Windows: Testing Domain Names without DNS

The trick to testing a domain that you don't have Domain Name Service (DNS) set up for is to modify the hosts file on the test machine. This file can be found at

c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.

Create a new line in the file, like this:

127.0.0.1 www.testdomain.com

Incidentally, you can also use this trick to avoid traffic from certain domains. For example:

127.0.0.1 www.doubleclick.net

If you are using Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2), see problem using Hosts file with Windows XP SP2.