However the easiest way to use parental controls, is to use the software built specifically for that. ParentalControl Bar for example, installs easily, blocks just about any X rated site on the planet (or other of specific content)...can not be stopped or uninstalled without a password.
Since I have kids that tend to follow in my footsteps and learn more then they should...they tend to get really sneeky and test my searching skills to see where they've been...therefore I use a modified hosts file to block sites without them ever seeing anything installed on the system. It's much more difficult to maintain, but it helps get the message across.
Many thanks Morph416
I too would like to know more about 'Parental-Control Bar ' I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to PC's & is it a free download & will my kids still be able to play their games ?
To modify the hosts file is pretty simple. I did it just the same as Spybot Search and Destroy does. If you use the protected host file that S/S&D does, it adds a list of sites that will be blocked from any browser...just by adding lines of known malicious sites. However, you can't really add your own thru that program.
So...you have to mod it manually. Rename the hosts file by clicking on it, and adding .txt as an extension. Then, open it in notepad.
Add lines by using both address types for example:
That way, neither type of registered name can be accessed. The browsers will simply return an error stating the site could not be found.
It's a long drawn out process of doing this yourself...but very effective. The only draw back, are individual pages such as those ending in .htm, or .html.
So basically 127.0.0.1 is your own PC (localhost), and when you try to access the site www.thatsiteisbad.com, it simply loops back to your own PC, therefore making it impossible to access the site.
But does this trick work for the internet access in general, or only browsers? If only browsers, does it affect all browsers (viz Opera, Firefox and IE)?
EDIT: You don't need to rename the file, morph. Just drag and drop it into an open notepad window, or use the 'open with' command and uncheck 'always open with this program'.
One more thing that you forgot to mention is that where is the file stored. I found one in %windir%\System32\Drivers\etc\
The file is called 'Hosts' with no extension. I assume that's the one.
One more thing (a question, actually), If I find out the IP address of a host name (say Microsoft.com -> 192.168.25.64), and if I add the entry
192.168.25.64 thissiteisbad.com
What would happen? Basically, I just need to redirect the site thissiteisbad.com to microsoft.com Would this work?
It works for both IP addresses and website addresses. For addresses, you'll need to use both lines as posted above, for IPs...just a single line such as:
127.0.0.1 12.345.678.90
FTW, the "thatsiteisbad" was my way of not posting the actual porn links here in the forum. Replace with actual address! :)
Yes,...the hosts file you need is in that directory, windows\system32\drivers\etc.
The reason I said to change the extension is so you can save the file. Notepad will not save the hosts file as it is with no extension. Least I haven't been able to. If you use RegSeeker or other TweakUI utility and have added "Open With" and added Notepad to the right click menu, Notepad will show up near the top of the menu. So you can just right click and choose Notepad.
