I have a shortcut to

%windir%\system32\notepad.exe C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership"
on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

He's incorrigibly naughty, as only a senior citizen can be.
- David Hepworth (on Barry Humphries), RT 2020/2/1-7

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/07/2025 05:03, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

I have a shortcut to

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership"
on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.

To edit and save the hosts file you need to launch Notepad as
Administrator. Then you need to visit the hosts file in Notepad by going to:

File >> Open <"C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts">

Make sure "All Files" is selected in notepad.

To launch Notepad as Administrator you need to Right-Click on the
Notepad icon and choose rum as Administrator. The list is quite long so
pay particular attention to Run as Administrator.

The alternative method to edit and save the hosts file is to drag it to
the desktop, edit it and save it before dragging again to the correct
folder.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.windows7.general

On 2025/7/12 6:8:4, Operation Sindoor wrote:

On 12/07/2025 05:03, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

I have a shortcut to

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership"
on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.

(I don't know what happened above - maybe I forgot to paste in the
command line that's in my shortcut!)>

To edit and save the hosts file you need to launch Notepad as
Administrator. Then you need to visit the hosts file in Notepad by going to:

File >> Open <"C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts">

Make sure "All Files" is selected in notepad.

To launch Notepad as Administrator you need to Right-Click on the
Notepad icon and choose rum as Administrator. The list is quite long so
pay particular attention to Run as Administrator.

The alternative method to edit and save the hosts file is to drag it to
the desktop, edit it and save it before dragging again to the correct
folder.

Thanks - noted.>
The command line in my shortcut is

%windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

I thought, maybe I can do what you suggest by making my _shortcut_ open
as administrator. So I ticked that box. Now, when I activate the
shortcut, it comes up with the do-you-want-to-allow...-to-make-changes
prompt (which Notepad in normal mode doesn't usually), which sounded
promising; I say yes, and notepad opens - but then pops up a box saying
it can't find hosts.txt, do I want to create it?

I've experimented with the above line - without quotes, with quotes but
no final ., and as above - all seem to open Notepad (with the do-you-want-to-allow, which is good), but thinking it's going to edit hosts.txt, rather than just hosts.

I suppose I could make a shortcut - with admin. open - to a two-line
batch file to edit notes.txt (or any other name, for that matter), and
then rename it to hosts (and also copy it to hosts.txt for next time;
or, copy hosts.txt to hosts), but I thought I'd ask here first if
there's any way to make the simple shortcut work.

Thought: does Notepad have some switch ... typing

notepad /?

into a command prompt. Notepad opened, with a popup "The filename,
directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." So I tried

help notepad

, and got

This command is not supported by the help utility. Try "notepad /?".

! Tried

notepad < "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

(both without and with the quote marks), and got "The system cannot find
the file specified." (I wondered if it just meant it couldn't find
notepad, but typing that by itself opens it.)

That batch file is sounding more and more likely, but I'll wait to see
if anyone here knows a way of, in a shortcut target line (or at the
command prompt), calling notepad with a parameter that has no extension!
(It works _with_ one, which doesn't have to be .txt; for example, I just
tried

%windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.org"

[all one line, of course] and it opened notepad on that file.) I've
added the W11 and W7 'groups as this particular wrinkle - how to invoke
notepad with an extensionless parameter - might generate knowledge
there, though the initial problem wasn't there in 7 (I can't remember
the details, but I had a shortcut to the hosts file that worked there).>







--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Victory does not bring with it a sense of triumph - rather the dull
numbness of relief..."
- Cecil Beaton quoted by Anthony Horowitz, RT 2015/1/3-9

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.windows7.general

On 12/07/2025 14:37, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

On 2025/7/12 6:8:4, Operation Sindoor wrote:

On 12/07/2025 05:03, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

I have a shortcut to

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership" >>> on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.

(I don't know what happened above - maybe I forgot to paste in the
command line that's in my shortcut!)>

To edit and save the hosts file you need to launch Notepad as
Administrator. Then you need to visit the hosts file in Notepad by
going to:

File >> Open <"C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts">

Make sure "All Files" is selected in notepad.

To launch Notepad as Administrator you need to Right-Click on the
Notepad icon and choose rum as Administrator. The list is quite long so
pay particular attention to Run as Administrator.

The alternative method to edit and save the hosts file is to drag it to
the desktop, edit it and save it before dragging again to the correct
folder.

Thanks - noted.>
The command line in my shortcut is

  %windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

I thought, maybe I can do what you suggest by making my _shortcut_ open
as administrator. So I ticked that box. Now, when I activate the
shortcut, it comes up with the do-you-want-to-allow...-to-make-changes
prompt (which Notepad in normal mode doesn't usually), which sounded promising; I say yes, and notepad opens - but then pops up a box saying
it can't find hosts.txt, do I want to create it?

I've experimented with the above line - without quotes, with quotes but
no final ., and as above - all seem to open Notepad (with the do-you-want-to-allow, which is good), but thinking it's going to edit hosts.txt, rather than just hosts.

I suppose I could make a shortcut - with admin. open - to a two-line
batch file to edit notes.txt (or any other name, for that matter), and
then rename it to hosts (and also copy it to hosts.txt for next time;
or, copy hosts.txt to hosts), but I thought I'd ask here first if
there's any way to make the simple shortcut work.

Thought: does Notepad have some switch ... typing

    notepad /?

into a command prompt. Notepad opened, with a popup "The filename,
directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." So I tried

    help notepad

, and got

   This command is not supported by the help utility.  Try "notepad /?".

! Tried

    notepad < "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

(both without and with the quote marks), and got "The system cannot find
the file specified." (I wondered if it just meant it couldn't find
notepad, but typing that by itself opens it.)

That batch file is sounding more and more likely, but I'll wait to see
if anyone here knows a way of, in a shortcut target line (or at the
command prompt), calling notepad with a parameter that has no extension!
(It works _with_ one, which doesn't have to be .txt; for example, I just tried

    %windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.org"

[all one line, of course] and it opened notepad on that file.) I've
added the W11 and W7 'groups as this particular wrinkle - how to invoke notepad with an extensionless parameter - might generate knowledge
there, though the initial problem wasn't there in 7 (I can't remember
the details, but I had a shortcut to the hosts file that worked there).>

You need to do the simplest thing in Windows. From above I surmise that
you are doing the long winded method and it only complicates the matter.

In the search box type Notepad.exe. When you get the search result,
right click on it and choose run as administrator.

Then do what is shown in this picture:

<https://i.imgur.com/92EA7P9.png>

In the picture I have high-lighted All Files and file name I just copied
and pasted the link previously given.

hosts file hasn't got an extension and by default Notepad only sees .txt
file so you need to change this for this exercise.

All Windows System have hosts file (by default) unless the user or some
malware has deleted it. It is easy to create one as it is a plain text
file. Make sure it is saved as "hosts" -- no .txt nor no ".". By dot I
mean don't save save as "hosts." <== Notice the dot in the file name.
Don't do it.

Hope this helps.

Jai Hind

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sat, 12 Jul 2025 05:03:49 +0100, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

I have a shortcut to

%windir%\system32\notepad.exe C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership"
on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.

Don't play with notepad, install Microsoft Powertoys, it has a nice noob friendly hosts file editor: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/hosts-file-editor

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.windows7.general

On 12/07/2025 14:37, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

On 2025/7/12 6:8:4, Operation Sindoor wrote:

On 12/07/2025 05:03, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

I have a shortcut to

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership" >>> on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.

(I don't know what happened above - maybe I forgot to paste in the
command line that's in my shortcut!)>

To edit and save the hosts file you need to launch Notepad as
Administrator. Then you need to visit the hosts file in Notepad by
going to:

File >> Open <"C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts">

Make sure "All Files" is selected in notepad.

To launch Notepad as Administrator you need to Right-Click on the
Notepad icon and choose rum as Administrator. The list is quite long so
pay particular attention to Run as Administrator.

The alternative method to edit and save the hosts file is to drag it to
the desktop, edit it and save it before dragging again to the correct
folder.

Thanks - noted.>
The command line in my shortcut is

  %windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

I thought, maybe I can do what you suggest by making my _shortcut_ open
as administrator. So I ticked that box. Now, when I activate the
shortcut, it comes up with the do-you-want-to-allow...-to-make-changes
prompt (which Notepad in normal mode doesn't usually), which sounded promising; I say yes, and notepad opens - but then pops up a box saying
it can't find hosts.txt, do I want to create it?

I've experimented with the above line - without quotes, with quotes but
no final ., and as above - all seem to open Notepad (with the do-you-want-to-allow, which is good), but thinking it's going to edit hosts.txt, rather than just hosts.

I suppose I could make a shortcut - with admin. open - to a two-line
batch file to edit notes.txt (or any other name, for that matter), and
then rename it to hosts (and also copy it to hosts.txt for next time;
or, copy hosts.txt to hosts), but I thought I'd ask here first if
there's any way to make the simple shortcut work.

Thought: does Notepad have some switch ... typing

    notepad /?

into a command prompt. Notepad opened, with a popup "The filename,
directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." So I tried

    help notepad

, and got

   This command is not supported by the help utility.  Try "notepad /?".

! Tried

    notepad < "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

(both without and with the quote marks), and got "The system cannot find
the file specified." (I wondered if it just meant it couldn't find
notepad, but typing that by itself opens it.)

That batch file is sounding more and more likely, but I'll wait to see
if anyone here knows a way of, in a shortcut target line (or at the
command prompt), calling notepad with a parameter that has no extension!
(It works _with_ one, which doesn't have to be .txt; for example, I just tried

    %windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.org"

[all one line, of course] and it opened notepad on that file.) I've
added the W11 and W7 'groups as this particular wrinkle - how to invoke notepad with an extensionless parameter - might generate knowledge
there, though the initial problem wasn't there in 7 (I can't remember
the details, but I had a shortcut to the hosts file that worked there).>

This shortcut works for me after setting it to open as administrator by
ticking the box:
%windir%\system32\notepad.exe /A "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts"

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.windows7.general

On Sat, 12 Jul 2025 14:37:20 +0100
"J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

On 2025/7/12 6:8:4, Operation Sindoor wrote:

On 12/07/2025 05:03, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

I have a shortcut to

, but it won't let me save when I've edited. I've tried "Take Ownership" >> on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, which seemed to run, but I still
can't save changes.

(I don't know what happened above - maybe I forgot to paste in the
command line that's in my shortcut!)>

To edit and save the hosts file you need to launch Notepad as Administrator. Then you need to visit the hosts file in Notepad by going to:

File >> Open <"C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts">

Make sure "All Files" is selected in notepad.

To launch Notepad as Administrator you need to Right-Click on the
Notepad icon and choose rum as Administrator. The list is quite long so
pay particular attention to Run as Administrator.

The alternative method to edit and save the hosts file is to drag it to
the desktop, edit it and save it before dragging again to the correct folder.

Thanks - noted.>
The command line in my shortcut is

%windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

I thought, maybe I can do what you suggest by making my _shortcut_ open
as administrator. So I ticked that box. Now, when I activate the
shortcut, it comes up with the do-you-want-to-allow...-to-make-changes
prompt (which Notepad in normal mode doesn't usually), which sounded promising; I say yes, and notepad opens - but then pops up a box saying
it can't find hosts.txt, do I want to create it?

I've experimented with the above line - without quotes, with quotes but
no final ., and as above - all seem to open Notepad (with the do-you-want-to-allow, which is good), but thinking it's going to edit hosts.txt, rather than just hosts.

I suppose I could make a shortcut - with admin. open - to a two-line
batch file to edit notes.txt (or any other name, for that matter), and
then rename it to hosts (and also copy it to hosts.txt for next time;
or, copy hosts.txt to hosts), but I thought I'd ask here first if
there's any way to make the simple shortcut work.

Thought: does Notepad have some switch ... typing

notepad /?

into a command prompt. Notepad opened, with a popup "The filename,
directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." So I tried

help notepad

, and got

This command is not supported by the help utility. Try "notepad /?".

! Tried

notepad < "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts."

(both without and with the quote marks), and got "The system cannot find
the file specified." (I wondered if it just meant it couldn't find
notepad, but typing that by itself opens it.)

That batch file is sounding more and more likely, but I'll wait to see
if anyone here knows a way of, in a shortcut target line (or at the
command prompt), calling notepad with a parameter that has no extension!
(It works _with_ one, which doesn't have to be .txt; for example, I just tried

%windir%\system32\notepad.exe "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.org"

[all one line, of course] and it opened notepad on that file.) I've
added the W11 and W7 'groups as this particular wrinkle - how to invoke notepad with an extensionless parameter - might generate knowledge
there, though the initial problem wasn't there in 7 (I can't remember
the details, but I had a shortcut to the hosts file that worked there).>

C:\WINDOWS\system32\write.exe c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

works for me on XP
- as does
%windir%\system32\write.exe c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
and
%windir%\system32\write.exe %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts



- I recommend you drop your trailing '.'

(notepad under XP won't open my large hosts file)
--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)