That's neither here nor there! - The point I was making was that the Hosts
file can be used by malicious software to re-direct *any* typed URL request
on your PC to *anywhere* the said malicious software wants!

It CAN and IS used by Anti-Malware / Anti-Spyware utilities to re-direct a
selection of known disreputable website URLs back to the host address
(loop) and by so doing, save the user the vulnerabilities of visiting
possibly virus-infested websites!

However, as I have said, this is not the Hosts file's only possible use -
URLs included in the Hosts file can be associated with *any* dotted decimal
IP address - not just 127.0.01 (loop) - thereby re-directing (associating)
any alpha-numerical web address with *any* IP address.....

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"JD" wrote in message
ecom...
Tim Meddick wrote:
"Lee" had asked you, in an earlier post ;

"All searches, or just a specific one? What are you searching for?"

I would like to also ask ; What is this "Ad page" that you are referring
to?

You could be a little more specific; include the URL (web address) of
this "Ad page" for instance.

What should have come up instead of this "Ad page".


With so little information, it's difficult to speculate on the cause,
but it may be that your 'Hosts' file has been modified by the same virus
that has caused, at least, some of the other problems you have been
experiencing.

To check this theory out, locate the file :

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

...and open it in a simple text editor such as [edit.com] or Notepad.
Delete everything in this file except for the following line that should
be at the very beginning ;

127.0.0.1 localhost

...then save and close. There should be only this one line in your Hosts
file, unless you have either SpyWareBlaster or SpyBotSD installed on
your system.

Certain entries in the hosts file can have the unwanted effect of
re-directing any possible web address to one other than expected - it is
just one of the ways a virus may attack your computer.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)



Some of us use the HOSTS file from he

http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

--
JD..