restricting internet access in WinXP?

[texxs]

I have a client who just asked me for a simple way to stop some of the computers on his network from accessing the internet with IE? He's running WinXp and my lo-tech solution of unpolugging the network cable is no good because they use VOIP.
IE is the only browser installed.

thanks

[ADAM Web Design]

You could always put in fake proxy server settings on those machines. Most people aren't smart enough to know how to undo those.

Or...if you have a decent enough router, you can manually assign IPs to each machine and then block those IPs from accessing the net via the router.

[Rob Moll]

I go into TCP/IP properties for the NIC and change the Preferred DNS Server setting to 127.0.0.1 (loopback).

HTH,
Rob

[texxs]

I go into TCP/IP properties for the NIC and change the Preferred DNS Server setting to 127.0.0.1 (loopback).

Clever! wait no, that would mess up the VOIP thing I think?

The proxy thing some promising...

Here's the situation, he want to hire some "work-release" inmates so they work for 8-10 hours a day and spend the rest of thier time in jail. A great social idea if I ever heard one. I hope it works. Anyway, the counties rules says he just has to do something to stop their internet access, not that it has to work. So I came up with this plan:

Install local firewalls (like zone alarm) and turn them to blovk internet access to all web browsers, password protect these settings so they can't be changed? And a little supervision which will happen anyway, plus it's commission based so they won't be likely to be browsing the internet, and bam! there's
my plan?

Whadda think?

[brendgard]

I have a client who just asked me for a simple way to stop some of the computers on his network from accessing the internet with IE? He's running WinXp and my lo-tech solution of unpolugging the network cable is no good because they use VOIP.
IE is the only browser installed.

thanks

Assuming you have admin rights, you could set up a policy that forbids them to use IE at all, or just certain portions of it, or on certain IP ranges(anything not your own for instance), or or or or.....

Then you can do other tricks like telling Windows to open webfiles in something else than IE, hide or delete the shortcuts to IE, etc, making it harder for the average user to find/use IE.

Download the IE admin kit from Microsoft, makes things like that a whole lot easier.

If you then want them to be able to use another browser, install one, such as Firefox.

[texxs]

Assuming you have admin rights, you could set up a policy that forbids them to use IE at all, or just certain portions of it, or on certain IP ranges(anything not your own for instance), or or or or.....

Then you can do other tricks like telling Windows to open webfiles in something else than IE, hide or delete the shortcuts to IE, etc, making it harder for the average user to find/use IE.

Download the IE admin kit from Microsoft, makes things like that a whole lot easier.

I thpought there was something like this. Thanks!