Can No Longer Add or Delete Blocked Websites On Notepad

[Wanderer57]

Hi,

I have been having trouble adding and removing blocked websites on my computer, and I think spybot might be the cause. I am hopping that someone can help me out.

It all started after I ran Spybot to scan my computer. Later on, I decided to edit the websites I had blocked on my computer. Unfortuneatly, notepad would let me edit the list, but it would not let me save them. So I am stuck with the same list of sites. I am talking about the list of you localhost. The one when you go into the commandprompt and enter "Notepad C:/windows/system32/drivers/etc/hosts"

At the bottom of my list is this...
# Start of entries inserted by Spybot - Search & Destroy
# End of entries inserted by Spybot - Search & DestroyThere is nothing in between the "# Start..." and the "# End..." .

When I try to save my list, a message come up saying something similar to "Cannot creat file C:/windows/system32/drivers/etc/hosts . Make sure the pathway and file name are correct."

Afterwards, a message comes up saying "Common Dialog Error (0X3002)"

That is all the information I have.

On other note, I am not the best when it comes to computers, so please try to explain how to fix the problem in simple terms. Thank you.

[md usa spybot fan]

Wanderer57:

If the entry was added by Spybot, you can go into Spybot – Search & Destroy » Mode » Advanced mode » Tools » Hosts file. Highlight the entry(s) that you want to remove and click the "Remove selected entries" button at the top of the right hand pane.

Many anti-spyware programs lock the HOSTS file by adding the "Read-only" attribute to the file. Spybot does that if either you:
Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced Mode > Tools > IE Tweaks and select the following entry:
Lock Hosts file read-only as protection against hijackers
--- or ---
Add Spybots HOSTS file entries to yours.
If you want to edit the HOSTS file manually:
Using Windows Explorer navigate to the HOSTS file.
Right click on the file and select "Properties".
When the "HOSTS Properties" window opens make sure that the "Attributes" (near the bottom) do not indicate "Read-only". If they do, uncheck the "Read-only" attribute, click "Apply" followed by "OK".
If the "Read-only" attribute was on the file and you removed it, you should be able to open the file with Notepad and edit it normally.
Note: The are other anti-malware and firewall products that logically lock the HOSTS file and do not allow access even without the "Read-only" attribute set. If this is the case,