How to Block a Website in Firefox, Chrome, Windows 7 and XP

Now a days Internet and World Wide Web is playing a vital role through out the globe. It is being used by huge number of people ranging from students to people of almost all spheres. Even though it has made life easy for paying bills online,booking railway tickets, shopping online, auctioning, placing orders etc.
Besides this, social networking sites distract children from study, some sites contain offensive contents and porn pictures which are a threat for young generation. Some sites even contain spams, viruses, and malwares. While opening those sites these malicious files automatically get downloaded to the local system and affects the system, even sometimes the systems are hacked to get valuable information from the concerned computer. In order to prevent these things, it is required to block these sites. Here we will see how to block websites in different browsers:
Before observing different ways to block websites, we will first understand what blocking of website means. It means denial of access of a particular URL address of a website or content of a website temporarily or permanently and meanwhile user will not be able to access those sites and contents as well.
Following are the steps to be followed to block a website in Firefox
1. Navigate to Hosts file which are located at
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC for windows Vista and XP
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC for Windows 2k
C:\WINDOWS for Windows 98 and ME
2. Open Hosts with a notepad
By default Windows Hosts looks like below

# Copyright © 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 addresses 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 local host

3. Now under the line 127.0.0.1 Local host, we just have to type:
127.0.0.1 The URL we want to block
For example if we want to block the www.facebook.com homepage we have to type:
127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com
like this we can add as many sites we want to block in Firefox
4. After this we have to close the notepad and answer YES when asked.
5. Then we have to reboot the computer and then have to try to navigate to the website we have blocked. We will see a ‘cannot find server’ message on the screen.
Following are the steps we need to follow to block websites in Google chrome
We have to open Windows Explorer and locate the folder ”C:/windows/system32/drivers/etc”Then we have to right-click on the hosts file and choose open and open the file in notepad.Now at the bottom of the document, we have to add the numbers 127.0.0.1 followed by at least one space, followed by the URL of the website we want to block.Then we have to save the file and restart the systemNow, any attempt to visit the site you blocked in Chrome  will show connection failedFollowing are the steps we need to follow to block websites in Windows 7
We have to click on the start button and search for Internet OptionsNow in a new window, Internet properties will open. Then we have to click on sites, which will be under the privacy tabWe have to add the websites over here which we want to block. Text field is provided in the next window. Then we have to click on the Block button to block the website and then have to click on OKNow, any attempt to visit the site you blocked in Windows 7  will show connection failedFollowing are the steps we need to follow to block websites in Windows XP
We have to load Internet explorer and have to click on tools->Internet options.Now we have to click on Privacy tab. Under the privacy tab we have to click on sites.In sites we just have to type the URL we want to block and then we have to click on OK.Now, any attempt to visit the site you blocked in Windows XP  will show connection failed.This was the information about how to block websites in Firefox, Chrome, Windows 7 and Windows XP. Hope you will find this information useful.
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