PeerGuardian 2:FAQ

From Phoenix Labs Wiki

Revision as of 18:35, February 23, 2006

This section will go through some of the most common questions and problems regarding PeerGuardian 2.

Does PeerGuardian 2 block all protocols?

On Windows 2000, XP, and 2003, PG2 will block all protocols. On Windows 98 and ME, PG2 will only block TCP.

I heard PeerGuardian takes up tons of CPU. Is this still true?

No! While 1.x was a big CPU hog, you shouldn't ever notice 2.x over 1% usage.

Do I need to install any drivers?

Nope. PeerGuardian does this all for you.

What lists should I use?

The only list you need is P2P. Others may want to block spyware or ads, etc. For blocking ads, it is recommended that you use something more tailored for that like the Firefox plug-in Adblock or Proxomitron.

How safe is PeerGuardian, really?

Well, it is accurate in the sense that it blocks everything on your blocklist. It is impossible to know all the addresses to block, so while it will increase your safety to a good extent, it can never be perfect.

PeerGuardian is blocking my favourite site! How do I unblock it?

Right click in the log and add it to your permanent allow list.

Is it safe to turn off the "Block HTTP" option?

It is recommended that you add it to your permanent allow list instead. If Block HTTP is off, it is possible for others to sneak in through port 80 or 443 just as a reminder BitTorent uses these ports.

PeerGuardian says "Blocking 0 IPs". Is it safe?

Please make sure you are using the latest version of PeerGuardian. If you still have the problem, try manually updating and as a last resort, deleting the .conf from your PeerGuardian folder.

Can PeerGuardian replace my firewall?

No! PeerGuardian has been heavily optimized for what it needs to do and is not a replacement for your firewall.

Why can't I run PeerGuardian under my normal user account?

The 2000/XP/2003 version needs to install a driver, something that normal users can't do. You can set the shortcut to run it as Admin, or use the 98/ME version.

PeerGuardian isn't working for me, or is interfering with my firewall. What can I do?

PeerGuardian is known to be incompatible with McAfee and BlackICE firewalls. There is currently no way around this, so we recommend you try switching to Outpost or Sygate. If PeerGuardian still isn't working, you can try a daily alpha builds to see if it's been fixed, or report a bug.

PeerGuardian blocked someone, should I be worried?

Well, it was blocked, so why would you worry? It's when bad stuff isn't blocked that you have a problem.

I've heard rumours that PeerGuardian is unsafe. Are they true?

They are just that: rumours. PeerGuardian is safe. We are even Open Source, so you can go look for yourself (something the people spreading the rumours don't offer).

Where can I report bugs?

PerGuardian 2 reports all crashes to Phoenix Labs so our developers can fix them faster. If you found a bug which doesn't result in a dialog telling you it was reported, you can find more information on our bug reports page.

Can I have two IP blocking tools open at the same time?

You mean like using PeerGuardian2 and Protowall at the same time? no it is not recomended to have two IP blocking tools running at the same time. It could cause a problem with your computer and risking your security, Protowall is known to block Phoenix Labs IP address and that would cause you to fail in all your updates from us here at Phoenix Labs. Plus it is just not recomended to run both at the same time. Choose one or the other "PeerGuardian2 or Protowall" you choose.

How do i know what version of PeerGuardian 2 i am using?

There are a few ways to find out what version of PeerGuardian you are using, the most simplistic and easiest way to determine what version you use is right click on the PeerGuardian 2 icon in the system icon tray on the bottom right hand side of your computer monitor near the clock.

Here you would just right click on it like so. And select the about menu and it will bring up a new window, the about window.

the first line that I highlighted is where you can determine what version of PeerGuardian you are using.

It will give you the version name and date of the release.

What is actually in the "About PeerGuardian"?

PeerGuardian 2.0 RC1 (12/??/2005)

Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Cory Nelson

Based on the original work by Tim Leonard

This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.

Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:

1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.

2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software.

3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.

Credits:

• Cory Nelson - Programming (http://int64.org)
• Cyril Van Der Haegen - UI Design (http://www.tegehel.org)
• DVDeviant - Graphic Design
• Eric Mayuk - Tech Support
• Fox - Documentation
• James Shanelec - Documentation
• Joseph Farthing - Documentation
• Ken McClelland - Server Admin
• Logan Attwood - Server Admin
• Sergio Lo Presti - Testing
• Steffen Tuzar - Tech Support

The number of IPs blocked in PeerGuardian just dropped! How do I block them again?

If the number of IPs dropped, it is for good reason. We are constantly updating and fine-tuning our lists, which includes removing safe IPs.

What lists should I use?

The only list you need is P2P. Others may want to block spyware or ads, etc. For blocking ads, it is recommended that you use something more tailored for that like the Firefox plugin Adblock or Proxomitron.

I’ve heard rumors that PeerGuardian is unsafe. Are they true?

They are just that: rumors. PeerGuardian is safe. We are even Open Source, so you can go look for yourself (something the people spreading the rumors don’t offer).

how do i find out if my copy of PeerGuardian2 is genuine?

when ever PeerGuardian2 loads up, it says "Genuine Methlabs Software" inside a popup window.

PeerGuardian is slowing down my connection!

This occurs because of the way PeerGuardian blocks packets, not connections. A work around is being developed, but until it is available you may want to apply the lvlord.de patch.

PeerGuardian blocked someone, with me as the source!

This can happen if you visit a blocked webpage, or if you are using a P2P service such as BitTorrent. It is nothing to worry about.

I have allowed connection logging turned on but nothing seems to be showing up. What’s wrong?

PeerGuardian 2 for Windows 9x does not currently support logging/showing of allowed connections.

what happens if I can not find an answer here on the Phoenix Labs wiki area?

You could do any of the following:

• Search the forums
• If you can not find anything on the forums you could post a question inside the PG2 Tech Support area
• Contact anyone on the Phoenix Labs staff.

What are the most common crashes?

Uncaught Exception

This crash is caused by low disk space on your PeerGuardian2 installed hard disk.

When you run out of disk space on your hard disk and PeerGuardian2 can not log your history to the history.db file inside your PeerGuardian directory this window will popup and duplicate itself until you resolve the low disk space issue. This means you need to freeup some space on your hard disk.

To resolve this issue follow these steps:

1. close down PeerGuardian2 inside the system task manager
2. close all popup windows that was opened by PeerGuardian2
3. you need to free up some space on your hard disk to clear up this issue, otherwise you will get this error again when you do the next step
4. once PeerGuardian2 is closed, restart PeerGuardian2, by using your shortcut icon and/or inside your start menu.

how do I free up space on my hard disk?

ANSWER TBA