The host file is a small but extremely important document, which by default only takes up 1 KB of disk space. Its appearance was the result of the desire of shell developers to increase PC performance. Considering this file and its principle of operation, it is possible to draw an analogy using a notebook for a better understanding.
So what exactly is a host file? Each computer connected to the Internet connects using a simple algorithm. The user's contact to any of the sites is checked by the browser to find the IP address of this resource in the host file. There are two possible scenarios.
1. If such an address is not found, then the computer makes a corresponding request from the provider and only after receiving it opens the selected Internet resource. It takes some time.
2. If the host file contains the specified ip-address, then the browser immediately opens the desired site, which significantly speeds up the work, as the above procedure is skipped.
Obviously, storing records of the IP addresses of the most visited sites is very useful, but there is one “but”. Quite often, the host file stores information about advertising and simply random unnecessary sites. In addition, he is a potential victim for the actions of some viruses, which usually redirect the user from social networking sites to special phishing resources in order to lure the user’s money.
Thus, it is very important to periodically check and clean the contents of this file. But how to find a host? It should be noted right away that the mode of displaying hidden files is not useful, and you can find it at the address: C: \ WINDOWS \ system32 \ drivers \ etc. To access its contents, you need to right-click on the file icon and apply “open with”, where you should choose one of the standard Windows programs - Notepad.
Having accessed the file, you should know how to clean the host to prevent excessive traffic consumption or to protect your computer from malicious programs. Opening it, you should pay special attention to the entries that are contained after "127.0.0.1 localhost". If this entry is not visible, you must move down using the slider on the right. All IP addresses below this should be carefully analyzed. It should be noted immediately that in the original host file, there is nothing below the entry “127.0.0.1 localhost”.
Sometimes when opening or editing, some difficulties arise. The most common when the file cannot be opened or saved. There are two ways to solve this situation.
1. Open using administrator rights.
2. Download or copy the original file and replace it with the one located on the user's computer.
The described solutions may not help if a virus program remains in the system, since it will independently periodically check and change the contents of the host. Therefore, you must first identify and neutralize it, and then check and correct the contents of the file again.
By applying this knowledge, web surfing will become faster and safer.