Fake-Platinum

Instructions for "Fake-Platinum" service.

First we need to find your hosts file.
To do this we must figure out which folder it's in.
This will depend on your operating system-

Windows 95/98/Me               C:\windows
Windows NT/2000/XP Pro    C:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc
Windows XP Home                 C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

For example, if you have XP Pro you would go to your start menu and click Run.
In run you would enter C:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc.
In that folder you would find a file called hosts.
Make sure it has NO EXTENSIONS.
If it is hosts.sam or any other extension you have the wrong one.
Double click this file and something will come up asking how you want to open it.
Select "Choose a program from a list" and open it with notepad.
It should look something like this:

-------------------------------------------------

# Copyright (c) 1998 Microsoft Corp.
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP stack for Windows98
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
# For example:
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
127.0.0.1 localhost


----------------------------------------------------------------

The next step is to amend the bottom. Change this:

127.0.0.1 localhost

To this:

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 pagead.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 www.infinite-ads.com
127.0.0.1 misc.swirve.com
127.0.0.1 www.hermoment.com
127.0.0.1 servedby.advertising.com
127.0.0.1 ads.adorigin.com
127.0.0.1 leader.linkexchange.com
127.0.0.1 www.burstnet.com
127.0.0.1 banners.valuead.com
127.0.0.1 searchclimbers.net
127.0.0.1 www.linkspider.co.uk
127.0.0.1 m.rmbclick.com
127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 pop.mircx.com

It will eventualy look like THIS.

Save the file and close it.
Then close any browser you had open and you're good to go.
This change to the HOSTS file blocks all forum/ingame pop-up/ingame banner ads.
The file allows you to give certain address's IPs.
So by adding these things you gave the ads address's a return IP to your computer where they aren't.
So it can't find the ad it cant display the ad.

NOTE: Ingame you may still see some "action cancelled" boxes.
This is because not all the banner ads are simple pictures.
Mehul made some of the boxes for them in the actually HTML code which I cannot change
from a remote computer since the HTML code you recieve from the Utopia servers.
But overall this is gets rid of all ads (only some have boxes and rarely).
But Mehul could change his ads anytime in which these would become useless.
But for now they work.

Thank you, and have a fake-platinum swirvey day!

-MTA-