How can I block users from Facebook

Just thought I'd drop in to say that adding those entries worked like a charm!
Thanks!

Hi there
altering the HOSTS file IMO isn't a very satisfactory way of doing this -- especially on a HOME computer -- for starters any knowlegeable person could boot up say a Linux system from a USB drive, mount the windows C drive and then just edit the hosts file whatever the WINDOWS permissions on the file are -- to Linux Windows data is just that - simply data and the hosts file is just plain text no more or no less than any other "bog standard" text file.

Also even within Windows iteself its easy to get round restrictions in the HOSTS file -- any type of VPN or proxy server would record the PROXY or VPN address rather than the facebook address so the hosts file is useless in this case -- and people are CLEVER at getting round these restrictions --just look at how people access content that is only meant to be available in some countries from other places by doing just this.

The best way IMO would be to get your ROUTER to block access to these sites with FACEBOOK in it's www address and / or use a decent tamper proof firewall to block the sites. I think there's also reasonable software around that prevents access to user defined sites .

(Actually this is a great idea for a LINUX server to control Internet access from your home computers but this is probably over the top for your specific requirement since you could also monitor whats coming IN as well as whats going out so even if a proxy was used you could disallow the request to be forwarded to the specific machine).

Cheers
jimbo

That's good info 'n all but no member in my family is going to boot up a linux cd to get around a Facebook 404 error. I'm the one that has to troubleshoot the printer when it "magically" wont work. Guaranteed, as far as anyone in my family is concerned, LINUX is the character in the Snoopy cartoons with the blanket.

And my intent is not to block ALL access to Facebook, just from the HTPC. So by blocking it from the router, unless I can target specific ports, I will be blocking all the computers on my network.

So far editing the Hosts file with the entries posted earlier seems to work just fine...

internet tools
content
settings
approved sites

you may approve all sites ( *.* )
then block facebook ( *.facebook.com/* )

Facebook really has gone too far. I mean all Microsoft Knowledge Base articles now have a Twitter "Tweet" button, a Bebo "Share" button, and a Facebook "Like" button.