To check if a loopback adapter is installed on your computer, run the ipconfig /all command:

DRIVE_LETTER:\>ipconfig /all

If there is a loopback adapter installed, you see a section that lists the values for the loopback adapter. For example:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Loopback Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 02-00-4C-4F-4F-50
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.10.10.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0

To install a loopback adapter on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2, perform the following steps:

To install a loopback adapter on Windows 7:

1. Click Start and enter hdwwiz in the Search box.

2. Click hdwwiz to start the Add Hardware wizard.

3. In the Welcome window, click Next.

4. In the The wizard can help you install other hardware window, select Install the hardware that I manually select from a list, and click Next.

5. From the list of hardware types, select the type of hardware you are installing, select Network adapters, and click Next.

6. In the Select Network Adapter window, make the following selections:

   • Manufacturer: Select Microsoft.

   • Network Adapter: Select Microsoft Loopback Adapter.

7. Click Next.

8. In the The wizard is ready to install your hardware window, click Next.

9. In the Completing the Add Hardware Wizard window, click Finish.

10. Click Manage Network Connections. This displays the Network Connections Control Panel item.

11. Right-click the connection that was just created. This is usually named "Local Area Connection 2". Choose Properties.

12. On the General tab, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click Properties.

13. In the Properties dialog box, click Use the following IP address and do the following:

    1. IP Address: Enter a non-routable IP for the loopback adapter. Oracle recommends the following non-routable addresses:

       • 192.168.x.x (x is any value between 0 and 255)

       • 10.10.10.10

    2. Subnet mask: Enter 255.255.255.0.

    3. Record the values you entered, which you need later in this procedure.

    4. Leave all other fields empty.

    5. Click OK.

14. Click Close.

15. Close Network Connections.

16. Restart the computer.

17. Add a line to the DRIVE_LETTER: \WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file with the following format, after the localhost line:

    IP_address   hostname.domainname   hostname
    

    where:

    • IP_address is the non-routable IP address.

    • hostname is the name of the computer.

    • domainname is the name of the domain.

    For example:

    10.10.10.10   mycomputer.mydomain.com   mycomputer
    

18. Check the network configuration:

    1. Open System in the Control Panel, and verify that Full computer name displays the host name and the domain name, for example, sales.us.example.com.

    2. Click Change. In Computer name, you must see the host name, and in Full computer name, you must see the host name and domain name. Using the previous example, the host name must be sales and the domain must be us.example.com.

    3. Click More. In Primary DNS suffix of this computer, you must see the domain name, for example, us.example.com.

To remove a loopback adapter: