Editing Hosts File On Windows

Editing Hosts file on Windows operating system is easy as long as you don’t open the file in the native location because you wont get the Open as Administrator option. A hosts file is an ASCII text file that contains IP Addresses mapped to domain name separated by at least one space. Each entry is kept on an individual line and then the IP address is placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.

Hosts files are used by computer to connect and map IP address with the domain name or hostname. Domain Names are the grail of the computer inter connectivity. Before DNS the hosts file was published and shared by Stanford Research Institute. But when the DNS was born in 1984 it automated the publication process and provided instantaneous and dynamic hostname resolution in the rapidly growing network. Domain Name System interpret IP addresses into human readable form.

Example of entry in the hosts file

77.104.162.183 lensesview.com

Hosts files are great when  you want to block ads, spyware sites, malware sites, and tracking sites or you have that update you don’t want. You will map the domain name to local loop back and the address will never resolve.

Hosts files also speed up access time to the mapped domain though this work is accomplished by DNS. But if you visit the site so often why not map it and it will open instantly.

Editing Hosts File On Windows

In Windows we use text editor to add or edit the hosts file. And here is the procedure

• Press the Windows key (previously Start menu).
• Use the Search option and search for Notepad.
• Right-click Notepad and select Run as administrator.
• From Notepad, open the hosts file at: C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts
• Add the line and save your changes.

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