HELP ads on webpages and user name on process list

[gROD]

Someone please help me, i have been incredibly frustrated trying to figure this out.

1st -

Whenever i browse webpages now, ad's that are in each page won't display. For example, go to www.anandtech.com, and the advertisements on the top bar and the right side bar won't display. Instead, in the area where the ad is supposed to be, the "the page you requested can not be displayed" page appears. So i have the full webpage loaded, but in the spaces that ads are supposed to go, i have that error page showing up. I have tried spyware busters and everything, and I can't get the ads to reappear. Normally not having ads woudl not aggitate me, but now when i hit the back button on my mouse, i need to hit it 3 or 4 times quickly in order to get it to go back 1 page. PLEASE HELP.

2ND -

I don't know if these two could be related, but whenever i open up the task manager and look at my processes list, my username has dissappeared from all the processes. None of them say "system" or "my name" next to them any more. The whole middle column underneath "username" is blank. PLEASE HELP

If anybody has any information on how to resolve these problems, I would greatly appreciate it. I have become frustrated beyond all belief trying to figure it out myself.

Thanks.

 

[metaP]

my old firewall software used to block the ads aswell. If you have a firewall running try looking at its settings. I thought blocking ads was a good thing? I am sorry but i have no clue what would be happening with your task manager.

 

[FlyingPenguin]

The likely reason the ads don't appear is BECAUSE you used an anti-spyware product that blocks ads by blocking access to known ad server URLs in your HOSTS file.

Open your HOSTS file and you'll probably find dozens of blocked ad URLs. Here's a useful HOSTS file editor that will also restore the HOSTS file to it's original state: http://www.majorgeeks.com/Hoster_d4626.html

I have never liked the practice of ad blocking via the HOSTS file because it can make your HOSTS file very large and that will slow down TCP/IP access. A better solution is to use a browser like Firefox with the Adblock and FlashBlock extensions installed.

Only blocking I like to do in the HOSTS file is known malicious sites that can infect you with spyware.