1) Download and run the latest PeerBlock installer. This can be found at www.peerblock.com.
2) When running the installer on Windows Vista/Windows 7 a User Account Control window may appear. If it does, choose "Yes" to allow PeerBlock to install. Don't worry if you don't see this message.
3) Click "Next" to continue the installation.
4) Read the License Agreement. If you accept it, click "I accept the agreement", then click "Next" again.
5) If you wish to, read through this brief bit of information about PeerBlock, when you are finished, click "Next" again.
6) If you wish to change the installation location of PeerBlock, do so here. For most users, the default is the best option.
7) If you wish to change the location of PeerBlock in the Start menu, or not have PeerBlock setup create a Start menu shortcut, you can change these options here. Again, most users will not need to change these from their defaults.
8) Here you can choose additional tasks for the installation to complete. You can choose to create a desktop icon or have PeerBlock start when windows starts.
9) This page sumarises all options you selected during installation. If you wish to change something, click the "Back" button. otherwise, click "Install"
10) PeerBlock will install itself automatically. Once it is complete, this window will appear giving you options as to what you would like to do now that PeerBlock has finished installing. If you choose to launch PeerBlock, it will automatically open the "PeerBlock Startup Wizard". For information on how to use the wizard, see PeerBlock Startup Wizard.
That's it
How do I know it's working? [/i]
Sometimes it may look as if PeerBlock isn't actually doing anything, and you may wonder if you're truly protected of if the program is having problems. Most of the time this is simply because you truly have no network traffic going on that PeerBlock needs to block, but this is how you can make sure.
Open up a command prompt (Start -> Run -> "cmd"), and run the command "ping 3.0.0.0". This ip-address (3.0.0.0) is owned by General Electric, and should be blocked by the "p2p" list by default. If PeerBlock is operating correctly, this ping command should return "General failure" and the PeerBlock UI should show this access as Blocked; if PeerBlock is not working, the ping command should return "Request timed out" and the PeerBlock UI will show this access as Allowed (if the "Show allowed connections" checkbox in the PeerBlock settings panel is checked).
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UPDATED SETTINGS INFO [/color]
Settings
This page details all the options in the Settings panel, item by item.
PeerBlock Settings Page 1
1. The number of Entries displayed on the "Protection" tab. This has no effect on blocking. Default: 12
2. Whether or not "allowed" connections are displayed on the "Protection" tab. This has no effect on blocking. Enabling this will decrease performance. It is recommended that this is left unchecked. Default: Unchecked
3. Whether or not to display color coded log window on the "Protection" tab. Enabling this may make it easier to read the log window. Default: Checked
4. If "Color code log window" (3) is enabled, this is where you can set your preferred colors to display in the log window on the "Protection" tab. "Blocked HTTP" are packets that are blocked on either port 80 or 443, which are commonly used to browse websites. Click on the colors to change them.
5. This drop down menu gives options on what information is logged in a long term "History". It does not affect blocking, only the information that is recorded. If you do not plan on checking your history, then set this to "Log None". Default: Log Allowed & Blocked
6. This drop down menu allows you to automatically clean up old logging history on a certain interval, set in days. You can choose to leave old history alone ("Do Nothing"), delete old history ("Remove"), or remove the data from PeerBlock, but store it elsewhere ("Archive & Remove"). The archive location is set in "Archive to:" (7). Default: Do Nothing
7. The location the archive (set in number 6) is to be stored. You can select "Browse" if you want to choose a specific location to store these; otherwise leave this as the default. Default : "archives\" (without quotes)
8. PeerBlock can notify you when it blocks a connection. When set to "HTTP Blocks", it will only notify you when it blocks a HTTP connection, which are typically used to view websites. This can be used to notify you that PeerBlock has blocked a website you are viewing, so you can decide to allow HTTP or view another webpage. Default: Checked, HTTP Blocks
9. When PeerBlock notifies you of blocking a connection (based on setting 8 above), having this checked will make the System Tray icon (typically near your clock) flash, to draw attention to it. Default: Checked
10. Saves your settings, so they can be used the next time you use PeerBlock. Click this button before exiting the settings screen. Perrblock will also save your settings when it exits
11. There are two settings pages; these buttons will switch between them.
PeerBlock Settings Page 2
1. This allows you to automatically start PeerBlock with Microsoft Windows. If P2P programs are also set to start with windows, this can help increase security. There are however some problems using this method on Windows Vista\Windows 7 with UAC (User Account Control) enabled; see Start with windows for more information. Default: Unchecked
2. Selecting this makes PeerBlock open directly to the system tray, without showing any messages. This can be used if you set PeerBlock to start with windows (option 12). Default: Unchecked
3. This option allows you to choose whether to display a "Splash Screen" when PeerBlock starts. The splash screen displays the PeerBlock logo before it starts up, and is used so that you can be sure PeerBlock is loading. Default: Checked
4. Enabling this option will set PeerBlock to automatically check for updates. If there is an update available, it will prompt you go visit the webiste to download the newest version. It is recommended to use the newest version of PeerBlock, so this should be left checked. Note that PeerBlock will update the the newest version of the type of release you are using; for example, it you are using the "Public Release", PeerBlock will only update to new public releases. Default: Checked
5. Whether to check for new list updates. It is strongly recommended you leave this option checked, as this will automatically update each list to the newest version available. Default: Checked
6. How often to automatically check for updates. This includes both PeerBlock updates and list updates, if they are selected (settings 15 and 16). The more frequently PeerBlock is updated, the better the protection, however this also increases bandwidth (downloads). Default: 2
7. If you wish to use a proxy server, enter it here. Do not select this option if you do not use a proxy server, as updates will fail. Note that at this time, PeerBlock does not support proxies that require a username or password. Default: Unchecked
8. This option allows you to automatically close the updates windows after a period of time. This can be used to update PeerBlock on Windows startup, but have the update window hide. Default: Checked, 10
9. This will automatically update PeerBlock when you open it. It is strongly recommended that this be checked. Note that due to an unresolved bug, this option cannot be unchecked. Default: Checked
10. If checked, this hides the System Tray icon (typically near the clock). It can be used to reduce screen clutter. Default: Unchecked
11. This makes PeerBlock show only in the System Tray (typically near the clock) when it is closed. This reduces the number of programs that you need to keep track of, but allows PeerBlock to continue running. Note that to completely close PeerBlock with this option checked, you must right click the System Tray icon and select "Exit". Default: Checked
12. With this option checked, PeerBlock will always stay on top of other windows on your screen so that you can continuously monitor it. Default: Unchecked
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