Trying to block web sites.....

WinXP Home SP3 - I have one admin account, and two limited accounts on this PC (the parents and 2 kids). They want MySpace and Facebook blocked. So I added them to the "Restricted sites" list using the admin account, but the MySpace and Facebook still open. I added both sites to the "hosts" file, nut still both sites open. I'm about to add them to the Windows Firewall blocked sites, but it seems to me that it would be VERY easy for the kids to simply turn off Windows Firewall... I have very little experience with setting up a PC so that the limited accounts cannot change settings (like in the "Restricted Sites" or turning of Windows Firewall), and so that the admin account has full reign.... any help will be appreciated! THANKS!

 

Go there and start flaming.:-D Get banned so your IP is blocked on their end.
Then watch the kids wonder what happened. rolleyesYou can even ask them what have they done.cry:wave

 

Can you add them as blocked sites on your router (if you have one)?

 

Technically, yes. But it's not my PC, I don't do house calls, and even then, the kids could simply reset the router. The parents want an easy way to keep the kids out of MySpace and Facebook. They're somewhat noobish so a full-fledged firewall probably isn't a great idea 'cuz it will be popping up all the time "allow this?" and "deny that?" and most noobs lose their freekin' minds when this happens.

So- I just tried using the Content Advisor, I added MySpace and Facebook to the "Never" list, and once the Content Advisor is enabled, NO SITES will open! And when it's disabled, MySpace and Facebook still open. :banghead

 

Most firewalls cannot effectively block links, as I have just tried with COMODO (caps theirs) and it will not do it.

The only other suggestion I can think of is a computer acting as a firewall with something like SmoothWall on it, and the addon Address Filter package.

 

OK - I got the 'hosts' file to work. It is now blocking MySpace and facebook! Except: they have "MySpace Web Search" install somehow, and I can't seem to find a way to get rid of it. Below is a screen shot of the top right corner of Internet Explorer. I'm still looking thru the add-ons, but I can't find it!!!

 

Nevermind :-o I'm a stooge. I got it all figured out. The default search provider is located in Internet Properties, under the General tab, and it's the 3rd or 4th button down. Problem solved!

 

But couldn't it be restarted?

 

Yeah, if someone wanted too, they could change the default search provider, but they still can't access MySpace or Facebook. I figured out how to edit the Hosts file correctly (I did it wrong the first time :-o ), and I changed the file attributes for it to be hidden, read only, and a system file, so editing it will be quite difficult for average (and some above-average) users. It won't even show up unless they change the default folder view options. So, yes, changing the default search provider from Google to something else can be done fairly easily (but I don't think the kids will figure it out), but it doesn't negate the basic goal, which was to completely block MySpace and Facebook. I have tested extensively, and there's no way to get to these sites, even if they tried a proxy or a different browser.

 

Now watch.rolleyes
The parents will have a Facebook page and not be able to get there.confused:-D