How do I block out myspace.com completely from a computer?

[bmacd]

No, I'm not a recovering myspace addict ;-) A friend is getting into some serious trouble on myspace and I need to permanently block the site. Would I modify the hosts file somehow?

Bill

 

[nweaver]

some routers will block sites. If yours doesn't a quick smoothwall box would enable that.

You could add and entry to the hosts file (C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts for XP) as well, but that is easily bypassed

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: nweaver
some routers will block sites. If yours doesn't a quick smoothwall box would enable that.

You could add and entry to the hosts file (C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts for XP) as well, but that is easily bypassed

Just what I was thinking. Set myspace.com to the IP of landoverbaptistchurch or some other site. Ha, or set it to AOL's main.

 

[cubby1223]

I'd just set the hosts file so myspace goes to 127.0.0.1, having it go to an alternate web site is just too suspicious. People generally do not know what the hosts file is & how to edit it or get around the entries.

 

[Hyperblaze]

depends what you use for a gateway

 

[jlbenedict]

Gives us more details about the scenerio..

Is the user on their own system, or using your system? Also, what type of account is used? (Administrator, power user, regular ole joe user, etc)..

If they are just a regular old user, you could add myspace as a restricted site in Internet Explorer.. Only an administrator account would be able to delete it after that point..

The only thing about using the host file trick is, if the person is well versed in how this works... they could always use nslookup (or www.dnsstuff.com) and find out the ip for myspace..

 

[bmacd]

this is for a 14 year old who is not very knowledgeable about computers. I'm confident he does not have the slightest idea what a host file is. He is a regular user, and I am an admin on the same machine. We are using a wireless router with the ability to set gateway settings, but I have never done so before.

Thanks for your help thus far.

Bill

 

[stash]

Easy. Disable his account on the machine. It sounds like he hasn't earned the privilege to use a computer, unless it's with supervision.

 

[Nick5324]

Another vote for a quick edit of the hosts file. However, just b/c this 14 yr. old won't know what is going on, there is a reasonable chance he or she knows someone who will figure it out. Eh, I'd edit the hosts file and take other steps only if it becomes a problem again.

 

[minibubba]

personally I would just edit the hosts file and have myspace point to 127.0.0.1 so all connections simply time out, and then set the hosts file as read-only. Note that you have to have lines for each of myspace's subdomains as well. simply rerouting myspce.com wont block everything. The hosts file doesn't accept wildcards either. There may be more subdomains, but this is what I cam up with in a quick google search:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost

# Blocking MySpace:
127.0.0.1 myspace.com
127.0.0.1 www.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 www1.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 classifieds.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 viewmorepics.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 login.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 profile.myspace.com

 

[Lord Evermore]

After so long, why the hell doesn't the hosts file accept wildcards in every OS yet, make it a standard for implementation?

Yeah I suppose there's some technical reason that it would be more complicated, but I'm sure it could be easily done, and it seems so OBVIOUSLY useful.

Back on topic, don't let him use the computer if he's "getting into trouble" with it and it's your machine. If it's not your machine, then who are you to say what he can or can't do, unless his parents have asked you to do this.

 

[xtknight]

You should get some type of firewall that upon detection of MySpace header code it will terminate the socket. Not sure if they have customizeable stuff like that where you can enter in code. You can do it with Proxomitron. Just elminate all access to everything but your LAN and run the proxy on another PC. That's his only chance of using the Net is by that proxy. (With Proxomitron you can enter custom code filters.)

 

[drag]

Yep.

A lesson in minding his parents sounds like a much better thing to me then having computer access. 🙂

On a side note there is content filtering things like DansGuardian (Web proxy primarily targetted towards schools) http://dansguardian.org/?page=whatisdg
It's a excellent open source filtering system.

Some people use it for home stuff, but it's probably overkill.

 

[corkyg]

If you have a software firewall, you can put myspace.com on the permanent denial list - ie., never allow access. Then you lock the firewall with a password so that only you can change that.

Drag's point is very well taken. Computer use and internet access is a privilege and not a right. Privileges are earned.