{"id":739,"date":"2012-07-10T22:23:35","date_gmt":"2012-07-10T22:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/?p=739"},"modified":"2012-07-10T22:23:35","modified_gmt":"2012-07-10T22:23:35","slug":"how-to-block-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/?p=739","title":{"rendered":"How to Block Websites"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/how-to-block-websites.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-740\" title=\"how-to-block-websites\" src=\"http:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/how-to-block-websites.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/how-to-block-websites.png 200w, https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/how-to-block-websites-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>This post will show you <strong>how to block websites<\/strong>, without  the installation of website blockers or other programs to block  websites. Fortunately, all desktop operating systems (Windows, Macintosh  OS X, Linux) have a built-in mechanisms that make it very easy to do.<\/p>\n<h3>Blocking Websites with the Hosts File<\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>hosts<\/strong> file contains a shortcut list for assigning name addresses (such as  geeklad.com) to number addresses (173.245.60.113). To block websites  with using the hosts file, you simply create \u201cinvalid shortcuts\u201d for the  websites you want to block. The easiest way to do this is to assign the  name address for these websites to your\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 computer\u2019s local number address  (127.0.0.1).<\/p>\n<h3>Host File Location<\/h3>\n<p>The location of your  hosts file depends on what operating system you\u2019re using. Here\u2019s a quick  cheat sheet for Windows, OS X, and Linux:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Windows<\/strong>: %SystemRoot%\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts (typically %SystemRoot% is C:\\WINDOWS, but it can be different)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac OS X<\/strong>: \/private\/etc\/hosts<\/li>\n<li><strong>Linux<\/strong>: \/etc\/hosts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Editing the Hosts File<\/h3>\n<p>You can use any editor to modify the hosts file.  In Windows, you can <strong>Click Start<\/strong>, <strong>Run\u2026<\/strong>, and then type <strong>notepad %SystemRoot%\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"how-to-block-websites-with-windows-notepad\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/how-to-block-websites-with-windows-notepad.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" width=\"377\" height=\"428\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"launch-notepad-to-edit-hosts\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/launch-notepad-to-edit-hosts.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"186\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To add a website you want to block, just add a new line with 127.0.0.1 followed by the name of the website.  For example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"editing-hosts-file-in-windows\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/editing-hosts-file-in-windows.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" width=\"613\" height=\"385\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Lists of Websites to Block<\/h3>\n<p>Fortunately,  there are already numerous existing lists of websites to block.  These  lists typically consist of websites that are known to be harmful or  perform actions such as tracking your browsing activity.  Here are a few  you may want to check out:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/someonewhocares.org\/hosts\/hosts\">someonewhocares hosts file<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/winhelp2002.mvps.org\/hosts.zip\">MVPS hosts file<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/hostsfile.org\/Downloads\/hosts.txt\">hostsfile.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You  can download these files and then copy and paste the contents into your  hosts file.  Another (easier) option is to download and use a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abelhadigital.com\/hostsman\">host file manager tool called HostsMan<\/a>.  HostsMan provides an easy mechanism for importing website blocker host lists into your own hosts file.<\/p>\n<h3>How to Block Porn Sites<\/h3>\n<p>Another  option is to use Proxy Autoconfiguration (PAC) files to block websites.   Eric Phelps has put together some very nice tools for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ericphelps.com\/security\/pac.htm\">using PAC to block porn sites<\/a>.  He even has put together a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ericphelps.com\/security\/ProxyInstall.vbs\">VB script to install and configure his porn site blocking method<\/a>.  It will only work on Windows.<\/p>\n<p>This  method for blocking porn sites, essentially creates a local proxy that  prevents you from being able to connect to porn sites.  The disadvantage  of using this method is that the browser must be configured to use the  local proxy.  It is easy to bypass by disabling the proxy option in the  browser.<\/p>\n<h3>How to Block Websites with DNS Services<\/h3>\n<p>OpenDNS is a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.opendns.com\/home-solutions\/\">DNS service you can use to block websites<\/a>.   It is yet another method you can use as a website blocker, without  having to install additional software on your computers.  It works very  much like the hosts file method, by resolving the addresses of  undesirable sites to an invalid location.  You can <a href=\"https:\/\/store.opendns.com\/get\/home-free\">sign up for their basic service for free<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Use Privoxy to Block Websites<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.privoxy.org\/\">Privoxy<\/a> is a superb and free and open source program you can use to block  websites.  It is already pre-configured to block advertisements and  malicious sites.  You just need to <a href=\"http:\/\/sourceforge.net\/projects\/ijbswa\/files\/\">download it<\/a>, install it, and configure your web browser to use it.<\/p>\n<p>Once  you\u2019ve installed it, you\u2019ll see an icon for it in your system tray.  If  you right-click on it, you\u2019ll see Privoxy is running.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"block-websites-with-privoxy\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/block-websites-with-privoxy.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"118\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To  take advantage of Privoxy, you\u2019ll need to configure your browser to use  it.  The exact sequence will vary, depending on what browser you\u2019re  using.  For most Internet Explorer versions, just go to <strong>Tools<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Options<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"internet-expolorer-connections-lan-settings\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/internet-expolorer-connections-lan-settings.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Click the <strong>Connections<\/strong> tab in the <em>Internet Options<\/em> dialog and then click the <strong>LAN Settings<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"internet-expolorer-lan-settings\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/internet-expolorer-lan-settings.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"332\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Click the checkbox that says <strong>Use a proxy server for your LAN<\/strong> and then click the <strong>Advanced<\/strong> button.  Finally, in the <em>Proxy Settings<\/em> window, enter <strong>localhost<\/strong> for the HTTP proxy address and <strong>8118<\/strong> for the port.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"internet-expolorer-proxy-settings\" src=\"http:\/\/geeklad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/internet-expolorer-proxy-settings.png?cda6c1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post will show you how to block websites, without the installation of website blockers or other programs to block websites. Fortunately, all desktop operating systems (Windows, Macintosh OS X, Linux) have a built-in mechanisms that make it very easy to do. Blocking Websites with the Hosts File The hosts file contains a shortcut list [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,7,11,26,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sec-secops","category-computer-tech-stuff","category-the-machintosh","category-win_7","category-winxp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=739"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":744,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions\/744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}