Hosts file issue

[Frank Booth Snr]

Some months ago I downloaded a Hosts file which includes numerous
troublesome websites known to cause spyware or inflict trojan problems, porn
sites etc. I've had no trouble with this until recently when I saw that some
trusted websites that I've used for a long time were not opening up properly
with 'Web Page unavailable' displayed on parts of these websites. At the
same time opening these websites seems to take much longer than usual, or
tthese web pages just don't complete. However there are plenty of sites that
do open normally. I have no 'restricted site' entries, so I suspected the
Hosts file might be the source of the problem and temporarily removed it.
There was then no problem with opening the troublesome websites mentioned.
On restoring the Hosts file, the problem resumed.

So my question is what is the best way to proceed, as obviously one or more
entries in the Hosts is responsible, but there are just so many entries to
plough through and test? I have not added to the Hosts file at all before or
since the trouble began.

 

[Scott M.]

This isn't a problem at all and your hosts file is doing exactly what it
should be doing. The parts of the pages that you get the "file not
available" message are parts of the page that has content coming from sites
in your hosts list. They are most likely advertisements that are not being
shown.

 

[Juan]

The Hosts file should not be removed, instead it should be edited,
if you still have trouble with some web pages after you have edited the
Hosts file,
install spyware programs and cleanup your system, the problem you describe
is
mainly caused by browser hijackers.

The Hosts file should only contain the following example of addresses.
_________________________________________________

# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # servidor origen
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # host cliente x

127.0.0.1 localhost
__________________________________________________

Any other address should be considered a hijacker,.. unless you have added
it.
Download Adaware SE Personal, Spybot Search & Destroy, CWShredder
and SpywareBlaster. Update them before scanning and update/use them on
a regular basis.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html

Regards.

 

[Frank Booth Snr]

The Hosts file should not be removed, instead it should be edited,
if you still have trouble with some web pages after you have edited the
Hosts file,
install spyware programs and cleanup your system, the problem you describe
is
mainly caused by browser hijackers.

The Hosts file should only contain the following example of addresses.
_________________________________________________

# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # servidor origen
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # host cliente x

127.0.0.1 localhost
__________________________________________________

Any other address should be considered a hijacker,.. unless you have added
it.
Download Adaware SE Personal, Spybot Search & Destroy, CWShredder
and SpywareBlaster. Update them before scanning and update/use them on
a regular basis.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html

Regards.

Thanks but the contents of my Hosts file was downloaded from
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm which is an excellent site
explaining the purpose of the file and has several hundred suspect entries
included in the file. The only problem I'm experiencing is that some sites
don't open correctly; "error on page" warning or "page unavailable" placed
on parts of a downloaded site. All the info that normally displays, which I
use for thes problem sites is still correctly displayed.

 

[Tom Pepper Willett]

Well, if you don't want to see those errors, don't use that host file.
That's how it works.

Tom
|
| | >
| > The Hosts file should not be removed, instead it should be edited,
| > if you still have trouble with some web pages after you have edited the
| > Hosts file,
| > install spyware programs and cleanup your system, the problem you
describe
| > is
| > mainly caused by browser hijackers.
| >
| > The Hosts file should only contain the following example of addresses.
| > _________________________________________________
| >
| > # 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # servidor origen
| > # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # host cliente x
| >
| > 127.0.0.1 localhost
| > __________________________________________________
| >
| > Any other address should be considered a hijacker,.. unless you have
added
| > it.
| > Download Adaware SE Personal, Spybot Search & Destroy, CWShredder
| > and SpywareBlaster. Update them before scanning and update/use them on
| > a regular basis.
| > http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html
| >
| > Regards.
| >
| Thanks but the contents of my Hosts file was downloaded from
| http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm which is an excellent site
| explaining the purpose of the file and has several hundred suspect entries
| included in the file. The only problem I'm experiencing is that some sites
| don't open correctly; "error on page" warning or "page unavailable" placed
| on parts of a downloaded site. All the info that normally displays, which
I
| use for thes problem sites is still correctly displayed.
|
|

 

[Juan]

In your own words: "the file and has several hundred suspect entries
included in the file".
Are you sure you've got it right, the Hosts file should only have trusted
addresses, a suspect
entrie means a hijack.

Why don't you install an anti-spyware program.. if there is an ivalid entry
in the Hosts file
which is causing trouble, the program should detect it and solve it for you.

Did you make a backup of your old Hosts file? have you tried removing the
downloaded
version and replacing it with your old one to see what a difference it
makes? .. or make a
copy ot the one you are using and edit it to default condition.

Did you read this part?:
In the event you can not access a site and you believe it may be due to an
entry in the
HOSTS file. Check the URL first! It may be taking you to somewhere you don't
want to go!

Hope you solve it.

----------------------------

 

[Scott M.]

You are incorrect to say that any additional sites in the hosts file are
hijackers. The OP has told us that he's using a downloaded hosts file.

 

[Scott M.]

Juan, you are not understanding what the OP is saying. He's saying that
parts of pages aren't loading and are instead showing Page Not Available.
This is exactly what SHOULD happen when your hosts file contains entries
that point to known ad servers.

There is nothing wrong with what is happening to the OP.

 

[Scott M.]

As I stated earlier, what is happening to you is normal and correct
behavior. Most sites contain content that comes from known ad servers (ie.
ads.Microsoft.com, ads.cnn.com, etc.). If you visit a site that has some of
the page content coming from the servers listed in your hosts file, you are
not supposes to get their content, hence you will get that section of the
page showing the "Page Not Available".

 

[Juan]

You are right to some degree Scott, I should have explained that further....
any site included in the Hosts file should be a trusted site, and there is
where
the line is drawn, any hijacker can write itself in the file and mix in with
the
trusted sites.
In any case the Hosts file should only be used as the MVP site describes,
if the user understands it fully. With all the several hundred entries Mr.
Booth
mentions, there coul be a few malitious sites mixed in and only a spyware
programs can tell.

Regards.

-------------------------------------------

 

[Juan]

OK Scott I understand... but the problem is that the OP has a browser
hijacking problem
wether the Hosts file is infected or not. is a whole different matter and
the only solution is
relying on spyware programs, the ones I recommended to the OP are the ones
everyone
should have installed as they are recommended by most MVPs. I recommend them
every time a problem of infection is evident and this is one of those cases
I've seen this
type of sympthoms and nine out of ten are browser hijackings.
I'm sure you'll agree to this diagnose.

Regards.

------------------------------------------

 

[Scott M.]

I don't understand why you keep saying that the OP has a hijacker problem.
He does not. The OP is not describing his home page being hijacked or sites
that he intends to go to being replaced by other sites.

What the OP is describing is exactly what should happen when you visit pages
that have content that comes from sites listed in the hosts file.

I have at least a thousand entries in my hosts file (mainly for the
elimination of most pop up ads) and when I visit virtually ANY site that has
advertising content that comes from ad servers listed in my hosts file, I
will get portions of the page that show with a "Page Not Available" error
message. When I get these sections, I immediately know that what *would*
have been there is an advertisement.

This is the behavior that the OP is describing, not hijacking.

 

[Frank Booth Snr]

OK Scott I understand... but the problem is that the OP has a browser
hijacking problem
wether the Hosts file is infected or not. is a whole different matter and
the only solution is
relying on spyware programs, the ones I recommended to the OP are the ones
everyone
should have installed as they are recommended by most MVPs. I recommend them
every time a problem of infection is evident and this is one of those cases
I've seen this
type of sympthoms and nine out of ten are browser hijackings.
I'm sure you'll agree to this diagnose.

As Scott M has mentioned, I do NOT have a hijacking/spyware problem. I
simply wanted to confirm that the use of a Hosts file with numerous entries
could cause certain web pages to malfunction, and that is what has happened,
and Scott confirmed was perfectly normal. However the majority of pages open
normally.

You haven't read what I described. The Hosts file I use is supplied by
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm and has over a thousand entries
including descriptions by some of them, which indicate that these are
suspect regarding the downloading of spyware,trojans etc. I don't use
anti-spyware, and if the Hosts file does its job, then there's probably no
need to anyway.

 

[Frank Booth Snr]

I don't understand why you keep saying that the OP has a hijacker problem.
He does not. The OP is not describing his home page being hijacked or sites
that he intends to go to being replaced by other sites.

What the OP is describing is exactly what should happen when you visit pages
that have content that comes from sites listed in the hosts file.

I have at least a thousand entries in my hosts file (mainly for the
elimination of most pop up ads) and when I visit virtually ANY site that has
advertising content that comes from ad servers listed in my hosts file, I
will get portions of the page that show with a "Page Not Available" error
message. When I get these sections, I immediately know that what *would*
have been there is an advertisement.

This is the behavior that the OP is describing, not hijacking.

Thanks, Scott. You've explained it completely. the only thing that is odd is
that I had no error problems until a week ago. Yesterday, I deleted the
Hosts file then re-downloaded it, but the errors remain for the same sites.
I can only assume that those sites suddenly decided to employ one of the
forbidden ad servers included in the Hosts.