Host files

[Jim]

I noticed that the Host file is filled with hundreds of
ads.doubleclick.com and other names I recognize as
tracking companies. Others are for sites I've visited,
e.g., Washington Post. Why shouldn't I delete all these
lines in the host file?

 

[Andre Da Costa]

From Plun:
Reviewing the advanced tools I looked at the System Explorer section and
then in the Networking section under Host files I have thousands of host
file links. Most of them I have reviewed are from adware or other unwanted
web pages. I have tried to disable them but there are too many to do one at
a time.

Question: Should I be disabling these hosts? Is the any way to disable or
remove them all at once?

Answer:

- You can open your hosts file with Notepad.

- C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/etc/hosts.file

- Delete everything EXCEPT 127.0.0.1 Localhost

- Choose "save as" and overwrite hosts.file

- MSAS then protect your hosts file.

By Plun

 

[Bill Sanderson]

As Plun, via Andre, mentions, you can--quite easily.

You should consider how these lines got there, however. Have you ever run
Spybot Search & Destroy?

There are several apps which use the Hosts file as a mechanism to prevent
spyware infections, by equating either adservers or spyware servers to
127.0.0.1, so that ads won't be displayed, or spyware (or worse) downloaded.

Opinions differ about the value of this functionality. I agree with Plun
that it is better to keep this file to a minimum, but the function can be
effective.