How To Block/Unblock Any Website Easily

If you're worries about your kids or friends using your computer and surfing through the unsafe or unhealthy websites (porn sites actually) that could bring problems such as your computer might get Malware/Virus infections or to stop kids from watching things that they not suppose to, here's the easy way to prevent that.

To archive this, you must know the websites address that you want to block and the simple way you can get it is by looking at the Internet History or Cookies (if it's not been delete yet), or using any 3rd party software that could retrieve the addresses, or you could do a System Restore to get that.

We're not going to use any software or modify the modem/router settings, but in this tutorial we will edit the Windows Hosts file, that's why I said "easily".

Here's to begin:

1. Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc (applies to XP, Vista & 7) and find the file named Hosts (without extensions).
2. Right click on it, choose Properties and untick the "Read Only" attributes, click Apply and OK.
3. Double click the Hosts file and choose the program to open and choose Notepad.

This image from Windows Vista (similar to Windows 7).

And this is from Windows XP.

4. All you have to do is type in the website address that you want to block on the next line to localhost. Begin with 127.o.o.1 and follow with the address. See example in image below.


5. Put as many website address as you like, after done that click File, click Save (not Save as) and Exit.
6. Right click on Hosts file that you've just edit, choose Properties and change "Read Only" attribute to enabled back.
7. Reboot your computer for changes to take effect.

That's it, do some test after that, try surf to websites that you've just block. And to reverse the changes (to unblock), just delete the address that you've put before in Hosts file.

Note: For Windows Vista and Windows 7, if you have a difficulties when trying to edit or saving the Hosts file, "Take Ownership" on Hosts file first before you begin (from step 1). Learn how here.

Summary:

127.0.0.1 is a localhost, when users want to surf into the address that you've set into the Hosts file, the OS (your computer) will redirect the address to localhost,it's mean back into OS (your computer), not connecting to the website address.So, the error or failed to connect occurs, this is called IP Mapping.