We have discussed so many times on TrishTech.com about what is HOSTS file and how it can be used to block certain domain names (web site addresses) or to redirect one web site to some other domain. Blocking or redirecting of websites by using the HOSTS file is accomplished by adding some entries in the HOSTS file. Usually a Windows user manually enters these values in the HOSTS file, but there are also some ready-made HOSTS file that can block unwanted domain names related to phishing, malware or other harmful sites. There are programs like Hostsman that can be used to automatically update your HOSTS file with the ones like MVPS provided one. A newer program called Hosts Block is very similar to Hostsman and can be used to edit or update the HOSTS file in Windows.
Hosts Block is written using the Microsoft Visual Basic .NET language and perhaps might be a little slower in performance the first time you launch it. As of now, it does not backup your existing HOSTS file for some reason, so you should create a backup of your existing HOSTS file before you install and launch it in your PC.
It places an icon in the Windows’ system tray, double-clicking on which you can open the main window of the Hosts Block program. It loads your current HOSTS file and if you are connected to the internet – quickly downloads the HOSTS files from MVPS or MDL sites and replaces your existing HOSTS with the downloaded ones. You can edit the HOSTS file from the in-built text editor, create backups, restore the file from previous backups etc.
In the options for the Hosts Block program, you can choose whether you want to download the ready-to-use HOSTS file from the MVPS or the MDL sites, whether you want 0.0.0.0 or the 127.0.0.1 IP address for blocking the domain names, how often the file should be updated, if you want Hosts Block to start with Windows and more.
Verdict: Still in its infancy, the Hosts Block program might end up in some snafus, but it does a good job of updating the HOSTS file at regular intervals in Windows. With an in-build HOSTS editor, backup & restore feature, and the automatic update function, Hosts Block offers everything desired from a HOSTS file manager.
You can download the Hosts Block program from http://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/hosts-block.378901/.