Blocking MSN

[imported_rod]

Hey. I have a problem. My little brother will sit on the computer using MSN from the time he gets home from high school, till dinner. Then after dinner, he gets straight back on. When my mum tells him to get off, he always claims to be doing homework, and she isn't computer literate to tell MSN Messenger from MS Word.

There are three computers (1 desktop with XP Home, 1 Laptop with XP Pro and My Desktop with Win2K pro) on the network. They all share a dial-up internet connection from the desktop with XP home. This is also the computer my brother uses MSN from.

So here's my question: Is there anyway to just stop MSN from functioning? If I could block the port it operates on or something. I'm fairly good with computers, but I dont know much more than the basics about networking.

Thanks All
RoD

 

[nweaver]

Install a software firewall like zonealarm and tell it to not allow messenger out.

 

[imported_rod]

Thanks nweaver.
I've used Zone Alarm, but when i run it on the desktop machine with XP Home, all of the other computers lose their internet connections.

RoD

 

[owensdj]

I think MSN Messenger uses port 1863. What mweaver suggested would work, but your little brother could just turn off Zone Alarm to get around it.

If your Internet connection uses a broadband router, you could try blocking port 1863 in the router. If you password protect the router setup, he wouldn't be able to get around that. Some routers have a feature that lets you block specific TCP/IP services(port). If your router can't do that, you might be able to use the router's port forwarding to prevent the computer from using port 1863. Set the router to forward port 1863 to a non-existant private IP address. For example, if your router assigns your computers IP addresses in the range 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.254, forward port 1863 to 192.168.0.99.

 

[slashdotcomma]

Have you tried disabling that port using the regular windows firewall? Easiest solution since that pc is xp home, is to give your brother guest access and then uninstall Windows messenger and MSN Messenger. (upgrade to SP2 if haven't done so to do what I've mentioned) Remove all shortcuts and remove the link, and then have msn.com and messenger.msn.com and webmessenger.msn.com on the restricted sites) Hope this helps.

 

[nweaver]

56K Dialup, so the OP does not have a router....


Google on how to get ICS and Zone Alarm to work...
Text

 

[imported_rod]

Unfortunately I dont have broadband or a router, so there goes that idea.

I enabled the internet firewall on the computer when i set up the dialup account, so i'll have a go at changing that when i get home.

Also, I have deleted/uninstalled MSN many times, be he just re-installs it. He's decently computer literate, but not enough to change the firewall settings. Also he's only got a standard account, while i have an administrator account.

Thnx so far guys.
RoD

 

[nweaver]

change the hosts file, make the MSN servers go to a private IP inside the network