My TOR has lost its torque.

After noting the enthusiasm by members for "TOR" I thought I'd have a go. What a pleasure after the TORture of Steganos. However, my TOR has lost its torque.

What have I done? Or more importantly, what can i do?





When I enable TOR I get the above.

 

First be sure that you did set correctly Privoxy and this line

Code:

forward-socks4a / localhost:9050 .

by first line of config.txt



Then configure firefox as on the pictures.



Start both TOR and Privoxy, waiting on message from TOR as on the picture below and start surf anonymously behind TOR+Privoxy.




btw

Watch warning message in TOR window for possible problems if you cant connect.

 

It's not unusual to get occasional errors with a reload then causing the page to appear. If you have never had a successful connection with Tor, then check the Privoxy settings as MakePB notes (though it should be set up properly if you downloaded the Tor/Privoxy bundle) and also the Tor window for any errors.

If you have successfully connected in the past but can't any more, then deleting the cached-routers files in the Tor data folder (by default this should be C:\Documents and Settings\<your Windows username>\Application Data\Tor) and restarting Tor may work. Also check your firewall to ensure that it is not blocking necessary traffic (browser -> Privoxy -> Tor -> Internet).

If problems persist, please include details of what (if any) warnings or errors Tor reports.

 

How come Privoxy and not Proxomitron is being used with Tor?. It appears from the comments i've read elsewhere, Proxomitron is still TOPS!

 

Proxomitron cannot connect directly with a SOCKS proxy (the Tor client is created as a SOCKS proxy to allow it to be used with any application, even those not designed to use proxies, once that application has been "SOCKSified" using software like SocksCap or FreeCap). Privoxy however can so the Proxomitron -> Privoxy -> Tor route is the ideal (Privoxy can be used to filter out the extra Forwarded header that Proxomitron adds).

You can also use Socks/FreeCap to socksify Proxomitron allowing it to connect directly to Tor, but you then have the problem of DNS lookups being done via your ISP, potentially allowing them to see what sites you are accessing.

 

Thanks Paranoid2000

Would you therefore recommend the setup of Proxomitron -> Privoxy -> Tor?. If not, which setup?.

 

Thanx for the help. I'm back up with Tor/ privoxy / vidalia.

When I set it up I declined "contribute bandwidth" as i was in a hurry and didn't understand what it was about correctly. Still don't. However, from reading I noticed a comment that by sharing B/Width one muddies the pool further as my surfing and other bandwidth grabbers appear together as one lump of data.

Now things have settled down I want to learn more.

How can i contribute some bandwidth?

If I donate bandwidth can i be swamped and have trouble surfing even if I turn off TOR?

Can i nominate how much of my B/Width I want to 'toss in'?

 

Please review the Tor FAQ: Running a Tor server - it answers all these questions and many more. Vidalia makes server setup far easier but it also doesn't include the more advanced options (like hibernation, detailed exit policies or firewall/hardware setup) - nevertheless it is a good place to start.