HOSTS File Instructions

Exchange Hosting Service customers can can download Hosts files here...

Click here for a Hosts file for VPN use.

To facilitate distribution of the files through the web site, they are offered here under the name of hosts.txt. You will need to rename the file after you download it, to remove the txt extension. To use the file on your system, the name must be simply hosts and not hosts.txt. Right click the link and choose "save target as..." in order to download rather than display the file.

Normally you can simply replace the existing hosts file on your computer with the one downloaded here.

The default windows hosts file will contain the 127.0.0.1 entry for LOCALHOST and some comments, but no other entries. If the hosts file on your machine contains additional entries, then you should add the lines from our hosts file to your existing file instead of replacing it.

To install the new HOSTS file, right click the shortcut above and choose Save Target As... from the context menu. Save the file in the appropriate location depending on your operating system, as outlined below.

It should be located in:

systemroot\system32\drivers\etc\

where systemroot may be c:\windows or c:\winnt or another folder depending on where Windows is installed on your machine.

Note the file is in a folder named etc. Don't make the mistake of putting the file directly in the drivers folder. The drivers folder contains a folder named etc. Windows is very specific about the location of this file. If you put it in the wrong place, the system will ignore it.

The IP addresses in the HOSTS file are different, depending on whether you want to connect through VPN.

Here is what the HOSTS file for non-vpn use looks like.

Here is what the HOSTS file for vpn looks like.

As you can see, the first octet of the IP addresses has been changed from 65 to 10. This is the critical difference that makes it work with VPN.

Note the name of the HOSTS file must be simply hosts and not hosts.sam or hosts.txt. If you create your own hosts file, or edit an existing hosts file using Notepad, beware the following. Notepad will append a .txt extension to the file in many cases. Combine that with the default setting in Windows Explorer which hides file extensions, and you're likely to end up with a file named hosts.txt instead of just hosts -- if that happens the system will ignore the hosts.txt file and you will not be able to resolve the server name or ping the server.

Some web browsers, Netscape for example, may append a .html extension to the file when you download it. Internet Explorer might append a .txt extension. Any extension, .sam or .txt or .html will prevent windows from using the file for its intended purpose.

Please use Windows Explorer or My Computer to examine the file and ensure that it is in the proper location on your machine, and the name is just HOSTS with no file extension. You may need to change the View settings on Windows Explorer to allow visibility of file extensions. You can use Windows Explorer or My Computer to rename the file if necessary.

Here is the procedure to verify the file name of your new HOSTS file.

Open the etc folder with Windows Explorer or My Computer.
From the Tools menu select Folder Options.
Click the View tab of the Folder Options dialog.
Clear the check box for the option "Hide extensions for known file types" and click OK.
Examine the files in the etc folder, noting file extensions and dates.
Delete the original HOSTS file, and rename the new one you downloaded to eliminate the .txt extension.

Switching from VPN to non-VPN

If your HOSTS file is configured for VPN access, with 10.x.x.x addresses, it will not work for non-VPN access, which requires the use of the 65.x.x.x addresses.

If you configure your HOSTS file for VPN access, you need to use the VPN even if you're at a location where the internet connection does not block port 135. In order to connect without VPN, you would need to modify your HOSTS file.