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Editing the Hosts File
The Hosts file in Windows is simply a text file (which means you can edit with Notepad) that stores the location of a node on a computer network. The Hosts file is used as a supplement in Windows, and does not act like a master Name Server. It is possible to use the Hosts file to block or re-direct Internet traffic.
The Hosts file is located in a certain spot on your computer according to the version of Windows you are running:
Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista:
The default location is %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc (the %SystemRoot% value is where the Windows folder is located - in most cases it is C:\Windows\)
Windows 95/98/98SE/ME:
The default location is %WinDir%\
The default Hosts file in Windows XP looks like this:
# Copyright © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a "#" symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
#
127.0.0.1 localhost
For those of you who really wish to dig in and explore the Hosts file, and excellent Hosts Manager can be found here
