How To Block Websites Without Using Any Software [Windows]

Post date: Jul 13, 2011 4:11:13 AM

Why do you want to Block a specific Website? Or a Specific Type of Websites? Maybe because they are addictive – you waste most of your precious time surfing on them. Many of these so called ‘Time Wasting’ Websites include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other Social Networking Sites. Here’s a very easy to apply setting which can block a website specified by you. In this tutorial, I’ll not ask you to download any kind of Software. All you have to do is edit a Hosts File (and don’t worry! It’s very easy to do so).

Follow these simple steps to block a website or a set of website:

[1] Open Run. To do so, search for ‘Run’ on the Start Menu Search Bar. Alternatively, you can use a key combination: Windows Button on Keyboard + R.

[2] Type in (or copy) the following file address on the Run Box.

c:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\

[3] A Folder will open where there will be a File Named ‘hosts’. Right Click on that File and Select ‘Properties’. A New Window will appear. Now, under the ‘Security’ Tab, Click on ‘Edit’ Button and another windows will appear. On that window, select ‘User’ followed by your Computer Name closed in Brackets like this : Users(UrbnGeek\Users). Here’s the screenshot:

[4] Now, check all the Checkboxes under under allow (as done in the screenshot) and then click on ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’.

[5] Now, close all the windows except the folder window where ‘hosts’ file is located.

[6] Double Click on the ‘hosts’ file and then Windows will ask you if you want to search the internet for the supported application or you want to use an application already installed on your computer. Select the latter one.

[7] You’ll now be presented with a list of programs. Select ‘Notepad’ and click on ‘OK’ Button.

[8] A Notepad will open. Go to the last line, that is 127.0.0.1       localhost and as soon as it ends (one line after it) type in or copy the following line:

127.0.0.1 NameOfYourWebsiteWhichYouWantToBlock.com

Replace the line after the IP Address with the URL of the website which you want to block. For example, if you want to block Facebook.com, then type in: 127.0.0.1 facebook.com

After you save this settings, then try to open the blocked website. You’ll see an ‘Error’ page in any Browser installed on you computer. To unblock the sites, remove the added lines from the notepad.

-Courtesy   Abhishek Biswal