Blocking use of MSN Messenger

[Guest]

Apologies, this is not the right msg board, but I couldn't see an MSN
Messenger related one.

I wish to stop my children accessing MSN Messenger: one shows all the sign
of becoming adicted. In order to do this with an open domestic wireless
network, I need to block at the ADSL router level. For this I need to know
the relevant IP address and ports used.

Can anyone advise me where to get this information?

Thank you.

 

[Alias]

Apologies, this is not the right msg board, but I couldn't see an MSN
Messenger related one.

I wish to stop my children accessing MSN Messenger: one shows all the sign
of becoming adicted. In order to do this with an open domestic wireless
network, I need to block at the ADSL router level. For this I need to
know
the relevant IP address and ports used.

Can anyone advise me where to get this information?

Thank you.

Just pull the plug from your child's computer or the child's connection to
the router if you want to do it technically. It would be better, however, to
talk to your child and not create an us vs. them situation as children
usually are better at technology than their parents and all you will do is
start a war, one you will probably lose.

Alias

 

[bumtracks]

you could try looking at firewall exceptions and should see msn messenger
there and maybe change the Scope to Local only, and hope the kid doesn't
figure it out.

My router has Filters..,URL Blocking
Block those URLs which contain keywords listed below.
MSN

 

[Bobby]

I assume it's an XP machine and your speaking of the msn chat? Anyhow, click
start > run > type in gpedit.msc

Under computer config > admin templates > windows components look for
Windows Messenger, highlight it and in the right pane double-click Do not
allow messenger to be run and enable it.

Restart the computer.

Does this help?

 

[Guest]

I was trying to do the same thing. I e-mailed MSN and they told me to block
TCP port 1863 but I read somewhere that if I do this, Messenger will use port
80. If its MSN Messenger 7.5 you are trying to block then I recommend that
you DONT use the hosts file because Messenger will change the registry to
bypass the hosts file.

The best way that you can do this is to delete MSN Messenger and block all
access to www.msn.com, msn.messenger.com, and perhaps www.messenger.msn.com
and http://messenger.msn.com to prevent it from being downloaded and
installed again. But if you have very technical savvy children then they can
downloaded from a USB key or CD.

 

[Martin]

Apologies, this is not the right msg board, but I couldn't see an MSN
Messenger related one.

I wish to stop my children accessing MSN Messenger: one shows all the sign
of becoming adicted. In order to do this with an open domestic wireless
network, I need to block at the ADSL router level. For this I need to
know
the relevant IP address and ports used.

Can anyone advise me where to get this information?

Thank you.

I installed "Chat Watch" on my daughters computer and configured it to only
allow chats between certain times of the day. If she tries to open an
MSN/Yahoo/ICQ/etc, etc chat window outside those times then Chat Watch
automatically closes the window. I found this more useful than just banning
her outright, unless she does something wrong of course but then I can just
adjust the allowed times!! Chat Watch will also log the messages and send
via email or network if you are concerned about what they are up to..

Perhaps this or something similar is a better solution? Set time limits when
MSN can be used then have something that stops use outside those times. As
it runs in stealth and has a password even if it is stumbled upon you are
fairly much assured that what you set stays set...

 

[Alias]

I installed "Chat Watch" on my daughters computer and configured it to
only allow chats between certain times of the day. If she tries to open
an MSN/Yahoo/ICQ/etc, etc chat window outside those times then Chat Watch
automatically closes the window. I found this more useful than just
banning her outright, unless she does something wrong of course but then I
can just adjust the allowed times!! Chat Watch will also log the messages
and send via email or network if you are concerned about what they are up
to..

Perhaps this or something similar is a better solution? Set time limits
when MSN can be used then have something that stops use outside those
times. As it runs in stealth and has a password even if it is stumbled
upon you are fairly much assured that what you set stays set...

All the kids need to do is go to Add/Remove and uninstall it. There is no
substitution for talking to the kids. Playing the Us vs. Them game is
childish.

Alias

 

[Martin]

All the kids need to do is go to Add/Remove and uninstall it. There is no
substitution for talking to the kids. Playing the Us vs. Them game is
childish.

Alias

Bit hard when it doesn't show up in Add/Remove, or in Task Manager......

And believe me when I tell you that even the most trustworthy kid that you
talk to, openly and constantly can "drift" off the rails a tad. My
daughter, usually a very honest, trustworthy teenager who talks to us about
everything and is overall a far better kid than I ever was, changed
dramatically when she discovered her first boyfriend... Talking to her,
initially, did no good 'cause she was looking at things with "blinkers" on.
Stuff that she now see's as wrong and stupid became normal for her, so I'm
afraid to say that with the technology available these days you can't always
be 100% secure in the knowledge that your kids are honest! What about the
others out there that are less honest?

Besides, I wasn't suggesting a "us v them" war just a method to provide a
little control over how much time they can spend on MSN and, if needed, a
way to check what people are saying to them. Seems far better than
wondering long after the kid has gone to meet some stranger at some motel
somewhere...... And believe me when I say that it doesn't take long for
their e-mail address to make the rounds at school and end up in the hands of
some whacko that ends up stalking them on MSN making some rather obscene
suggestions and comments.... There are some things even the most honest
teenager just doesn't tell their parents!

 

[Guest]

I might suggest you check this out. Its $10/month, but sounds like it may be
money well spent.

https://accountservices.msn.com/DEFAULT.SRF?vv=320&lc=1033

Good luck, from the concerned parent of 'tweener' just beginning to get into
that stage.