How to Put a Block on Websites

For Windows operating systems, Internet Explorer (IE) offers a tool called Content Advisor. The tool allows you to control content that is accessed from the Internet; it can block access to a particular website. The common reason for website blocking is to prevent children from navigating inappropriate Internet domains.

Instructions

Blocking a Website in IE

1. Open Internet Explorer and click the menu "Tools >Internet Options."

2. Select the tab labeled "Content."

3. Click the "Settings" button under "Content Advisor." Type the supervisor password (see Section 2, below) and click "OK."

4. Select the tab "Approved Sites" in the Content Advisor window.

5. In the field, type the address (URL) of the website to be blocked and click "Never." Click "OK." Then click "OK" again to close the Internet option window.

Enabling the Content Advisor and Creating a Supervisor Password in IE

1. Open Internet Explorer and click the menu "Tools >Internet Options."

2. Select the tab "Content" and click the button "Enable" under "Content Advisor."

3. Select the tab "General."

4. Click "Create Password." Type a string of characters in the password field, then re-type it in the field "Confirm password." Provide a password hint and click "OK" to create a supervisor password for the Content Advisor.

5. Check the box "Users can see websites that have no rating" under User Options.

6. Uncheck the box "Supervisor can type a password ..." under User Options.

7. Click "OK" to enable the Content Advisor.

For Other Web Browsers

1. Log in to the Windows XP/Vista administrator account.

2. Click "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen and then "Computer" to open Windows Explorer.

3. Navigate to the folder "C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc."

4. Right-click on the file "Hosts" and choose "Open." Select "Notepad" from the list of programs and click "OK" to open "Hosts" for editing.

5. Add the following line in the end of the file "Hosts": 127.0.0.1 website url (for example, 127.0.0.1 www.123.edu).

6. Repeat Step 5 to add any other websites you wish to block.

7. In Notepad, click the menu "File > Save" to save the updated Hosts. Then click the menu "File > Exit."

8. Restart the computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Section 2 is a one-time procedure. Once the Content Advisor is enabled, you only need the steps in Section 1.

Resources

• Microsoft TechNet: Content Advisor
• accs-net.com: How To Use the Hosts File