Where Is the Hosts File

The windows hosts file is located in a strange location and I am often asked of its location.

It can be found in C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts

Most often at a client's site I am developing a SharePoint Web Part or Library and while my laptop is connected to the client's network, most often my laptop is not a member of the corporate domain, an entry in the hosts file can make it easier to connect to sharepoint sites - without having to remember server IP addresses, etc - as no DNS Server is available to resolve names.

It is also a great way for Sharepoint developers to point to newly provisoned SharePoint sites that have been provisioned on the same port - without having to worry about host headers, etc.

More details on this later on another day.