Using TOR with Polipo v Privoxy

Hi Everyone, I'm new to this site and not too sure how to use it yet so if I stick my thread in the wrong forum I'd appreciate it if a moderator would move it to the right board and let me know.

My question has to do with using TOR. My operating system is Windows XP Hone Edition with SP2.

I've been using TOR for several years and haven't had any difficulties until just recently, when I installed the latest version of the TOR Bundle.

My previous TOR bundle had came with Privoxy and Vidalia and was working just fine until I did the update to the latest bundle, which contained Polipo instead of Privoxy.

Now Privoxy won't work because Polipo has taken its place and it can't bind to port 8118 any more.

Is there a way to get Privoxy and Polipo to both work while using TOR?

I'm asking because now that Privoxy can't run my browser is being over run with all of the ads that it use to block and I can't figure out how to get Polipo to block those things for me.

Thanks for any help or insight offered.

Wendy

 

First, You can configure Privoxy in order it uses a port other than 8118, eg 8112, then chain to Tor, bypassing polipo.

Second, it's possible to chain privoxy and polipo. I think it has to be done in the folowing order:
browser -> privoxy -> polipo -> tor -> internet
You have to configure privoxy (port 8112) in order it uses polipo (port 811 as parent proxy. See the privoxy's config file for that.

 

Hi Guys, Thanks for the replies.

OK, I have a vague idea of how to do some of this: First, You can configure Privoxy in order it uses a port other than 8118, eg 8112, then chain to Tor, bypassing polipo.

Second, it's possible to chain privoxy and polipo. I think it has to be done in the folowing order:
browser -> privoxy -> polipo -> tor -> internet
You have to configure privoxy (port 8112) in order it uses polipo (port 811 as parent proxy. See the privoxy's config file for that.

Can you give me some step by step instructions at to how to go about doing that? And maybe tell me how to use the Quote feature on here too , I couldn't get it to work for me.

Thanks

Wendy

 

Hi JRViejo, Thanks for the information.

I must have done something wrong before because I had lost everything that I had written when I had tried to quote this from Lyx:

I can follow step by step instructions fairly well and I was wanting to ask if someone could tell me how to get that done.

The same thing goes for this:

How do I do this in FireFox 3.6.3?:

I also need to know if there are any advantages\disadvantages to using both Polipo and Privoxy along with TOR and Vidalia?

Thanks to anyone who is willing to pass on some of their expertise in these things.

Wendy

 

The Tor devs recommend using Polipo instead of Privoxy since Privoxy is not made for networks like Tor. Polipo should give much better performance.

 

Hi everyone, sorry about my lack of speed at getting back to you guys on this.

I had logged on several days ago and had busily been making a reply when I experienced an odd and rather weird browser crash. Firefox just kind of blinked and crashed.

That isn't the first time that I've had Firefox crash on me and then have to restart a new browser.

The odd thing, to me at least, was the fact that when I started Firefox again it just started up as though nothing had just happened and took me to my normal home page without indicating that it had just crashed and without asking is I wanted to reopen the tabs that were open when it crashed.

OK, so much for that, now back to this thread.

Hi JRViejo, Thanks for the reply. No problem, Thanks for the welcome and info on the quote thing too.

Hi chronomatic, Thanks for the reply.

I know the developers have been up to something with those two things.

When I first started using TOR Privoxy was an integral part of the TOR Bundle for Windows. I haven't got a clue as to how it did what it did, all I know is that it completely stopped all of the mind boggling ads I use to see on different sites that I visit and use.

Not long ago, when I updated to the latest stable release of TOR, Privoxy quit working, and the new guy, Polipo took over. Every since then I have been being over run with all kinds of ads.

I was just guessing that the developers made the change to Polipo because it worked better than Privoxy but now I’m not so sure about all of that and I’m trying to figure out how to get both of those suckers to work at the same time so I can get rid of all of those ads.

Can you, or anybody else reading this thread, tell me how to get things set up so that Privoxy and Polipo will work together?

Thanks for any help from anyone who feels like tossing their two cents worth into the mix here.

Wendy

 

I may be on the wrong path here, but it seems you're putting yourself through a lot of hasstle with trying to configure privoxy/polipo. Wouldn't using a Hosts file be just as effective and a lot simpler?

 

I would try to go back to Privoxy Tor if I could. Polippo apparently offers some performance pluses over Privoxy Tor. But, Polippo is a unix App ported for Windows. It sounds experimental to me. As far as I can tell there is no data telling someone who wants to port all three together how to do this. I tried out Polippo. Yes indeed it proceeded to create a Web Proxy. I next got a message from Outpost Firewall that it was connecting to a proxy. I next tried out K Meleon & loaded settings & let K Meleon automatically try to find a Proxy. Did it, I don't know I noticed that Outpost was connecting to Service Host possibly Polippo then to E Kernall (NOD32 antivirus Proxy) then out. Did it work maybe but I then abandoned the project as I decided I had no idea what I was doing. Good luck I am not sure anyone has ever done what you are trying to do before.

 

Hi elapsed, Thanks for the reply and sorry about not having gotten around to acknowledging it sooner.

It might but I haven't got a clue as to where to look to see if I even have a host file. I checked out that link and read till my eyes crossed and still don't have too good of a grasp on what I was reading. Well at least not a good enough of a grasp that I would be willing to just dive in and start downloading and trying to set up what they were talking about on that page.

Hi Woody777, Thanks for your input and sorry about not getting back to you sooner.

I think I'll go searching for an older release of TOR, one that includes Privoxy, and just get rid of the version that I have right now.

Thanks again everyone.

Wendy

 

Hi Wendy, all you need to do is download the zip on that link, extract it, run the install.bat file then reboot.

 

Hi elapsed, I know I'm a bit late with this reply, but it seems that I went BLOND there for awhile , and just totally forgot that I had this account.

Anyway, I wanted to say "Thanks". I'll give your suggestion a go and let you know what happens.

Thanks again for your input.

Wendy

 

Hi Wendy,

Privoxy is used mainly to filter content, and that slows the whole experience down. Polipo, on the other hand, does pipelining which gets you better performance - which is hard enough on Tor, and Provioxy does not have.

Go with Polipo, but make sure you download the PDF manual so you know how you can configure it for your needs.

-- Tom