On Windows 10, a device driver is an essential piece of code, which allows the system to interact with a specific hardware (such as graphics card, storage driver, network adapter, Bluetooth, etc. Hi, I have to add some entries to Driversetcservices.txt file as a part of package. Kindly suggest if it can be done through Wise 7.0 Any comments are most welcome!

The computer filehosts is an operating system file that maps hostnames to IP addresses. It is a plain text file. Originally a file named HOSTS.TXT was manually maintained and made available via file sharing by Stanford Research Institute for the ARPANET membership, containing the hostnames and address of hosts as contributed for inclusion by member organizations. The Domain Name System, first described in 1983 and implemented in 1984,^[1] automated the publication process and provided instantaneous and dynamic hostname resolution in the rapidly growing network. In modern operating systems, the hosts file remains an alternative name resolution mechanism, configurable often as part of facilities such as the Name Service Switch as either the primary method or as a fallback method.

Purpose[edit]

The hosts file is one of several system facilities that assists in addressing network nodes in a computer network. It is a common part of an operating system's Internet Protocol (IP) implementation, and serves the function of translating human-friendly hostnames into numeric protocol addresses, called IP addresses, that identify and locate a host in an IP network.

In some operating systems, the contents of the hosts file is used preferentially to other name resolution methods, such as the Domain Name System (DNS), but many systems implement name service switches, e.g., nsswitch.conf for Linux and Unix, to provide customization. Unlike remote DNS resolvers, the hosts file is under the direct control of the local computer's administrator.^[2]

File content[edit]

The hosts file contains lines of text consisting of an IP address in the first text field followed by one or more host names. Each field is separated by white space – tabs are often preferred for historical reasons, but spaces are also used. Comment lines may be included; they are indicated by an octothorpe (#) in the first position of such lines. Entirely blank lines in the file are ignored. For example, a typical hosts file may contain the following:

This example only contains entries for the loopback addresses of the system and their host names, a typical default content of the hosts file. The example illustrates that an IP address may have multiple host names (localhost and loopback), and that a host name may be mapped to both IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses, as shown on the first and second lines respectively.

Location in the file system[edit]

The location of the hosts file in the file system hierarchy varies by operating system. It is usually named hosts, without an extension.

History[edit]

The ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet, had no distributed host name database. Each network node maintained its own map of the network nodes as needed and assigned them names that were memorable to the users of the system. There was no method for ensuring that all references to a given node in a network were using the same name, nor was there a way to read the hosts file of another computer to automatically obtain a copy.

The small size of the ARPANET kept the administrative overhead small to maintain an accurate hosts file. Network nodes typically had one address and could have many names. As local area TCP/IP computer networks gained popularity, however, the maintenance of hosts files became a larger burden on system administrators as networks and network nodes were being added to the system with increasing frequency.

Standardization efforts, such as the format specification of the file HOSTS.TXT in RFC 952, and distribution protocols, e.g., the hostname server described in RFC 953, helped with these problems, but the centralized and monolithic nature of hosts files eventually necessitated the creation of the distributed Domain Name System (DNS).

On some old systems a file named networks is present that has similar to hosts file functions containing names of networks.

Extended applications[edit]

In its function of resolving host names, the hosts file may be used to define any hostname or domain name for use in the local system.

Redirecting local domains

Some web service and intranet developers and administrators define locally defined domains in a LAN for various purposes, such as accessing the company's internal resources or to test local websites in development.^[11]

Internet resource blocking

Entries in the hosts file may be used to block online advertising, or the domains of known malicious resources and servers that contain spyware, adware, and other malware. This may be achieved by adding entries for those sites to redirect requests to another address that does not exist or to a harmless destination such as the local machine.^[12] Commercial software applications may be used to populate the hosts file with entries of known undesirable Internet resources automatically. In addition, user-created hosts files which block nuisance servers are publicly available.^[13][14]

Fravia described these files variously as 'scrolls', 'precious', and 'powerful' in his anti-advertisement pages, where this usage of hosts was first published.^[14]

Software piracy

Some pirated versions of software rely on a modified hosts file to prevent software from contacting the activation servers of the publisher, although activation servers sometimes appear in general purpose hosts files.^[13]

Security issues[edit]

The hosts file may present an attack vector for malicious software. The file may be modified, for example, by adware, computer viruses, or trojan horse software to redirect traffic from the intended destination to sites hosting malicious or unwanted content.^[15] The widespread computer wormMydoom.B blocked users from visiting sites about computer security and antivirus software and also affected access from the compromised computer to the Microsoft Windows Update website.In some cases malware has modified the library responsible for loading the hosts file in order to redirect it to a file it is able to control freely.^[16]

See also[edit]

• DNSBL, a DNS-based blackhole list

References[edit]

1. ^Internet Systems Consortium. 'The Most Widely Used Name Server Software: BIND'. History of BIND. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
2. ^'Cisco Networking Academy Program: First-Year Companion Guide', Cisco Systems, Inc., 2002 (2nd Edition), page 676, ISBN1-58713-025-4
3. ^'Linux Network Administrators Guide: Writing hosts and networks files'. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
4. ^'Hosts File'. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
5. ^'Microsoft KB Q314053: TCP/IP and NBT configuration parameters for Windows XP'. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
6. ^'Microsoft KB 972034 Revision 2.0: default hosts files'. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
7. ^ ^ab'Mac OS X: How to Add Hosts to Local Hosts File'. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
8. ^'The Haiku/BeOS Tip Server'. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
9. ^'Haiku UserGuide:Network'. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
10. ^RISC OS 6.14
11. ^'Building / Testing via the Hosts File'. Ohio State University Web Hosting. OCIO. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
12. ^Gordon, -Tx. 'Gordon and -Tx explanations about the use of Gordon's hosts file'. Web Searchlores. +Fravia. Retrieved 5 August 2018.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
13. ^ ^abHofstetter, Constantin. '/etc/hosts to block shock sites etc'. Github. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
14. ^ ^abVianello, Francesco 'Fravia'. 'Antiadvertisement Lab'. Web Searchlores. +Fravia. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
15. ^'Remove Trojan.Qhosts – Symantec'. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
16. ^Arntz, Pieter. 'Hosts file hijacks'. Malwarebytes Labs. Retrieved 5 August 2018.

External links[edit]

• Windows
• Mac
• Linux

Windows comes with drivers for many devices, such as printers, displays, keyboards, and TVs. A driver is software that a device uses to work with your PC. Every device needs a driver to work with your PC. So, in many cases, you can plug in a device, and it’ll work automatically.

Windows can also download device software and info. This might include an app that the device manufacturer created to go with your device or info like the product name, manufacturer, and model number, to help you distinguish between similar devices.

Drivers are updated occasionally. Windows can update them automatically, or you can install the updated drivers yourself. It's important for you to have confidence in the updated drivers you install. Windows notifies you if it detects a suspicious or unsafe driver you shouldn't install.

Automatically get the latest drivers and software

Windows Update checks for updated drivers and software for your devices and install them automatically. Keeping Windows Update on is a good way to make sure your devices continues to work properly and you get the best experience with them.

Note: PCs running Windows RT 8.1 always automatically download and install drivers, apps, and info for your devices.

To check that automatic updating is on

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

2. Tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Windows Update.

3. Tap or click Choose how updates get installed.

4. Under Important updates, choose Install updates automatically (recommended).

Installing drivers yourself

If your device came with a disc, it might contain software that installs a driver. Before you install a driver from a disc, check the info that comes with it to be sure it supports your current version of Windows.

You can also search for new drivers on the manufacturer's website. Driver updates are often available in the support section of their website. Download the latest driver for your device, and follow the installation instructions on the website. You can usually double-tap or double-click the downloaded file to install the driver on your PC.

If the driver you got from a disc or downloaded from a website doesn't install itself, you might need to install manually.

To manually install a driver

You must be signed in as an administrator to follow these steps.

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.)

2. Enter Device Manager in the search box, and tap or click Device Manager.

3. In the list of hardware categories, double-tap or double-click the category your device is in and then double-tap or double-click the device you want. For example, to see your video card, tap or click Display adapters, and then double-tap or double-click the video card name.

4. Tap or click the Driver tab, tap or click Update Driver, and then follow the instructions. You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.

Notifications telling you about unsafe drivers

Occasionally, you might see a notification that a driver is unsigned, has been changed since it was signed, or can't be installed by Windows. We recommend that you don't install unsigned or changed drivers.

A digitally signed driver includes a digital signature, which is an electronic security mark that indicates the publisher of software and whether someone has tampered with it since it was signed. If a driver has been signed by a publisher that has verified its identity with a certification authority, you can be confident that the driver comes from that publisher and hasn't been changed.

If you see any of the following notifications when you're installing a driver, you should stop the installation and go to your device manufacturer's website to get a digitally signed driver for your device.

Windows can't verify the publisher of this driver software

The driver doesn't have a digital signature or has been signed with a digital signature that wasn't verified by a certification authority. You should only install this driver if you got it from the manufacturer's disc or from your system administrator.

This driver hasn't been signed

The driver hasn't been digitally signed by a verified publisher. The driver might have been changed to include malware that could harm your PC or steal info. In rare cases, legitimate publishers do change drivers after they've been digitally signed, but you should only install an unsigned driver if you got it from a device manufacturer's disc.

Windows System32 Drivers Etc Hosts

Unfortunately, there's no trustworthy source of info that indicates who has published an unsigned driver. Anyone can change the contents of an unsigned driver, and there's no way to know why it was changed. Most manufacturers now digitally sign the drivers they create before releasing them to the public.

Drivers Etc Folder Missing

Windows requires a digitally signed driver

Drivers Etc Hosts File

A driver that lacks a valid digital signature, or has a signature that was changed after it was signed, can't be installed on 64-bit versions of Windows. You'll only see this notification if you have a 64-bit version of Windows and try to install such a driver on it.