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Because your computer thinks in
numbers and you think in words, there needs to be some
sort of translator that converts your words into numbers
that the computer understands. In the case of finding
web sites, the translator that accomplishes this is the
hosts file. This is nothing more than a text file that
associates a numerical internet address with a written
address that makes sense to us humans.
One technique used by the spammers
and spies of the internet is changing the translations
in your hosts file. If you open your web browser and
type in a familiar address, but you wind up at the wrong
site, it’s possible that your hosts file has been
quietly altered by spyware. To find out if this is
what’s causing the problem, take the following steps:
WARNING: Tampering with your hosts
file can cause problems. Before you make any changes to
your hosts file, make a backup copy!
ANOTHER WARNING: If you intend to
change the hosts file on a computer at work, contact
your system administrator first! You cannot change the
hosts file without proper file permissions.
1.
First, you need to find your hosts file. Its location
varies according to the version of Windows that you’re
running:
|
Windows Version |
Hosts File
Location |
|
XP Pro/2000/NT |
c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts |
|
XP Home Edition |
c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts |
|
Me/98 |
c:\windows\hosts |
2. Once you’ve found the hosts
file, open it with Notepad.
The
hosts file opened with Notepad
3.
Look for the name of the website that is pulling up the
wrong page in the right hand column of the list of
numbers and addresses that appears below the lines
starting with “#” symbols. In the illustration above,
the address “www.yahoo.com” goes to the wrong website.
4. Delete the line with the name of
the website that is going to the wrong page.
5. Save the file.
6. If your web browser (Internet
Explorer, Netscape, etc.) is open, close it and restart
it.
7. Type the address that was
pulling up the wrong page into the location bar. If the
correct website appears, the problem was with the hosts
file and the redirection problem with that web address
should be fixed.
Repeat the above steps for any
website addresses that do not open the correct web
pages.
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