I figured i would come here for this problem... even though k-meleon isn't the cause of it. I can't seem to get any pictures from yimg.com (yahoo's image site) to come... at all! I can't access any images at all. I have a feeling it has something to do with the hosts file, but i can't seem to figure out how to modify or it even how to find it. This isn't a real major problem... but i would like to be able to click on images again. I checked my sister's computer... doesn't happen on her computer. So... it's gotta be something on this computer. How do I modify the hosts file... where is it? I'm on WinXP SP2.

Brian

Well if it's hosts file related, hoststoggle might help you. As far as hosts files are concerned, I'd recommend this one. From his FAQ: I try to err on the side of caution and don't block any ad servers that might cause any problems with web functionality. Works well for me.

Before you do anything to the HOSTS file, do you have any other ad-blocking software on your machine (e.g. Spyblocker, Spybot Teatimer,Spywarestopper, et al)? Or maybe you have a CSS in your browser, or some other 3rd-party application or modification designed to block ads?

I ask because yimg.com is associated with adware (not spyware) by a lot of ad-blocking apps; if they are in effect, then you would have to consult the help file for those applications to unblock that resource.

If you are NOT running ny type of ad-blocking software then there is a way to unblock yimg.com from the HOSTS file (before doing this you may want to make a backup copy of the HOSTS file entries):

(1) Use Windows Explorer and go to C:>Windows>HOSTS (no extention, just HOSTS)
(2) Right click on HOSTS and open with Wordpad (Write.exe)

(3) Search for "yimg.com" (use the search function if you can - the HOSTS file is HUGE!)
(4) When you find it, delete this entry: "127.0.0.1 yimg.com", delete it.

(5) Save the new file as "HOSTS" (exactly like that - no filetype extention)

That should stop your computer from routing your Yahoo images to 127.0.0.1, which is a sort of DNS "black hole" often used to route undesirable components while rendering the rest of the page.

I hope this helps.

dear tech,
i agree with You and jsnj (You-> if You 2 mean the same?)
- he tried to recomend certain things which R iintresting. You also? IMHO Yes!
i assume that You 2 advocate the same - so i do not totally get the meaning?
(i do not speak English well!!!!).

How i understand the thing.
certain programs and techniques try to help with adding to hosts
(a file about internet adresses which is in windows folder)
- thats is helping when entries are corect and beneficial. else it is detrimental.
(so it is a good thing that You check the source that adds or that is added to hosts).

next -i t is accepted that we/You can discuss anything in General/Forum - no need to state "maybe or not related related " ; o ) - nobody will consider it off topic - as long as 2 persons want to talk about it /here is the place.
greetings to You 2 from Hannover

I agree with Guenter, Brian. I have placed posts here too that were not about K-Meleon. I posted them here because the people using this forum have an excellent mixture of intelligence, computer know-how, and friendliness. It is easy to build up a trust with such people, and it just seems like the best place to ask questions like yours, which are always welcome. Other people will benefit from your question, too. :-) Greetings from Vancouver!

The hosts file is only in c:\windows on 9x and me. On 2k/xp, it's in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc. It's a plain text file with no extension. Follow tech's instructions above for editing it. NOTE: You might have to restart you computer before you see the effects of the change.

Additionally: Any entry in your hosts file that points to 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0 is usually safe to delete. These IPs are used almost solely for ad blocking porpuses.
You can disable a listing in the hosts file without deleting it by placing a # at the beginig of the line.
If you're not certain if it's safe to remove an entry, simply write down the exact URL and IP from the listing before removing it. If you notice any problems after making the changes, simply add that line back in.

Your problem may also be caused by a proxy or a PAC file. In KM, just go into the prefs panel and click on proixy and see if anything's there.

Ah! Hosts file again.
The place where trojans roam free.
Where they block security updates, anti virus update, and so on. Poor sob puts check marks in all auto updates, and feels invincible, when hosts file does its dirty work.
False sense of security is worse that no security at all.
You may look it up.
My advice. Make it zero size and read only.
I'm not even going into how hosts file hog your system down.

Yeah... actually, that's a good idea. I believe that when i installed avast! antivirus, it automatically updated the hosts file. That's ok though. If it modifies it again though... i'm gonna have to call up avast! and tell them that they need to stop that stuff, lol. :-). Thanks guys... especially you, tech & drahken!

Brian

The hosts file can be a useful tool, especially for ad blocking and blocking some trojan sites. You just have to be wary of anything you didn't add to it yourself. Be especially wary of anything that points to an IP other than 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0. Such entries may be legit, and may even be required by certain programs. However, it's more likely that such entries are trojans. For example, a site could mimic your bank's website, then somehow alter your hosts file (through a worm, or virus, or active-x, or whatever) and make it so that going to http://www.mybank.com will route you to their server instead of the bank's server. Then they could just sit there and collect your account info.
If you see a suspicous entry, do a websearch on both the URL and the IP. You can also try disabling it by adding the #, and then see if all your progs still work.

Another option would be to add whatever you want to it, make it read only, then when you want to make additional changes, uncheck the read only option just long enough to make your changes and then turn it back on. This way you could still make use of your hosts file, but wouldn't have to worry about anything else mucking with it.

I wish I could help. I have the same problem.