How to Block Websites

Well i am asking this question as a home user not for those racks and racks of routers. How can I block certain websites form being viewed on a computer? Lets say like specific unsafe websites which I can choose on my own. A person I know off wants to get this done. I will give more details later but for the time being please tell me some basic and possible methods.

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cisco_trooper

you could put those sites in the hosts file, bypassing DNS resolution of those sites.

This won't stop a savvy user, especially if they know the IP address of the site they want to hit.

Mishra

There are lots of child protector software out there for your home computer. I don't have any suggestions for one product.

Dingdongbubble

Whats a hosts file? The person isnt tech savvy lol. I tried ot explain blocking IP addresses on their router and she replied tell me like I am a 4 year old.

cisco_trooper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_file

Dingdongbubble

Ok she just wants to block one single website and shes right behind an ADSL modem. The modem is an Aztech one. Can I use the hosts file to block that one website no matter how I connected to the internet?

dynamik

Why are you trying to block the sites? i.e. minors viewing inappropriate content, to prevent malware, ect.

You can download preconfigured hosts files.

shednik

Dingdongbubble wrote:

Well i am asking this question as a home user not for those racks and racks of routers. How can I block certain websites form being viewed on a computer? Lets say like specific unsafe websites which I can choose on my own. A person I know off wants to get this done. I will give more details later but for the time being please tell me some basic and possible methods.

Aside from setting up a proxy, using some type of content filter, you could modify your hosts file I know spybot does that when you install it. Also if you download Spyware terminator they have an add-on called webcrawler which is a toolbar that will prompt you when a site in know to malicious. I've had good success with it so far.

shednik

Dingdongbubble wrote:

Ok she just wants to block one single website and shes right behind an ADSL modem. The modem is an Aztech one. Can I use the hosts file to block that one website no matter how I connected to the internet?

For that in the hosts file put this

127.0.0.1[tab here] sitedomainname.com

Dingdongbubble

Thanks I will tell her that. I will let you know if it works.

undomiel

opendns.com is also a good and cheap (free) way of setting up some simple filtering.

Dingdongbubble

Ok done it. Thanks everyone. Now this will come in handy later on too. Can you tell me where you found this stuff out? Like how did you know about the Hosts file?

cisco_trooper

Experience.

There is also Google.

shednik

cisco_trooper wrote:

Experience.

There is also Google.

Yup...the key to any answer follows in that order

Dingdongbubble

Thanks everyone. She got anotehr solution before i could tell her this. But this did help ME though. Now I know about this. Thanks.

brad-

You might could enable the content filter and password protect it.

snadam

cisco_trooper wrote:

Experience.

There is also Google.

[looks around for dynamik...] GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND!

dynamik

http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=183433#183433