The HOSTS Manager is a simple, smart and useful program used to perform functions, with the Windows HOSTS file, that we often forget to do ourselves or make the tasks easier for us.

The HOSTS file is used for blocking unwanted web pages from loading in your browser. However, management of the file is not all that easy for novice users.

The one drawback is that once loaded, the file is soon forgotten and not updated nearly often enough. The HOSTS File Manager has several features that make it more secure against some of the newer tricks such as HOSTS file hijacking.

The reason for using HOSTS Manager is simple enough.

The HOSTS file is often recommended to block malicious sites and popups but once it is downloaded and placed in the proper location, it is most often forgotten and therefore never maintained properly.

For example an outdated HOSTS file is of very little benefit to you. Also some malware will delete or modify the HOSTS file.

Current examples would be lines that are added to block your access to security related web sites.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Code change. On initial install there is no longer a warning stating that the existing HOSTS file is out of date.
· Code change. The default action for the Enter key is now "Exit"
· Bug Fix. The backup copies are now kept in the App directory. This was already the case for a manual backup but the auto-backup function was still placing them in the Windows folder.