XP Pro sp2 - Entries in hosts file not seen

I have a computer running Xp Pro sp2. It can access the Internet, obtaining
addresses from the ISP's DNS servers. A proxy server is not in use.

If I add a site entry to the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file,
then try to access that site through IE, I get a DNS Resolver error. If I do
an NSLOOKUP, sites not found.

I've checked the registry entry
hklm\system\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip\param eters\database path and
it's pointing to the location of the hosts file.

Anyone able to suggest a reason as to why this particular system can't find
entries made to the hosts file?

I look forward to your response

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 12:48:32 -0500, "Phillip Armitage"
<armitagep@look.ca> wrote:

>I have a computer running Xp Pro sp2. It can access the Internet, obtaining
>addresses from the ISP's DNS servers. A proxy server is not in use.
>
>If I add a site entry to the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file,
>then try to access that site through IE, I get a DNS Resolver error. If I do
>an NSLOOKUP, sites not found.
>
>I've checked the registry entry
>hklm\system\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip\para meters\database path and
>it's pointing to the location of the hosts file.
>
>Anyone able to suggest a reason as to why this particular system can't find
>entries made to the hosts file?
>
>I look forward to your response

What does the site entry that you added to the Hosts file say? Are
you sure that the syntax is right?
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

It's exactly the same syntax that I've used in dozen's of other computers
located at site offices. Take one default hosts file and add to it two
entries of the form

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx{8 spaces}host.mydomain.com

Close all running copies of Internet Explorer, or reboot system. Next time
that you go into IE, entering host.mydomain.com in the address field takes
you to the web server at xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

The system I'm dealing with appears to be ignoring the hosts file. Did a
test on another computer and realised that nslookup doesn't show hosts file
entries, so the fact that that failed on the remote system I'm having
problems with means nothing.

Anyone know of a utility which would log dns activities. That is, could I
load and run a tool on the problem machine, one which would show how IE was
resolving domain names? Just an idea?

Phil


"Steve Winograd" <bc070521m@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:q21cq39vmi70snkoqbn29gkh2h64cnip9a@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 12:48:32 -0500, "Phillip Armitage"
> <armitagep@look.ca> wrote:
>
> >I have a computer running Xp Pro sp2. It can access the Internet,
obtaining
> >addresses from the ISP's DNS servers. A proxy server is not in use.
> >
> >If I add a site entry to the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file,
> >then try to access that site through IE, I get a DNS Resolver error. If I
do
> >an NSLOOKUP, sites not found.
> >
> >I've checked the registry entry
> >hklm\system\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip\para meters\database path and
> >it's pointing to the location of the hosts file.
> >
> >Anyone able to suggest a reason as to why this particular system can't
find
> >entries made to the hosts file?
> >
> >I look forward to your response
>
> What does the site entry that you added to the Hosts file say? Are
> you sure that the syntax is right?
> --
> Best Wishes,
> Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)
>
> Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
> for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
> addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.
>
> Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com