work on site before dns transfer?

[gizmod]

is there a way for me to see the full site before i transfer dns? i know i can look at ip, but when using something like magento it wants to transfer to the "new" site that isn't active yet, so there are errors.

i jsut want to see/use/work on the site before changing dns, haven't seen anything in the help files.

thanks!

[yanislav]

You can change your local hosts file to make your computer resolve the domain name temporary to the IP address of your server. Here is a useful article on how to achieve that:

http://kb.siteground.com/article/How...osts_file.html

Since the change is only performed on your local computer, your domain name will still resolve at its current location for all other visitors.

[gizmod]

great! if the hosts file is missing, can i just create it? all that is in the etc folder is ftpquota.

thanks!

[yanislav]

It is strange, as every OS has its version of the hosts file at the appropriate location. Still, no harm would be done if you create the file yourself. Just to avoid misunderstanding, the hosts file that needs to be modified is on your local computer - the computer you wish to use to access the website.