Hosts File Question

[Mike Rochip]

Basically I don't seem to have one.

 

When I look in System32\drivers\etc there is no hosts file in the txt format like there always was before. I ran a vbs script from kellys-korner to Read Host Files In Notepad and it said "This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft" and there were no entries in the file itself. Then it says Cannot find the Imhosts.txt files and asks if it should create one. There is no imhosts.txt file anywhere in the computer.

 

I'm wondering what would have deleted the hosts file if that's what happened and whether I should download a new one.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[TonyKlein]

Hard to say what could have removed your hosts file, but it is very easy to create a new one, if necessary.

 

Create a blank text file, and save it in the appropriate location as "Hosts", WITHOUT extention! (make sure you save it as type 'all files'.

 

And you can of course download and install a ready made Hosts file as opposed to building your own. This is a good one: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

[Mike Rochip]

Thanks for the quick reply Tony!

 

And the advice about saving it as "all files." I wasn't aware of that and would have probably created a text file.

 

Wierd that it disappeared but I haven't noticed any problems so far but I'd rather have it than not just in case.

[TonyKlein]

Your computer will run just fine without a Hosts file. It's just that you won't enjoy the protection a good Hosts file can provide....

 

Although there's plenty of malware that modifies the Hosts file, I don't recall any offhand that actually delete it, although some may actually do that...

 

Also, there's some security software (I recall BOClean is one) that do delete the Hosts file whenever removing malware that's known to modify it...

[Mike Rochip]

Also, there's some security software (I recall BOClean is one) that do delete the Hosts file whenever removing malware that's known to modify it...

 

That's an interesting tactic but it seems a little extreme. I wonder if it lets the user know that it did that and/or creates a new one.

 

Anyway, I created a new one from the link you provided which is the same one rridgely recommended some time ago. I think it's probably one of the best hosts files out there. When I used it earlier I noticed it blocked all kinds of ads and other annoying stuff from loading in Opera.

 

Thanks again!

[TonyKlein]

You're very welcome.

 

From the BOClean online support page:

 

When the "Automatic cleanup of winsock connectivity" checkbox is checked, upon a detection of a nasty, BOClean will completely delete the HOSTS file from its location in order to circumvent corruption of the data present. The HOSTS file if used, will have to be replaced with a good copy. For anyone using a HOSTS file, it is therefore recommended that a backup copy be kept in order to replace the original if "file not found." This function ALSO removes any settings that are placed into the "ZONES" registry keys for "Domains," "Ranges" and "Protocol" Defaults settings since these are often populated with redirects to bad places or worse.

 

In any case, it is recommended to use a Hosts file manager like Hostsman to maintain your Hosts file. It also allows you to simply back it up:

 

http://hostsman.abelhadigital.com/