How to Remove Ads on Yahoo Instant Messenger

I use Yahoo Instant Messenger daily to communicate with friends, family, and clients. I recently formatted, and downloaded the newest version, 10 blah blah blah. I was greeted with an entirely new Yahoo Instant Messenger that I'm not too sure I really like, but that's neither here, nor there. My biggest issue was being faced with Yahoo Ads on my Yahoo Instant Messenger, seeing as I have already removed ads from AOL AIM, Windows Live Messenger, I now faced the challenge to discover how to remove the ads on Yahoo Instant Messenger, or at least block the ads from loading.

There are many programs, hacks, cracks, etc you can download to automatically change your settings so you no longer see these ads, but why bother opening up possible hack holes, or downloading viruses, when you can take care of the ads yourself without ANY downloads? That's the way I like it, because then I know my computer is safe, and if anything in changed in a vital part of my computer, I know where, and how it was changed.

To remove, and block Yahoo Instant Messenger ads, you will need to bring up Windows Explorer, or go to you're my computer icon, and click on your local Disk Drive.

The file you need to edit to remove Yahoo Instant Messenger ads is located in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc

Once you are in your local disk drive, through either you're my computer, or windows explorer, click the + by WINDOWS, (through my computer double click the WINDOWS folder.) Next, scroll down and click the + by system32, once again, (through my computer double click the system32 folder.) Scroll down to the folder named drivers, and click the + by that, (through my computer double click the drivers folder.) Now click on the folder named etc, (through my computer double click the etc folder.)

We are after the file named "hosts". If by chance you have your folders set up to hide system files you will get a warning about that folder, click to proceed. Go to Tools and folder options at the top menu. Click on the "view" tab, and tick "show hidden files and folders" press Apply, and OK. If you already see the files, then you can skip uncovering hidden folders, and files.

If you want to skip the hunt, and find, you can use the search to bring up the "hosts" file.

Double click the "hosts" file. It will proceed to ask you "Choose the program you want to use to open this file" Scroll down, and select "Notepad", they are listed in alphabetical order.

Right under the line that reads: 127.0.0.1 localhost

You will need to copy, and paste these two lines of text into the file, and save.

127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com

127.0.0.1 insider.msg.yahoo.com

If you have any problems, or didn't make a back up, you can change the "hosts" file back to its default, by going here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972034

If you have your Yahoo Instant Messenger loaded when performing this change, you should sign out, exit it, and restart. You will now notice no more Yahoo Instant Messenger ads, and you did it, yourself! Pat yourself on the back!