Redirecting a downloading url's content to the loopback address 127.0.0.0.?

I need to stop a url from redirecting my browser to some web site other than the place I put in my browser address box.  

I received an answer to this issue in an earlier question.  The expert said I should go to the folder in c:\windows\system32\ . . . and set a variable to 127.0.0.0.  When I chose the answer and closed the question, I lost the text showing where to go and how to do the loopback .  

I need to get instruction once more on how to block the redirection by sending the value to the loopback ip address.
JLBlakeAsked:
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Darr247Connect With a Mentor Commented:
so the entry you made in HOSTS was
127.0.0.1	ads.cutetraffic.com

Open in new window

?
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Dave BaldwinConnect With a Mentor Fixer of ProblemsCommented:
The directions are normally in the 'hosts' file in 'c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts'.
You enter the IP address on a line followed by the domain name you want to block.  Do Not replace or add it to other entries.  Here's one entry from mine for a blocked domain.  Note the entry for both the 'www' version and the one without.

127.0.0.1	www.popcodec.com
127.0.0.1	popcodec.com

Open in new window


When you do this, look to see if there is unwanted redirection entries already in that file.
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Darr247Connect With a Mentor Commented:
In Win7 you need to take ownership of the file before it will let you save the edits to HOSTS.
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JLBlakeAuthor Commented:
I tried the suggestion for making the entry.  I got along well until I tried to save the file.  I received an error message saying the file could not be changed.

I had though I could use the command line editor to change the file, but that did not allow the change to be made.

I would like some additional suggestions on how the file can be changed.  I did observe that my Avira Antivirus software put up a waring that file was protected from change.  


Help would be appreciated.
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JLBlakeAuthor Commented:
I am using Win xp pro, sp3.  I wonder if the Win 7 suggestions apply.  I will be trying to see if I can take owership of the hosts ie.
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Darr247Connect With a Mentor Commented:
No, you don't need to take ownership of it in XP.
Right-click it in Explorer and see if it's set to Read-Only. That would keep you from saving changes (then again, if it was set to read-only, when you tried to save changes it should open the Save As... dialog instead).

Do you have extensions showing?
Because there's also a HOSTS.SAM[ple] file there, to show you what the format of the entries are supposed to look like.
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Dave BaldwinConnect With a Mentor Fixer of ProblemsCommented:
Many Anti-virus and Anti-Malware programs make the 'hosts' file read-only to prevent unwanted changes.  I don't currently have Avira but I believe you should be able to turn off the 'hosts' file protection long enough to edit it.

Have you run scans on your computer to make sure the redirection isn't being done by malware on your computer?
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SandyConnect With a Mentor Commented:
hosts files are always more effective.
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JLBlakeAuthor Commented:
I have run spybot, malware, and avira before.
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JLBlakeAuthor Commented:
Well, now where am I.  I managed o change he "hosts" file.  I changed the Avira setting to allow the change.  I re-changed the Avira settings, tried the we page, and a new result happened.   The only problem is, now instead of going to the next page of the web site I have been using, I get an error massage on the web browser, saying the web page I blocked cannot be found.  It asks if I wold like to tray again.  That is not a solution, though it does prevent the misdirection.  

Now I have re-opened by browser, tried to go to the need ed page from which I was being re-directed.  Instead of being blocked on the second try, the web page I was using was redirected right back to the place it had originally been sent to.  The result suggests that nothing I have done has any permanent effect.  Further, the effect it had for one time did not stop the page from being redirected on the second attempt to use my original browser web page from which I have been misdirected.

Is their not a place in the browser to solve this problem with internal ettings.

The url that seems to be the problem is something I saw at the bottom of my page called "ads.cutetraffic.com  Help still needed
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Dave BaldwinConnect With a Mentor Fixer of ProblemsCommented:
it's starting to sound like the original site you wanted to go to has been hijacked by cutetraffic.com .  A Google search shows quite a few people have this problem.  I suggest you use Combofix http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/ followed by Malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/ again.  If that does not fix the problem then it is a problem with the web site and not your computer.
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