Order of Priority When Accessing a URL

Order of Priority When Accessing a URL

When accessing web sites the URL address is checked in 3 places prior to accessing it online.
Your computer is defaulted to check in this order:
1. DNS Resolver Cache: 
        a. You can view the contents by opening a PowerShell window and typing: Get-DnsClientCache
        b. You can clear it by typing IPConfig /flushDNS
2. Hosts File:
        a. It is located in C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\Hosts.
        b. You can add custom DNS entries in the hosts file. (creates a custom URL address to a particular URL)
        c. The same web server can have the appearance of hosting multiple domain names on port 80 if a unique host header name is set.  In order to access this site for the new address defined in the host header the Hosts file can be updated to declare the IP address and the domain name.  This is a good first test prior to requesting/implementing a change to the DNS. 

3.DNS
        a.  Stores the same information as what is in the local hosts file but is accessed by all computers/users on the current domain.
4.WINS

Read here to learn how to change the order of this list by tweaking your registry.  http://www.speedguide.net/articles/host-resolution-priority-tweak-1130