You will need the domain name (eg: example.com, test.example.com) and the IP address of the target server. Make sure you close all open browser windows before doing this.
1) Copy the location to your 'hosts' file from the respective Operating System above (copy only the bold area) 2) Open Windows Notepad (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Notepad) 3) Click on the File menu and choose Open... 4) Paste that location into the File name: field and click the Open button 5) Start on a new line at the bottom of the file 6) Type the IP address, hit the TAB key, then type the domain* 7) Save the file and close all open browsers before attempting to browse to the domain.
Remember, this is only a temporary fix, so once your registrar has the updated information and DNS is fully propagated, you will need to remove any lines you added to the 'hosts' file.
NOTE: this ONLY works on the computer where you changed the 'hosts' file.
*You can add more than one hostname on the same line, just make sure you have at least one space or TAB in between each one. Example line: 192.168.0.10 example.com test.example.com www.example.com
