How to change the hosts file in Vista ?

It is sometimes necessary to add name resolution locally, bypassing your ISP's DNS servers. Under Vista you need administrator priviledges in order to modify the hosts file. The steps are outlined below:

1. Navigate to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories
2. Right click "Notepad" and select "Run as administrator"
3. Click "Continue" on the UAC prompt
4. Click File -> Open
5. Browse to "C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc"
6. Change the file filter drop down box from "Text Documents (*.txt)" to "All Files (*.*)"
7. Select "hosts" and click "Open"
8. Make the needed changes and close Notepad. Save when prompted.


Notes:
comments in the hosts file begin with #
By default, it contains the following line: 127.0.0.1 localhost
This resolves "localhost" to the default 127.0.0.1 local IP address. You can add lines following the same pattern, an IP address, followed by a space/tab and the domain name, for example:
66.230.207.58 speedguide.net

Keep in mind that if the IP address of that domain changes, your computer will still resolve it to the IP specified in the hosts file, bypassing any DNS requests. This bypassing of DNS queries can speed up web page loading a bit for sites that you visit often. It can also be used to block unwanted websites by pointing them to the local 127.0.0.1 IP address.