Application Filtering Screen Blank

Application Filters seems to still be working but the page is blank. I read here that there was a 200 filter limit and sometimes a problem with the display window blanking out when that limit was exceeded. So I deleted all of them. The only way I knew the delete was working was that the scroll bar kept moving until it finally disappeared and there were no more entries to delete.

Now I get a prompt for every application that wants to connect the the internet---which is fine but the screen remains blank--so I have no idea what in there. I have no idea what the issue is. LnS works fine on this same hardware in another boot partition.

What would really be helpful if no-one has any ideas about why that window remians blank--- is if anyone can tell me where the list of applications is maintained--I assume somewhere in the registry. What application is maintaining it. Does anyone know a registry key, an application, a path name, an XP service that handles this list---anything that can lead me in the right direction. I've yet to see a comprehensible explanation for something that surely isn't rocket science. Please even just a hint.

thanks

 

It looks like a color issue, font and background with the same color.
Do you have a special Windows color scheme ?
Could you try to change some colors, font or windows background ?

Frederic

 

I don't think it's a color or hardware issue. It would be unlikely to affect only one window in LnS. A good thought however and thanks for your reply Frederic.

I think it was a corrupted registry issue. Removing LnS and reinstalling it took care of the problem.

It didn't however advance my understanding of the details of Application Filtering, where is done and by what service. Internet Filtering IS done by LnS and I know where all those files are and I know how to create the rules I need and store them where I want them.

Application Filtering, according to what I've read here is an imported service where all LnS does is flag (change one bit) those applications which are granted access VS those that are not. But what network service is the backbone? Where are is the list of applications stored, in what format.. These are still questions I have to which I have yet to see an answer that wasn't pretty much gobbly gook.

Eventually, in my spare time and as time allows, I'll figure it out myself. But I assume someone here actually already knows.

 

The registry key used by Look 'n' Stop is:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Soft4Ever\looknstop
(or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Soft4Ever\looknstop if you selected the "Common to all user" registry option).
And the "Applis" subkey is for the Application Filtering.

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think you would find something there explaining the issue you had. Nothing there about the way the applications are displayed in the list (I mean, colors, fonts, size position...), just the pathname and the other information about the filtering (allowed/blocked, log or not...).

Regards,

Frederic

 

Thanks---that's a huge Leap forward for me in tracking down the Application Filterng detail I was asking about.

But you do raise an interesting issue. Just where are the details of the windows layout of LnS kept. I think they are just MS windows modules created in whatever language look'n'stop was written in--C++, Visual C++...whatever. Why would just one TAB have foreground & background suddenly the same---why not all LnS Tabs

I'm unaware of the user's ability to customize the layout of those Tabs in LnS. Simply restoring the entire LnS directory form a few days earlier did NOT fix the issue. Re-installing it did....so I'm sticking with my corrupt registry** issue for now. but still with less than full understanding of what went wrong and where.

**Oh SO MANY issues are due to corrupt registry. And no human being on the planet can (honesty) claim to understand them all. Not because the registry is a miracle of creation---but because it was written by MS with very good intention but has developed into a frankenstien monster with a life of it's own

 

Hi Paulb,

From what I have read, your seeing the vertical scrollbar but nothing showing in the Application filtering listbox (no application name or path information, and not even any allowed and block images or images shown under the other columns).


I'll assume you tried selecting lines in the Application filtering list (even though nothing was showing), did the line selection highlight at least work? or selecting a line even where the first line would be wasn't possible...?

After having supposedly deleted everything in the list, did you try restarting Look 'n' Stop application or windows and see if the vscrollbar reappeared but nothing in the application filtering list showing again?


It's possible that there was an unusual list refreshing issue, with large number of application filtering entries and its associated icons and Look 'n' Stop own images used in the list. Perhaps you'll be with the issue again after your application filtering list grows a bit.


Regards,
Phant0m``

 

Yes I pretty much tried everything including all that you suggested. The screen was blank trying to select an item had no visible effect--no highlight.

There is apparently a 200 item limit but also an option in the Registry Keys group to "Save Extra" This supposedly handles the overflow issues.

Also when the threshold is reached a registry file called "lns.reg" is created and stored in the LnS program directory. As I'm just finding out---Opening that file up with an editor reveals a wealth of information about how Lns is managing all sorts of things--including how some layout and lists are maintained in the registry.

 

Did you view the application filtering list after having added applications and re-booted? Or viewing the application filtering list just after every new application addition?

.. Selecting even the first line and no visible effect (such as line highlighting) would surely indicate empty application filtering list, and not some sort of refresh issue.


There is an Application filtering entry limit of 200, but when the limit is reached the list don't become empty for users to start from scratch.

No where does it say that the 'Extra save' feature suppose to handle overflows, "'Extra save' option does a copy of the registry in lns.reg file. This file is a registry file that may be saved and applied again in order to retrieve the options (for instance after a reinstallation)." ... lns.reg file is created and maintained when 'Extra save' feature is enabled and Look 'n' Stop is exiting either manually or upon system restart / shutdown.

 

" Did you view the application filtering list after having added applications and re-booted? Or viewing the application filtering list just after every new application addition?"

Yes I rebooted---but it didn't help.

".. Selecting even the first line and no visible effect (such as line highlighting) would surely indicate empty application filtering list, and not some sort of refresh issue."

So one might think but in fact that wasn't the case. Nothing was visible, nothing highlightable--yet the Application Filter tab had a scroll bar which moved as I deleted what appeared to be empty space--until the scroll bar disappeared as less than a page full of items existed. I could then start up an application--like firefox, get a prompt and allow it it access----still everything empty in the App Filter and List of Apps window. But after having granted FF access I could shut that browser down and restart it without being re-prompted---so app filtering WAS working just invisibly.

Thanks for the explanation of "Extra Save". The help file does describe it accurately but I thought I had read a different explanation here. I must have misunderstood what was being said.