DNS or Domain Name Server resolves a domain name into IP address. The process of translating the domain name into IP address consumes time which causes delay. Moreover when the DNS servers are down we can’t access the site thorough their URL’s. Hence it becomes necessary to make a mapping of the hostnames to IP addresses. This is the sole job of Windows Hosts File.
There are two methods in which the hosts file can be edited :
1. Manually editing the Hosts file.
2. Using a tool HostsMan editor to edit the HOSTS file.
Manually Editing the HOSTS file
1. Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
2. Open the file named “HOSTS” using any suitable editor of your choice.
3. The HOSTS file contains lines of text including an IP address and one or more hostnames. You can add the mapping relationship of each websites. The comment lines are indicated by a hash (#) character, which will be ignored by system.
4. If you want to block say google.com type in the file
127.0.0.1 google.com
Editing Hosts File Using HostsMan Tool
1. Firstly you need to have the tool HostsMan by which you can block or allow any website. It will do the same job as you would have done it manually.
2. As you can see above that by using this tool you just have to enter the IP address and the name of the site.
So in this ways a website can be blocked using the HOSTS file.
You may also like: How to configure hosts file to block any website/IP in Windows 8?
