Windows Hosts Files

[Guest]

I just have a quick question....Under the Advance tools is windows host
files. Should deactivate these files or leave them alone?

Thanks Ron

 

[Bill Sanderson]

The entries on that list are individual lines in a text file. If the
general form of each entry is 127.0.0.1 "some bad site"

then you can leave them alone.

However, to be certain, you need to look at all of them. Some third-party
anti-spyware programs place these entries as a mechanism to keep you from
visiting bad sites. However, viruses also use this mechanism to keep your
machine from updating its antivirus signatures--so it cuts both ways, and
every line needs to be examined.

The effect of "deactivate" is to remove that line from the file. The
wording in this section is confusing at best, I believe.

 

[Guest]

Thanks ...

The entries on that list are individual lines in a text file. If the
general form of each entry is 127.0.0.1 "some bad site"

then you can leave them alone.

However, to be certain, you need to look at all of them. Some third-party
anti-spyware programs place these entries as a mechanism to keep you from
visiting bad sites. However, viruses also use this mechanism to keep your
machine from updating its antivirus signatures--so it cuts both ways, and
every line needs to be examined.

The effect of "deactivate" is to remove that line from the file. The
wording in this section is confusing at best, I believe.

 

[Guest]

Bill,
One more question...
I tried to uninstall the antispyware and reinstall it to correct the
mistakes I make on the windows host files by making them deactivate. The
computer remembers the setup the incorrect way. How can I uninstall it and
reinstall so I do not have to go back through each individual record and
correct them.. Doing it individually is a very slow process which I really
wish not to do again.
Thanks Ron

 

[Bill Sanderson]

If you want my straight recommendation, I'd leave the hosts file at the
installed default, which contains exactly one active line--

127.0.0.1 localhost

Microsoft Antispyware will show this as an empty hosts file, so I'm not sure
what the choices are that you are seeing. According to the help, you can
choose to "deactivate" or "remove."

Deactivate should be reversable--I'm not sure how this is done, but the
logical way would be to turn the lines into comments--this is easily done.

If you want to work with the hosts file, the Microsoft Antispyware system
explorer hosts file explorer is a miserable way to do it. You'd be much
happier with a tool made for the purpose, such as:

http://www.funkytoad.com/hoster.htm

This has a one button solution to take you back to the original hosts file.
If you want to fill it up again with sites that it will prevent you from
accessing, I believe it is Spybot Search and Destroy that provides that
list, or, you can use the Microsoft MVP's hosts file, found here:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

and updated just 3 days ago.


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