Can I block internet advertising?

A reader asks Rick Maybury if it is sensible to block web advertising. 

Generally my Internet speed is quite acceptable but I find that on some sites there is so much advertising that it is takes a long time before I can scroll up and down easily. I think I've found a box in Internet Explorer that stops the adverts, but it also hides things on the page that I need, like graphs. Is there an easier answer?
Nick Tracken, by email
 

It’s a contentious subject, and whilst some ads can be irritating and a drain on resources, many websites depend heavily on the revenue they generate. There is an argument that widespread ad blocking could result in a lot of very useful websites disappearing, or switching to pay to view or subscription-based access.

However, one easy way to dismiss more than 90 percent of ads is to switch to Mozilla Firefox and install a free add-on called Adblock Plus. This has ad-zapping off to fine art, and if it removes something you want to see it’s easy to lift the embargo. Similar add-ons and plug-ins are available for Chrome, Opera and Safari, but in general they are not as effective. You should be alert for tick boxes, for unwanted toolbars and browser add-ons that could sneak in during installation. Internet Explorer’s built-in pop-up and filtering features are reasonably effective but they do require a lot of configuration so it’s worth trying a free plugin called Simple Adblock. This works in a similar way to Adblock Plus, however, the free version only blocks 200 ads per day; the unfettered Pro version costs $30.00.

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