Disable the internet without touching the hardware

Question

How would I go about disabling the internet on my computer without touching the hardware (modem, router, etc) and without disabling it from the Network Connections of the Control Panel. Is there a way to tweak it on the registry instead?

I'm wanting to achieve this to control my younger sister's usage of our computer at home. She's kinda getting addicted so my mom suggested that I make an application that can do such thing when a certain time is hit. E.g. when the time is 10pm the internet gets disabled automatically so she won't have anything to do and shut down the comp instead.

I already know how to deal with checking the time and such but the only thing I'm missing is the registry tweak required for it.

Thank you for those who'd answer.

Answer 1

What about using the command line commands described here:http://www.asp101.com/articles/stanley/nicsettings/default.asp to change the ip address to something that won't work or a bogus dns server? You could have your time-checking application call the batch file or simply execute the command.

Answer 2

Tweaking the registry is pretty much a bad idea, leading to the need to reinstall Windows. You should look at the parental controls to set access time restrictions. Ideally your sister will have her own account on the computer, allowing you to set restrictions.