The network address of any Internet page can be represented in digital or alphabetic form, for example, vk.com (domain name) or 87.240.131.97 (IP address). The hosts text file is responsible for converting domain names to an IP address and converting them back on the computer.
What is hosts
The hosts file is located in the c: / windows / system32 / drivers / etc folder. In addition to comments marked with #, it contains the last line with the local computer address: 127.0.0.1 localhost. For Windows 7 and Windows Vista, the last lines of the file look slightly different: 127.0.0.1 localhost
:: 1 localhost
In Internet jargon, the word "host" in a broad sense means a server that provides access to files located on it. When you enter the domain name of a site in the address bar, any browser first of all accesses the hosts file on your computer to check if this name is contained there. If the name is not found, a call is made to the DNS server, which translates the domain names into IP addresses. The site opens if any IP-address corresponds to this name.
How to change hosts
The desire of employees to spend their working hours on various social networks often annoys employers. And parents do not always like that children disappear to Odnoklassniki.ru or Vkontakte. You can block these sites on your computer by modifying the contents of the hosts file. If you cannot log into VK, it is quite possible that a user with administrator rights has written the domain name of your favorite site next to the IP address of the local computer:
127.0.0.1
127.0.0.1 www.vk.com
The Vkontakte site has several "mirrors", i.e. domain names, so blocking only one of them does not make sense.
In addition, some viruses change the value of the file, writing to the right of the IP domain name of the fake VK site, where you may be required to send a fee for accessing your account.
To log into VK, you need to restore the original hosts value. Since hosts is a plain text file, you can change it using any text editor, for example, Notepad. Right-click on the file icon and select "Open With", then "Notepad". After that, the file will be available for editing. Make a note of the correct domain name for the local computer, depending on your version of Windows.
You can simply delete the hosts file - after rebooting, the system will restore it with the default values.
Please note that the hosts file does not have an extension. It is a text file, not a document. If you see the hosts.txt icon, it is quite possible that this is a fake file created by a virus. To see the real one, in the etc folder go to the "Tools" menu, select "Folder Options" and open the "View" tab. Check "Show hidden files and folders".
However, it is possible that a virus or a computer administrator blocked the ability to modify the file. Right-click on its icon and select "Properties". Pay attention to what permissions are in the "Security" tab. Check the box next to "Allow to change" for your account.
If this action is not available, restart your computer and log on to Safe Mode. To do this, press the F8 key after the initial boot and select "Safe Mode" from the boot methods menu. Then try editing the file or deleting it.
There is one more way. If you are not blocked from changing the hosts file, download it from another computer and install it on yours.
