Blocking a game on XP with the hosts file

Blocking a game on XP with the hosts file

In the Windows XP hosts file (C:\windows\drivers\etc\hosts) replaces the mnemonic format with an ip address locally before talking to the dns. Previously, I have used the four slots for hosts and keywords in a linksys router wrt54gs; which is very limiting. The segment below has been designed to block the game Adventure Quest with hosts collected from Fiddler2.

Asked by: Guest | Views: 313

Total answers/comments: 2

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Guest [Entry]

"How can this segment be consolidated and/or is there a better way to block this game?

Without using third party software, not really. The advantage of this method is that the hosts files can most probably be copied over to a completely different operating system.

Does the host ""battleon.com"" differ from the host ""www.battleon.com""?

I think so. They are two different domains.

Can hosts reference a subdirectory ""dragonfable.battleon.com/game/""?
Can hosts reference a specific page?

No. The .hosts file is meant to be a local 'replacement' for DNS systems. They will only look up the domain name, hence you can only block domains using a .hosts file, not paths.

Is there a better way, have I errored, and any suggestions?

As I mentioned before, .hosts files are native and the same to pretty much any modern operating system. You could opt for some third part filtering software, but they can be expensive and possibly a bit too confusing."

Guest [Entry]

"have a look at trusty old Proxomitron, still one of the finest and most efficient web filters.

at Sidki's page you'll find a well maintained up-to-date configuration file."