange.com/cgi-bin/
tracker.clicktrade.com
tracker.tradedoubler.com
us.a1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a
valueclick.com
vk4voam2y
vwwzjwwlv9m2cr
websponsors.com/cgi-bin/
webunion.com/cgi-localbin/click.cgi?
ww3.cybercity.com.tw/adexe/
www.247media.com.tw
www.admax.com.tw/
www.admax.com/
www.ads.warnerbros.com
www.anonymizer.com/cm/door.cgi?
www.asiad.net/
www.banner.com.tw/
www.bannerwomen.com
www.clickadhere.com/
www.clickxchange.com/fr.phtml
www.cyberone.com.tw
www.epaper.com.tw/cgi-bin/adm/ad_red
www.halee.com/advert/
www.link4link.com/cgi-bin/
www.marketspace
www.modchip.com/clickcgi/click.cgi?
www.netvigator.com.tw/popad/
www.nj.com/adverts
www.nrsite.com
www.search.com/banners
www.warehouse.com/netbuyer/ticker/
www.whispa.com/tracking/
www.wishing.com/webaudit/
yahoo.com/adv/
yahoo.com/categoryid=0
yimg.com/images/compliance/

Adsense is displaying but it is unclickable.
Basically any banners with the sie of 468X60 are blocked.

I don't like it!

[mykel79]

I'm curious jb_davis - what exactly do you do for a living? Do you run a site? Do you have any ads on it or try to sell something?

[kwngian]

Good idea! Maybe we should rename all our images folders to banners and let those that has NIS installed sees all the x craps all over the place.

[Nicola]

Large percentage of the internet relies on ads, so if users choose not to view them, then users will reduce their choices in the long term. Wake up and smell the roses!

jb_davis you're a freeloader, I hope someone freeloads off you very soon!

[jb_davis]

Advertisers shot themselves in the foot when they started using pop-ups/flashing banners/drive by installs/spyware just push more ads on people.

When you treat your potential customers like dirt, don't be surprised when they start getting pissed and start turning off your ads.

I know none of you would ever use anything like that (right?). Text ads I can live with, and I recently stopped blocking google ads, but the day they start to flash/pop/launch install dialogues is the day they start getting blocked again. I hope it doesn't come to that, but google's IPO may change there policy from doing what's best for the internet, to doing what's best for the shareholders.

[dobermanchick]

What I find funny is that lots of users accept the Norton's claim that ad-blocking improves downloading performance and speed. But in many cases it's a lie! This piece of software removes a lot of useful headers such as compression header. So, instead of downloading 5-10 kb compressed web-page they download a full 100-150 kb webpage. By the way, stealing my traffic too.

[mquarles]

It also slows down browsing. Someone with an office across the hall from mine actually had to pull it because it prevented her from accessing the Internet at all. Ha!

MQ

[jb_davis]

Well those users are certainly in the minority.

10kb, 100kb, what's the difference when you're on a broadband connection? The time to download either is still unnoticeable.

[dobermanchick]

I could not get an updated statistics but according to Nielsen-Netratings study (Jan 2003) "33.6 million Americans accessed the Internet via broadband in December 2002" vs. "the bulk of the US online population with more than 74.4 million Americans accessing the Net via a dial-up connection" (http://www.nua.com/surveys/?f=VS&art_id=905358709)

Even if it's been changed it could not be changed too much. 74 mil vs 35 mil is not a minority. In other countries this ratio is even worse.

[jb_davis]

What kind of person buys NIS for a dial up connection? If you're using NIS then you probably have broadband. I never said most people use broadband, I said most people who use NIS don't have those problems, BECAUSE they have broadband.

[MatthewHSE]

I contend that you're wrong. NIS is preinstalled on most (or at least many) purchased computers with a free 90-day trial. Most of these people will use dialup connections. I expect that most "purchases" of NIS are really just purchased extensions to that free 90-day subscription.