I love the Opera browser more and more. It’s just so terrific. It’s fast, it’s convenient, it shows content (unlike Firefox, where I have to reload and reload), and I love the “Notes” feature of the sidebar panel. Probably the only complaint I could think of was the inability to have an Ad Block like Firefox has. Ah, but I have underestimated Opera! Opera can block ads– it’s not as intuitive or as easy as Firefox’s Ad Block, but it IS do-able, and not TOO hard. I figured out how to do it tonight, and MAN OH MAN I am soaring! No more nasty ads! Woooo! I can at last surf the web with the kids around me again!

Here’s how you do it.

• Open Notepad.
• Go to this website.
• Copy all the text at that website.
• Paste that text into your Notepad document.
• Save the Notepad document as urlfilter.ini and SAVE.

Now this gets a little tricky for a moment, because it depends on what operating system you use. I use Vista. Basically, what you are going to do is save your newly named Notepad document in your Opera Profile folder.

This is very important– CLOSE your Opera browser before proceeding any further. You should never tinker with system files while the program is open. So here’s what you do:

• If you use Windows XP, put that document here: C:\Documents and Settings\…\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile\
• If you use Vista, put that document here: C:\Users\< your username >\AppData\Roaming\Opera\Opera\profile\
• If you use Linux, put that document here: ~/.opera/
• If you use OSX, put that document here: /Users/< your username >/Library/Preferences/Opera Preferences/

I use Vista, so I just copied this file name C:\Users\< your username >\AppData\Roaming\Opera\Opera\profile\, clicked START >> RUN >> and entered it into the search bar. Then I backspaced over “your username” and put in my name. I searched, and the folder popped right up. I tucked that Notepad document in there, and closed the window.I re-opened my Opera browser. Voila!!! No more ads in Opera! Wooo!

Whenever you need to add new information to this urlfilter.ini file you can do it through the Opera brower. For example, I just HATE those “Snap” popup bubbles that some people use for their website.

I want to block them, but they are not included in the list of urls to block. Here’s what you do:

Open your Opera Browser. Go to Tools >> Preferences >> Advanced >> Content. Look for the button that says “Blocked Content.” Click it. When you do, you will see that list of urls that you added to your Notepad document. Here’s how you can add to that file without going through the backdoor, so to speak– you can just do it through Opera’s settings.

OK, so you have clicked the “Blocked Content” button and a new window popped up. Click the “Add” button and add in this information:

*spa.snap.com*

When you have entered it, click “Close” (it will automatically save). Click “OK” fo the next window. Close and restart the browser, and all should be well. And no more nasty Snap pop ups!!

P.S. I use Entrecard for my other blogs. This urlfilter.ini file will block the widgets unless you remove the blocking url, which is associated with Amazon. I like to see Amazon ads, anyway, so I went to Tools >> Advanced >> Content >> and hit the “Blocked Content” button. In the window, I did a search for “amazon” and several urls showed up. I deleted them all. Restart the browser and all should be well.

Tags: ad blocker, ads, Opera