[Windows][PowerShell][Script]psAdBlock - PowerShell AdBlock Script for Windows

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t0ma5

Senior Member
Jul 4, 2016
152
59
great script! thanks dev!!!!
I have been using HOSTSMAN for years but it was never my favorite since it is quite "clumsy"
I will now give this other option a try as well although last update was in 2017: http://blog.zhangruipeng.me/Hozz/
 
Last edited:
T

t0ma5

Senior Member
Jul 4, 2016
152
59
No log is created neither HOSTS file in the script's folder...
Running as admin on W10
Code: 
Successfully finished apply process!
Creating new 'hosts'-file...
---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---
An unexpected error has occurred!
---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---

EDIT: found out what the problem was! The Script does not work if the file path name contains certain characters, in my case: space _ [ ]

Thanks again, best script to update HOSTS I have tried so far...
 
Last edited:
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rey_lagarto

rey_lagarto

Senior Member
Jul 30, 2010
198
17
Tarragona
Hi, I have a question.
The Aliexpress website, I put it on the white list, and I can access it, but it doesn't show me a single image.
Is it possible to correct this by adding another address to the whitelist?

Thank you.
 
araxhiel

araxhiel

Member
Mar 5, 2017
35
20
rey_lagarto said:
Hi, I have a question.
The Aliexpress website, I put it on the white list, and I can access it, but it doesn't show me a single image.
Is it possible to correct this by adding another address to the whitelist?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hi Rey Lagarto.

I had take a look at that site, and it seems that you're correct with thinking that you need to whitelist another site, alicdn.com (I've used uMatrix to see which domains where involved with the site):

qRLGhnL.png


I have "whitelisted" that domain, and the images were loaded as expected, but keep in mind that it can be used to send more than just images.

Also, keep in mind that nowadays it seems that many websites make use of external sites to serve content (CDNs) just like this one, or fbcdn.net (for Facebook stuff), and this means that even if you whitelist the main site, it could be needed to whitelist the CDN too to get it work right.

Kind regards.
 
Last edited:
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patrickdrd

patrickdrd

Senior Member
Mar 24, 2015
735
144
why can't I download any of the following lists?
Code: 
https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/hosts_browser
https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/list.txt

from the browser they work fine,
ps adblock resposnds with:
Code: 
---> !!! Source "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/list.txt" seems to be offline !!! <---
(same message for both of them)
 
@

@rvg

Member
Jun 8, 2015
34
5
Realme XT
Hello @Makorus,

Thanks for this WONDERFUL post. However, when I am trying this on Win10 Pro Build 19042.421 desktop I am getting the below error. Please advise how to fix this. Thanks again for this script.

Checking for existing hostslist.ini file...
Found existing hostslist.ini file - reading file...
Successfully queried hostslist.ini file!
***************************************************************************************************
Checking for existing whitelist.ini file...
Found existing whitelist.ini file - reading file...
Successfully queried whitelist.ini file!
***************************************************************************************************
Checking whether the 'C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\' folder exists...
Existing download cache folder found!
***************************************************************************************************
Starting download process for 'hosts' sources...
Downloading hosts file from: http://hostsfile.org/Downloads/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\1_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/zero/hosts
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\2_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\3_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://adaway.org/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\4_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?hostformat=hosts&showintro=0&mimetype=plaintext
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\5_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://www.malwaredomainlist.com/hostslist/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\6_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hoshsadiq/adblock-nocoin-list/master/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\7_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/greatis/Anti-WebMiner/master/hosts
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\8_source-hosts.txt
Finished download process!
***************************************************************************************************
Merging all hosts files into one big file, ignoring comment lines and duplicates, sorting and trimming lines...
Applying patch table...
Applying patch for 'hostsfile.org'...
Applying patch for 'someonewhocares.org'...
Applying patch for 'winhelp2002.mvps.org'...
Applying patch for 'adaway.org'...
Applying patch for 'pgl.yoyo.org'...
Applying patch for 'malwaredomainlist.com'...
Applying patch for 'bit.ly'...
Applying patch for 'spotify.com'...
Applying patch for 'skype.com'...
Applying patch for 'm.hotmail.com'...
Applying patch for 's.gateway.messenger.live.com'...
Applying patch for 's.youtube.com'...
Applying patch for 'goo.gl'...
Successfully finished apply process!
Creating new 'hosts'-file...
Get-Content : Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted
software.
At C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\PS_AdBlock.ps1:563 char:54
+ ... :WriteAllLines($FinalHostsFile, $(Get-Content $FinalHostsFile), $(New ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ReadError: (C:\Users\rupes\...ck-master\hosts:String) [Get-Content], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : GetContentReaderIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetContentCommand

---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---
An unexpected error has occured!
---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---
Press any key to continue . . .
 
Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
@rvg said:
Hello @Makorus,

Thanks for this WONDERFUL post. However, when I am trying this on Win10 Pro Build 19042.421 desktop I am getting the below error. Please advise how to fix this. Thanks again for this script.

Checking for existing hostslist.ini file...
Found existing hostslist.ini file - reading file...
Successfully queried hostslist.ini file!
***************************************************************************************************
Checking for existing whitelist.ini file...
Found existing whitelist.ini file - reading file...
Successfully queried whitelist.ini file!
***************************************************************************************************
Checking whether the 'C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\' folder exists...
Existing download cache folder found!
***************************************************************************************************
Starting download process for 'hosts' sources...
Downloading hosts file from: http://hostsfile.org/Downloads/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\1_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/zero/hosts
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\2_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\3_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://adaway.org/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\4_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?hostformat=hosts&showintro=0&mimetype=plaintext
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\5_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: http://www.malwaredomainlist.com/hostslist/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\6_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hoshsadiq/adblock-nocoin-list/master/hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\7_source-hosts.txt
Downloading hosts file from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/greatis/Anti-WebMiner/master/hosts
Downloading hosts file to: C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\DL_Cache\8_source-hosts.txt
Finished download process!
***************************************************************************************************
Merging all hosts files into one big file, ignoring comment lines and duplicates, sorting and trimming lines...
Applying patch table...
Applying patch for 'hostsfile.org'...
Applying patch for 'someonewhocares.org'...
Applying patch for 'winhelp2002.mvps.org'...
Applying patch for 'adaway.org'...
Applying patch for 'pgl.yoyo.org'...
Applying patch for 'malwaredomainlist.com'...
Applying patch for 'bit.ly'...
Applying patch for 'spotify.com'...
Applying patch for 'skype.com'...
Applying patch for 'm.hotmail.com'...
Applying patch for 's.gateway.messenger.live.com'...
Applying patch for 's.youtube.com'...
Applying patch for 'goo.gl'...
Successfully finished apply process!
Creating new 'hosts'-file...
Get-Content : Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted
software.
At C:\Users\rupes\Downloads\Compressed\PS-AdBlock-master\PS_AdBlock.ps1:563 char:54
+ ... :WriteAllLines($FinalHostsFile, $(Get-Content $FinalHostsFile), $(New ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ReadError: (C:\Users\rupes\...ck-master\hosts:String) [Get-Content], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : GetContentReaderIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetContentCommand

---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---
An unexpected error has occured!
---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---
Press any key to continue . . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hey there!

First of all, so sorry for my late reply. I managed to dismiss the notification on my phone screen about this thread and completely forgot about it.

Your issue seems to be related to Windows Defender, which is kind of strange as I'm a Defender user myself. Try to exclude your PS_AdBlock folder via Windows Security (see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028485/windows-10-add-an-exclusion-to-windows-security). This should do the trick.

Sorry again! Take care & stay healthy!
 
Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
patrickdrd said:
why can't I download any of the following lists?
Code: 
https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/hosts_browser
https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/list.txt

from the browser they work fine,
ps adblock resposnds with:
Code: 
---> !!! Source "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/list.txt" seems to be offline !!! <---
(same message for both of them)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hey there!

I am so terribly bad at this, I'm so sorry, I managed to overlook your post.

Do you still have that issue?

Would you mind sharing your Internet Explorer' security settings with us? Might be a TLS-related issue, that's why I'd like to compare your settings to mine.

Sorry again for the inconvenience.
 
Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
rey_lagarto said:
Hi, I have a question.
The Aliexpress website, I put it on the white list, and I can access it, but it doesn't show me a single image.
Is it possible to correct this by adding another address to the whitelist?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hey there!

Sorry for my late response. I myself have never used Aliexpress, so I can't tell for sure. My wildest guess would be something like a content delivery network, CDN, multiple domains. Try to search the website's source code for "img" tags and have a look at the source attribute, this will very likely be a different domain. Simply whitelist that one too and it should be working by then.
 
patrickdrd

patrickdrd

Senior Member
Mar 24, 2015
735
144
Makorus said:
Hey there!

I am so terribly bad at this, I'm so sorry, I managed to overlook your post.

Do you still have that issue?

Would you mind sharing your Internet Explorer' security settings with us? Might be a TLS-related issue, that's why I'd like to compare your settings to mine.

Sorry again for the inconvenience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse


I don't remember changing these settings, anyway there you go
 

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Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
patrickdrd said:
I don't remember changing these settings, anyway there you go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hmm... Would you try changing your SSL/TLS settings (see attached screenshot) as follows:
[] Use SSL 3.0
[X] Use TLS 1.0
[X] Use TLS 1.1
[X] Use TLS 1.2
[] Use TLS 1.3

I added both "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/hosts_browser" and "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/list.txt" to my hostslist and using the settings above, I'm able to download all files.
 

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    ie-settings.png
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Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
t0ma5 said:
No log is created neither HOSTS file in the script's folder...
Running as admin on W10
Code: 
Successfully finished apply process!
Creating new 'hosts'-file...
---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---
An unexpected error has occurred!
---> !!! ATTENTION !!! <---

EDIT: found out what the problem was! The Script does not work if the file path name contains certain characters, in my case: space _ [ ]

Thanks again, best script to update HOSTS I have tried so far...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hey there, I managed to overlook your post as well, sorry for that, mate!

Weird, spaces and underscores within the entire path should be handled correctly in my opinion. Are you using the most recent version of PsAdBlock?
 
Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
Hi everyone,

I want to apologise for my late replies. This project isn't dead, I have been just very occupied with tons of other work. I'm working on a new update and I'm planning to release future ZIP files directly via "GitHub releases".
Also, I'm trying to handle the new Windows 10 "Windows Security" issue. For those who are unaware: Windows Security now throws an error when executing PsAdBlock.

Get-Content : Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software.
At C:\PsAdBlock\PS_AdBlock.ps1:563 char:54
+ ... :WriteAllLines($FinalHostsFile, $(Get-Content $FinalHostsFile), $(New ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ReadError: (C:\PsAdBlock\hosts:String) [Get-Content], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : GetContentReaderIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetContentCommand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Excluding the entire PsAdBlock folder via Windows Security app works for now. However, I'd rather check different approaches to fix this issue. Give me some time, I might come up with a solution. Let's see.
 
patrickdrd

patrickdrd

Senior Member
Mar 24, 2015
735
144
Makorus said:
Hmm... Would you try changing your SSL/TLS settings (see attached screenshot) as follows:
[] Use SSL 3.0
[X] Use TLS 1.0
[X] Use TLS 1.1
[X] Use TLS 1.2
[] Use TLS 1.3

I added both "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/hosts_browser" and "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/list.txt" to my hostslist and using the settings above, I'm able to download all files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

that's what I have, internet explorer 11
 

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  • Clipboard01.jpg
    Clipboard01.jpg
    47.6 KB · Views: 9
patrickdrd

patrickdrd

Senior Member
Mar 24, 2015
735
144
Makorus said:
Hmm, I don't even have that option for SSL 2.0 :p Can you try enabling that one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

nope:
Code: 
Downloading hosts file to: D:\PS-AdBlock\DL_Cache\54_source-hosts.txt
---> !!! Source "https://zerodot1.gitlab.io/CoinBlockerLists/hosts_browser" seems to be offline !!! <---
Trying next one...
 
Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
@t0ma5 cpuld ypu please share your full path (where your PsAdAway binaries are stored) with me? Simply replace personal information with placeholders, e.g. C:\Users\myself\Desktop\....
@patrickdrd try the following command and share your output here:
nslookup zerodot1.gitlab.io 1.1.1.1
 
Makorus

Makorus

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2012
195
169
github.com
@t0ma5 could you please share your full path (where your PsAdAway binaries are stored) with me? Simply replace personal information with placeholders, e.g. C:\Users\myself\Desktop\...., I'd like to try to reproduce that issue.

@patrickdrd try the following command and share your output here:
nslookup zerodot1.gitlab.io 1.1.1.1
 
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  • 49
    Makorus
    Makorus
    Introduction
    Dear community

    This is my very first XDA: DevDB project. I'm glad to announce my ad-block solution purely based on PowerShell.
    I've been (and I still am) using AdAway on my Android phone. It's a great app, and it inspired me to get a similar solution for Windows computers.

    Version 0.1 was not public because it was slow as hell. It took about 8 minutes to handle ~200'000 hosts.
    With version 1.0, my script got a massive speed improvement. Now its duration has been greatly decreased. I achieved the same amount of hosts in less than 100 seconds now. But of course, these measured values shouldn't mean a lot, as they depend completely on your hardware (and a little bit on your internet connection of course).

    Now version 1.6 has an automatic backup & apply routine, check it out!
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Features
    This script does exactly what you think: It grabs various "hosts" sources from the internet, saves them locally, and merges them to one big file. Enjoy an ad-free Windows experience.

    • Download as many "hosts" files as you want
    • Merge them automatically into one big "hosts" file
    • Remove duplicates from the "hosts" file
    • Remove any comment line starting with # to keep your hosts file as small as possible
    • Apply a custom whitelist or even custom blacklists
    • Log the entire process to a log file (placed within the same directory where you saved this script)
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Downloads & Changelogs
    See post 2
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    FAQs
    See post 3
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Disclaimer
    Altough this is normally a safe process, I am not responsible for possible damage to your device if anything should fail.
    I will not take any responsability for bricked Windows installations, other software defects or even lost data.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    License/forks
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License( ).

    This is an open source project, it's a PowerShell script and you're able to see the source code of course. You're allowed to modify this script as you want, as long as you give credits to me. Adaptations of my work shall be shared as well under the same license. Commercial use is allowed, as long as you don't sell my work.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Requirements
    There are some requirements to check.
    • A little bit of PowerShell-knowledge (not necessary of course)
    • At least Windows 7 (theoretically it should work on any Windows)
    • At least PowerShell 3.0 (PowerShell 2.0 may work, but is unsupported)
    • At least 50 MB free space for this script
    • Administrative privileges - required if you want to use the automatic backup & apply routines, not for the script itself, otherwise you'll need to manually copy the "hosts" file into the Windows directory
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Instructions for use with administrator privileges (recommended)
    1. Download the archive and unzip it anywhere
    2. Execute the "_Run_Admin.bat" script via double-click, confirm the UAC window by clicking on the yes button and wait for the console to close itself
    3. Reboot your machine and enjoy an ad-free Windows experience
    4. Note: Instead of the batch script you can use the .ps1 file as well (unblock it first, simply right-click the .ps1 file, choose "Properties", then hit the "Unblock" button), start a new PowerShell console as administrator and manually run the script
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Instructions for use without administrator privileges
    1. Download the archive and unzip it anywhere
    2. Execute the "_Run_User.bat" script via double-click and wait for the console to close itself
    3. Copy the newly created "hosts" file and rename the existing "hosts" file to manually create a backup
      Code: 
      C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts
    4. Reboot your machine and enjoy an ad-free Windows experience
    5. Note: Instead of the batch script you can use the .ps1 file as well (unblock it first, simply right-click the .ps1 file, choose "Properties", then hit the "Unblock" button), start a new PowerShell console and manually run the script
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Instructions to customize psAdBlock
    1. To modify the "hosts" sources, simply edit the file "hostslist.ini"
    2. To allow specific hosts, simply edit the file "whitelist.ini"
    3. To block specific hosts, simply create a new .txt file within the "DL_Cache" folder and add the hosts (one per line) you want to block (e.g. "0.0.0.0 place-any-site-here.com")
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Credits & thanks to
    * Makorus: Creator of this PowerShell script
    * Dominik Schuermann: Inspiring me to do this
    * Luca Sturlese: Allowing us to use his awesome logging function library

    Any questions or suggestions? Did you find any bugs? Thanks for your feedbacks in advance! :good:
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    XDA:DevDB Information
    psAdBlock, Tool/Utility for the Windows 8 General

    Contributors
    Makorus
    Source Code: https://github.com/makorus/ps-adblock


    Version Information
    Status: Stable
    Current Stable Version: 1.6.5
    Stable Release Date: 2017-07-03

    Created 2015-05-09
    Last Updated 2018-07-13
    View
    40
    Makorus
    Makorus
    News
    I'm moving this project to GitHub for many reasons. Future releases will be available through GitHub only.

    New download link:
    https://github.com/makorus/PS-AdBlock/archive/master.zip

    Current release & changelog
    Code: 
    ##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.6.3, 2018-02-03                                                                  ##
## - Added logic to handle 'localhost' in whitelist (thanks to antonio-gil)            ##
## - Removed script version from filename                                              ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##

    Notes
    Code: 
    #########################################################################################
## Notes:                                                                              ##
## - PowerShell 3.0 or newer is recommended to run this script without any errors      ##
## - PowerShell 2.0 may work as well, but is unsupported                               ##
## - If you disable the backup/apply mode you have to manually copy the final          ##
##   'hosts'-file to the Windows etc directory (please manually backup the old file:   ##
##   C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc                                                   ##
## - To apply a custom blacklist, simply create a text file containing your desired    ##
##   hosts and save it in the download cache folder 'DL_Cache' (run the script once)   ##
## - To manually add your custom hosts list, create a new text file called             ##
##   'hostslist.ini' and add your hosts sources (one site per line without the www)    ##
## - To automatically remove specific sites from the hosts list, create a new text     ##
##   file called 'whitelist.ini" and add your sites you want to whitelist              ##
## - If you experience performance issues like extremely slow Windows startup time,    ##
##   Try to disable the client DNS Cache service via CMD:                              ##
##     sc config dnscache start= disabled                                              ##
#########################################################################################

    Release history & changelogs
    Code: 
    #########################################################################################
## Release history (yyyy-MM-dd):                                                       ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V0.0.1 - V0.0.9, 2015-05-02                                                         ##
## - Non-public test versions only                                                     ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.0.0, 2015-05-09                                                                  ##
## - First public and stable release                                                   ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.1.0, 2015-05-10                                                                  ##
## - Added release history to the script                                               ##
## - Merged Log Functions to the main script file (no more two separate files)         ##
## - Added XDA:DevDB link                                                              ##
## - Added script version to name (easy identification)                                ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.2.0, 2015-05-13                                                                  ##
## - Fixed issue with old 'New-Item' command in function 'Log-Start':                  ##
## --> OLD: New-Item -Path $LogPath -Value $LogName -ItemType File                     ##
## --> NEW: New-Item -Path "$sFullPath" -ItemType File                                 ##
## - Changed the 'Log-Start' invoking command to use $PSScriptRoot:                    ##
## --> OLD: Log-Start -LogPath ".\" [...]                                              ##
## --> NEW: Log-Start -LogPath "$PSScriptRoot" [...]                                   ##
## - Added #region and #endregion codes to fold the code                               ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.3.0, 2015-05-13                                                                  ##
## - Completely reworked the 'release history', huge improvement to readability        ##
## - The 'Patch Table' uses now '-ireplace' instead '-replace' for better results      ##
## - Changed the 'Patch Table' to use regex expressions for my default list            ##
## - Added Spotify to 'Patch Table':                                                   ##
## --> $DefaultPatchTable.Add('\w+.spotify.com', 'localhost')                          ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.4.0, 2015-07-26                                                                  ##
## - Reworked whitelist method (check notes for more information)                      ##
## - Reworked hosts source list (check notes for more information)                     ##
## - Reworked the 'Patch Table', doesn't require regex expressions anymore             ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.0, 2015-08-10                                                                  ##
## - The file now checks for the client DNS Cache service and logs a warning if it's   ##
##   enabled to ensure you don't run into troubles                                     ##
## - Removed the note about the DNS Cache service: It's not recommended to set the     ##
##   startup type to "demand" (manual), it will cause issues sooner or later           ##
## - Starting from now on, I'll create an executable file (to be found in the ZIP)     ##
## - I'll also attach a VirusTotal.com scan to every new release                       ##
## --> Please report any Anti-Virus false positive alarms to me                        ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.1, 2015-08-11                                                                  ##
## - Fixed issue with wrong $PSScriptRoot variable when using the EXE variant          ##
## - Changed the 'release history' to allow better versioning (e.g. version 1.5.1)     ##
## --> Note: Older versions still contain two numbers only (e.g. version 1.2 etc.)     ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.2, 2015-09-13                                                                  ##
## - Remove every empty line in the hosts file                                         ##
## - Changed the Log-Write function to use Write-Host instead of Write-Debug, now      ##
##   the entire log will be shown during the script execution (live)                   ##
## - Changed replacement method to insert 0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1 in the final    ##
##   hosts file which leads to a much better and faster DNS resolution                 ##
## - Future releases will be delivered with additional hosts files, for example to     ##
##   block Google ad servers and some Windows 10 hosts to stop this privacy nightmare  ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.3, 2015-10-08                                                                  ##
## - Fixed ugly encoding issue, new 'hosts' file will be created correctly now, means  ##
##   no BOM (Byte Order Mark) and no UCS-2 encoding anymore, should fix many issues    ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.4, 2015-10-09                                                                  ##
## - Fixed duplicate hostname issue, cmdlet Get-Unique allows by default hostnames     ##
##   with capital letters (Get-Unique is a case sensitive search)                      ##
##   e.g. 'test.com' and 'Test.com' are being handled correctly now                    ##
## - Reverted warning about DNS cache service, there should be no issue with the DNS   ##
##   cache service because the 'hosts' file is being encoded as a typical UTF8 file    ##
## - Added new debug mode, set $DebugMode to $true to activate it                      ##
##   This skips the download process, useful if you want to test something without     ##
##   re-downloading the whole host source lists                                        ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.5, 2015-10-10                                                                  ##
## - Fixed issue with method ToLower (should work with PowerShell 2.0 now), ToLower    ##
##   is a method to work with strings only, work around with a ForEach-Object cmdlet   ##
## - Added a PowerShell version check, unsupported versions are PowerShell v1 and v2,  ##
##   if you start this script with an unsupported PowerShell version, you'll find      ##
##   some hints in the log file to inform you about that                               ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.6, 2015-10-11                                                                  ##
## - Added again regex patterns to patch table, whitelist should work now correctly    ##
## - Debug mode now skips the patch process as well                                    ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.7, 2015-10-17                                                                  ##
## - Completely replaced previous regex patterns with one more complex pattern to      ##
##   handle hostnames with subdomains, performance increased significantly             ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.8, 2016-01-03                                                                  ##
## - Non-public test version only (skipped)                                            ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.5.9, 2016-01-24                                                                  ##
## - Non-public test version only (skipped)                                            ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.6.0, 2016-02-29                                                                  ##
## - Added function to check for admin privileges                                      ##
## - Added routine for automatic apply of 'hosts'-file (admin privileges required)     ##
## - Added routine for backup of 'hosts'-file (admin privileges required)              ##
## - Added some Skype and YouTube hostnames to the whitelist for proper functionality  ##
## - Added new icon for the executable file                                            ##
## - Updated the notes (see below)                                                     ##
## - Overall cleanup, added region codes for the main script                           ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.6.1, 2016-04-19                                                                  ##
## - Fixed wrong script number                                                         ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
## V1.6.2, 2017-04-25                                                                  ##
## - Added Goo.gl to 'Patch Table' and to the default whitelist.ini:                   ##
## --> $DefaultPatchTable.Add('\w+.goo.gl', 'localhost')                               ##
## - Changed the foreach loop to avoid recreating the object System.Net.WebClient      ##
## - Added error handling for the download process                                     ##
## - Added routine to correctly check the existence of the original 'hosts'-file       ##
## - Removed EXE file because of false positive alarms from many AntiVirus engines     ##
## - Added instead two new batch files: '_Run_Admin.bat' and '_Run_User.bat'           ##
## - Overall rework, changes many comments and updated some notes                      ##
##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
    View
    9
    Makorus
    Makorus
    FAQs
    • How to execute this PowerShell script?
      Option 1: Run the script using one of the included batch scripts, either the "_Run_Admin.bat" or the "_Run_User.bat" batch script.
      Option 2: Manually run the PowerShell script. But at first, you have to unblock the PowerShell script because it is a script you downloaded from the internet. Once you unzipped the file, do a right click on the PS1 file and open its file properties. Click on the "Unblock" button and you're done. Right click the file and click on "Run with PowerShell".
      Click to expand...
      Click to collapse
    • Why do I get an message warning me about an execution policy?
      Microsoft implemented this security feature when they published PowerShell. By default, the execution policy is set to "restricted", which means no scripts can be executed directly. You're able to configure the execution policy as you want. There are several execution policies, you can check them out here: Microsoft TechNet, Set-ExecutionPolicy.
      I personally recommend to change the execution policy to "unrestricted", this means you can execute scripts you created and even those you downloaded from the internet (though you have to be careful what you download and what you execute).
      Click to expand...
      Click to collapse
    • How to uninstall this PowerShell script?
      Basically, you just have to navigate to this folder:
      C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
      Delete the new hosts file and restore the original one by renaming "hosts.original" to "hosts" without any extension. After that, simply delete the files you downloaded from this thread.
      Click to expand...
      Click to collapse
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse
    View
    4
    Makorus
    Makorus
    A late happy new year to everyone! :)

    I just released version 1.6.3 with a few small changes.

    I'm gradually moving this project completely to GitHub, therefore there's no need for an additional VirusTotal scan. Downloads will be moved to GitHub from now on. Contribution to this project is now even easier. :)
    View
    3
    Makorus
    Makorus
    godusopp said:
    Thanks for this great tool. Works great but can someone make an .exe out of it? It would be more convenient.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse


    Hi there, thank you for your reply. I can compile an EXE file out of it, but I expect a lot of false reports from anti-virus applications. I'll upload the EXE file tomorrow.

    Kind regards
    Makorus
    View

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