I know there’s a way to edit a specific text file on one’s computer to allow a user to set aliases for web addresses so the user can type a short string into the web browser’s address bar and the computer will know to redirect to that URL. Unfortunately I can’t remember which text file it is, or what to write in it. Can anyone help?
You may be thinking of /etc/hosts (or HOSTS.TXT on Windows) which will allow you to assign arbitrary IPs to any domain name you like.
Note that if the web server in question relies on name-based virtual hosts, this trick will not work, since the web server on the other end won’t know what to do with your made-up name.
In Windows, the lmhosts file will let you map an IP address to a NetBios name, simplifying access.
You could also (at least in IE) save the website as a favorite, and then rename it to whatever you want to call it up as.
A typical full path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
OpenDNS lets you make aliases: Setup Guide | OpenDNS