Easily edit the Windows hosts file

For one of my work projects, I needed to edit the hosts file on my Parallels Windows XP VM (which I use to test IE 7 compatibility). I ended up creating a shortcut to it, and thought others might find it valuable.

1. Right-click on the Desktop
2. Click New -› Shortcut
3. Type: %SystemRoot%\system32\notepad.exe %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
4. Click Next
5. Type: edit hosts file
6. Click Finish

Now just double-click on that shortcut on your desktop to edit your hosts file.