A typical "block list" might look like this:

SolidWorks relies on a licensing system that often needs to "phone home" to a server. Sometimes, users or third-party scripts modify the Windows to block these connections, which can lead to activation errors, crashes, or "License client lost" messages. The Day the Design Office Stood Still

Have you successfully used Hosts file blocking for network license management? Let us know in the comments below.

Save the file and run ipconfig /flushdns in the Command Prompt to apply the changes. 2. Blocking SolidWorks from the Internet

What Alex hadn't realized was that the script had edited his . This file is like a private phone book for your computer; it tells Windows exactly where to find specific internet addresses before it even asks a DNS server.

127.0.0.1 localhost 127.0.0.1 solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 licensing.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 dsxclient.3ds.com 127.0.0.1 3ds.com

The Windows hosts file is located at: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts .