Block a website on a domain workstation with no admin rights

[Shane]

Is there a way to block a website even temporarily on an XP machine
when you have no admin rights? I have a group of guys that stand
around watching youtube all day instead of working. I am ex-IT and
could use a hacked bootdisk and clear the local admin password and
then change the host file, but I don't want to do that. That would
probably get me fired. I have went to management and they say we can't
block youtube since all machines would be affected and youtube is a
resource we need at times. Problem is these guys on this one PC abuse
it. I know it can be blocked based on IP address via the firewall.
Facebook is blocked so I know they have a firewall. The IT staff there
is clueless. Any ideas how to block youtube? I am to the point where I
will just disconnect the antenna on the wireless card just to keep
these guys off. They play offensive music in retail environment and my
customers get offended by the F bomb every other word. The PC is right
at the cash registers.

Any ideas?

 

[The Beast]

Is there a way to block a website even temporarily on an XP machine
when you have no admin rights? I have a group of guys that stand
around watching youtube all day instead of working. I am ex-IT and
could use a hacked bootdisk and clear the local admin password and
then change the host file, but I don't want to do that. That would
probably get me fired. I have went to management and they say we can't
block youtube since all machines would be affected and youtube is a
resource we need at times. Problem is these guys on this one PC abuse
it. I know it can be blocked based on IP address via the firewall.
Facebook is blocked so I know they have a firewall. The IT staff there
is clueless. Any ideas how to block youtube? I am to the point where I
will just disconnect the antenna on the wireless card just to keep
these guys off. They play offensive music in retail environment and my
customers get offended by the F bomb every other word. The PC is right
at the cash registers.

Any ideas?

Also, I forgot to check, but they may have a proxy server, which if I
remember correctly bypasses the hosts file.

 

[Olórin]

Is there a way to block a website even temporarily on an XP machine
when you have no admin rights? I have a group of guys that stand
around watching youtube all day instead of working. I am ex-IT and
could use a hacked bootdisk and clear the local admin password and
then change the host file, but I don't want to do that. That would
probably get me fired. I have went to management and they say we can't
block youtube since all machines would be affected and youtube is a
resource we need at times. Problem is these guys on this one PC abuse
it. I know it can be blocked based on IP address via the firewall.
Facebook is blocked so I know they have a firewall. The IT staff there
is clueless. Any ideas how to block youtube? I am to the point where I
will just disconnect the antenna on the wireless card just to keep
these guys off. They play offensive music in retail environment and my
customers get offended by the F bomb every other word. The PC is right
at the cash registers.

Any ideas?

Sounds like more of a management problem than an IT one. I'd speak to your
management, the managers of the people that abuse this PC, or perhaps IT
management to get this behaviour put right. How does it fall to you to fix
this?

Wouldn't hurt to also get YouTube blocked by the same method that Facebook
was blocked - who did that?