How to Discreetly Block a Website

Keeping an eye on the programs your children access will help you identify which sites need to be blocked.

If you find a friend, co-worker or your child has visited websites that cause problems on your computer, such as pop-up ads, viruses or just slowing down your computer, you will want to block those sites so they can't be accessed. Browsers come equipped with privacy or security settings that allow you to block websites, but they don't always work well and are easy to undo. Instead, find your computer's Host file and add the offending websites to that file. Those sites will be blocked and, if you make the file password inaccessible, others who use your computer won't be able to undo the changes you have made.

Instructions

Edit Your Host File

1. Click "Start" in the lower left-hand corner of your computer screen, or click on the Windows emblem. Choose "All Programs," "Accessories," then "Command Prompt." A screen will appear.

2. Type "notepad C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts" where the cursor is located, without the quotation marks. Don't move the cursor first, just start typing. The Host file will open in a Notepad screen.

3. Look for the line that says: "127.0.0.1 localhost," without the quotation marks. Under that line, enter the IP address and the name of the website you wish to block, separated by at least one space. If you wish to block more than one website, list each on an individual line. For instance, if you wanted to block Facebook, you would type on a single line:

   69.63.184.142 www.facebook.com

4. Save the file after you have added all the websites you wish to block. After saving it, close the file and close the command prompt screen.

Locating IP Addresses

1. Use the Ping command to find out the IP address of a website. On the lower left-hand corner of your screen, click on "Start." Choose "All Programs." Select "Accessories." Choose "Command Prompt."

2. Type "ping www.food.com" without the quotation marks. Press the "Enter" key. A list of IP addresses will appear for that website. High-traffic websites such as Facebook will often have a range of IP addresses. Copy and paste the IP addresses to a separate page, such as Notepad, and save them.

3. Go back to the command prompt and type in the command described above for locating the Host file. Enter each IP address and the name of the website on a separate line. If you have six IP addresses for one site, for instance, you'll have a different IP address but the same website URL on each line.

Tips & Warnings

• An Internet protocol address, or IP address, is a unique string of numbers assigned to each computer connected to the Internet.

• Password-protect access to your computer to prevent unauthorized people from using your computer. Use a random string of numbers and letters, not a word in the dictionary or something easy such as your birthday or address.

• In the Host file, do not change the first line: 127.0.0.1 localhost.

References

• AnyUtils: Any Weblock -- The Blocker
• AllThingsMarked: Howto -- Block Websites Using the Hosts File
• Delete-Computer-History.com: How to Block a Website

Resources

• Essential Computer Security: Everyone's Guide to Email, Internet, and Wireless Security; T. Bradley