How to Block Websites in Windows XP

Blocking websites is easy and can be done in a few minutes. Blocked websites cannot be accessed by anyone on the computer until they are removed from the "Host" files. Host files are what most operating systems use to associate host names with IP addresses. Computers have a "localhost" address (127.0.0.1) that it uses to refer to itself. Any host files (ie., blocked websites) associated with that address will not function properly as the requests are sent back to your computer and not the Internet.

Instructions

1. Click "Start" in the taskbar. Click "Search." Under the "What do you want to search for?" text, click "Files and folders."

2. Enter "C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts" (without the quotes). Click "Search."

3. Right-click the file when it is found. Select "Properties." If checked, uncheck the box titled "Read-only."

4. Double-click the "C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts" file and select "Notepad" (or any text editor) as the program to open it.

5. Locate the 127.0.0.1 localhost entry. Block the websites you want blocked by adding the URL of the website to the side of the 127.0.0.1 localhost entry. Blocked websites should look like "127.0.0.1 localhost www.yahoo.com" (without the quotes). There is no limit to the number of websites you can add.

6. Click "File" and select "Save." Restart your computer.

References

• 5startsupport