Help.

February 17, 2008 1:03 PM

So I tried making my Win XP laptop into a TOR node and...uh...yea, no worky worky. Please help me recover.

My Firefox is behaving erratically now and I think I have screwed up my router's security, too. Here's a list of grievances:

-Firefox has a large gray box on the bottom of the window with an up-pointed red arrow on the left of this box. The arrow doesn't do anything and i cant make the box go away. Its as if its a normal part of the window.

-I cant use my bookmarks normally. When I click on one a message appears on the bottom of the screen saying : "Transfering data from ". And it just hangs there. I actually have to go into the "organize bookmarks" pulldown and for some reason those work.

- My "save picture as..." no longer exists. I have had to copy and paste the image's URL to IE and save the pics from there. I also cant seem to open links to mp3's. It just hangs

-Now when I try to run Tor as a client, I get "The proxy server is refusing connections" I dont remember where I go to change this.

- I got a nice little error last nite from my router(?) saying I might have a Blaster Worm virus at my router and I should scan said router. How?

-I have probably mis configured my ports on my router and anti-virus software. What is the basic configuration just to run as a client?

I have tried reinstalling firefox but to no avail. I just downloaded it and reinstalled it but i dont think it was a clean install. How do I ensure I completely removed it? I have used windows recovery to last saved point but it doesnt help.



Amplifying information: I am running win XP home edition SP2 on with firefox 2.0.0.12. I have PC-cillen acting as a firewall. My internet connection is through SBC/AT&T on a 2-wire 2701HG-B. My firefox has No- Script, cookie culler, and adblock.

Please help.

posted by Brandon1600 to Technology (3 answers total)

The first thing to do when Firefox is having problems is to start it up with all the plug-ins disabled. Have you tried that? What happens when you do?

-Firefox has a large gray box on the bottom of the window with an up-pointed red arrow on the left of this box. The arrow doesn't do anything and i cant make the box go away. Its as if its a normal part of the window.

Are you sure that it's an arrow, and not an onion? That sounds like Tor Button (a Firefox plug-in). It's red when it detects Tor is not running, and green when it is running.

-Now when I try to run Tor as a client, I get "The proxy server is refusing connections" I don't remember where I go to change this.

Firefox will also say this when Tor isn't running (and hence can't connect), and when the settings are messed up. Check that Tor is running, and that the local proxy port number in torrc matches Firefox's.

The difference between Tor running as a server and as a client is a one-line change in the torrc (set ORPort to whatever port you want Tor to listen on). The main Window's package installs Vidalia with Tor. If you have Vidalia installed, there should be simple setting as to whether or not to run as a server. Also, Vidalia should make it pretty obvious whether Tor is running or not (if Tor is started through Vidalia).

-I have probably mis configured my ports on my router and anti-virus software. What is the basic configuration just to run as a client?

You shouldn't have to open any ports on your router to run as a client. Your anti-virus software shouldn't block incoming or outgoing connections. A firewall might. I don't remember having to change anything on my firewall.

I have tried reinstalling firefox but to no avail. I just downloaded it and reinstalled it but i dont think it was a clean install. How do I ensure I completely removed it? I have used windows recovery to last saved point but it doesnt help.

Remove the Firefox folder underneath the Program Files folder, and you can also remove the settings info under the Documents and Settings folder (Documents and Settings/username here/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox).
posted by philomathoholic at 6:05 PM on February 17, 2008

By the way, are you on the or-talk list? Once you get the Firefox-specific issues settled, those are gonna be the people who are going to know much more about your Tor issues. This kind of question (with the Firefox stuff - like weird Tor/TorButton issues) is welcomed and normal there. Plus, the developers drop in frequently and explain things that much more clearly.

The or-announce list should be mandatory for server ops, and strongly advised for people running clients.
posted by philomathoholic at 6:10 PM on February 17, 2008

This kind of question (without the Firefox stuff...
posted by philomathoholic at 6:21 PM on February 17, 2008