Quick Tip: Ads, and how to get rid of them

Are you tired of ads distracting you while you're doing research? Are you sick of having to click the "close ad" button on YouTube? Are you absolutely certain that, for the last time, you do not wish find out your credit score? Are you starting to think that this article is beginning to sound an ad itself? Well, by installing a simple add-on, you can eliminate 98%* of ads encountered in your everyday web browsing!

*Not based on actual figures.

Before you begin: It is recommended that as you follow these instructions, open the links in new tabs. That way you can still see this page after you download the relevant add-ons.

Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9

1. Download Adblock from http://simple-adblock.com/
2. Install
3. When you run Internet Explorer the first time after installing, follow the simple instructions to configure it.

Mozilla Firefox 3 and 4

1. Go to Tools > Add-ons
   
2. Search for Adblock Plus
   
3. Install the extension
4. Restart Firefox, and just click "Add Subscription" on the configuration screen.

Google Chrome 10

1. Go to https://chrome.google.com/webstore
2. Search for Adblock
3. Install Adblock (the one with 2 million users)

• Note: Currently causes issues when attempting to block ads in YouTube videos. Go into options and untick "Block ads inside YouTube videos."

Safari 4 and 5

1. Go to http://safariadblock.com/
   
2. Download
3. Double-click the funny-looking ".safariextz" file to install.
4. Optional: Enable automatic updates by going to Safari Preferences > Extensions > Updates > Install Updates Automatically.
   

• Note: Only tested on a Mac. Procedure should be same on PC. Please leave a comment if it works for you on PC.

Opera 10

1. Go to http://www.fanboy.co.nz/adblock/opera/
   
2. Right-click the "Main List: urlfilter.ini" and select "Save target as"
   
3. Choose the correct folder based on your OS as given on the website
4. Optional: Follow instructions to install the "Optimised Element Filter".

• Warning: This has not been tested by me! Please leave comment if it works for you.
  

Final comments: The effectiveness and thoroughness of ad-blocking will vary between different operating systems and browsers. But in all cases, there should be a big improvement in the number of ads you see, namely, a lot less! If, for some bizarre reason, you actually enjoy seeing ads, then please ignore this post.