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For example an outdated HOSTS file is of very little benefit to you.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.

Here are some key features of "HOSTS Manager":

· Check to be sure you have a HOSTS file installed.
· Verify the integrity of the HOSTS file.
· Check for updates if the HOSTS file is more than 15 days old.
· Create an automatic backup of your HOSTS file daily.
· Allow you to create a backup at any time.
· Restore a previous backup.
· Allow you to enable/disable the HOSTS file as necessary (Disable is password protected)
· Allow you to block a website page.
· Maintain a custom list of blocked pages so they are not lost during updates.
· Check to make sure the HOSTS file is enabled on each startup.
· Allow you to set the file attributes to Read Only/System/Hidden
· Display current HOST file details and current status.

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 On initial install there is no longer a warning stating that the existing HOSTS file is out of date.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.