How do you add an IP address/hostname pair to the host file in Windows 7?

Our network IT people hate us, so our IP addresses are not entered into the DNS lookup automatically if we run a non-Windows OS. How do I get my Windows 7 machine to find the non-Windows OS machine by using the hostname?

In Windows XP, I added the hostname and IP address of the linux box to the C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file. Under 64-bit Windows 7, how do I do that? I can't just edit the host file by opening it with Notepad from the file explorer window.

2 Answers

To edit the hosts file

C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

in Windows 7, you need to run the editor (eg. notepad) as administrator, which you do by locating it through the Start menu and then right clicking on the editor's icon, then manually open and edit the hosts file.

The process should be identical. Make sure to check "Show Hidden Files" in folder options, though.

(If you can't see the menu bar, press <Alt>)