The hosts file contains a list of IP addresses and their associated domain names. Before contacting the DNS servers located on the Internet, the function of which is to translate the domain name into an IP address, the system checks if there is such a domain in this file. This organization of work with Internet sites makes the file potentially dangerous, since malicious programs that gain access to it can intercept requests to popular sites and redirect them to the attacker's server.
Instructions
Step 1
Start by renaming the original hosts file located in the etc folder under the drivers folder, which in turn is located inside the system32 folder of the Windows system directory. Editing the original of this file is difficult and not worth the effort to fix, as there is an easier way to solve the problem. Rename the original, for example to hosts.bak.
Step 2
Create a new hosts file. To do this, right-click the free space in this folder, open the New section in the drop-down context menu and select the Text Document item. Explorer will create a new file with the default name, which you need to replace with hosts. Press Enter, and then click on the "Yes" button, when Explorer will ask you to confirm that the file should not have the txt extension.
Step 3
Open the created file in any text editor (for example, in Notepad) and fill it with the required content. If necessary, you can open the old file in a text editor, copy its contents, paste into a new file and edit.
Step 4
Save the modified file and close it in a text editor.
Step 5
If the purpose of making changes to the hosts file is to restore its original state (for example, to eliminate the consequences of a virus attack), then you can use a special utility. It is released by Microsoft corporation, placed for free download on the server of the Windows OS manufacturer and is called Microsoft Fix it 50267. After launch, this utility automatically recognizes the version of the installed OS, and then performs the necessary manipulations with the hosts file, restoring the content used in this version of the system. file. You can download the utility via a direct link
