How do I temporarily reference a new web host using my existing domain name?

Question

On provider A I have an existing web hosting account running my site.

On provider B I have my domain name registered pointing to the web hosting on provider A. I've just purchased a web hosting account with provider B and want to move my site there.

Is there a way to temporarily use my domain name to point to provider B while I set up the site (e.g. just from my computer)? I tried to change the HOSTS file (Windows) and while pings resolved to what I set, HTTP requests don't.

Answer 1

Mysteriously, my HOSTS file changes are now working.

Restarting the browser may have fixed this. I also ran ipconfig /flushdns.