Question: Here's my hosts(with a single entry):

```
127.0.0.1 test

```

But it's not working any more:

```
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>ping test
Ping request could not find host test. Please check the name and try again.

```

Why?

**UPDATE**

It stops working ever since I used **[openvpn](http://openvpn.net/)**

**UPDATE2**

![alt text](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ssJRt.png)

Answer: 
I had a similar problem trying to ping a machine across our VPN

I made *two* identical entries, each on a separate line, and that made it work
Maybe this is overstating the obvious; The hosts file resides in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc if you have edited this file in a text editor ensure that it hasnt added an extension, as far as windows is concerned the file must have no extension
ie hosts.
not hosts.txt