Frequently Asked Questions

ConFetch is FREE for personal use!
All versions except the Basic ConFetch version will download the current Bogon IPs List and install it to TreeWalk in the proper format. For that reason alone, you should run your version of ConFetch regularly, and run the complete program all the way through at least once a week to update it's local, internal files. ConFetch is a plug-in for TreeWalk DNS "Hawk" version 8.21 or newer that is properly installed on your computer and is known to be operational before installing ConFetch. If you're not sure if TreeWalk is running properly or if your system is blocking TreeWalk for any reason, consult the TreeWalk site's FAQ page before proceeding with ConFetch!

Minimum Requirements: Pentium III 500 MHz processor with 128 MB RAM (or equivalent - 256 MB preferred). If you run one of these with XP, you probably already realize it can be a slower machine so it's strongly suggested to start with the Basic version of ConFetch. Read the rest of this site, especially this page and the additional prerequisite info before you use ConFetch on an older, slower machine to decide if it's useful for you!

Select an item from the list below for an answer:

This FAQ page will be appended to once in awhile. Please check back later!

Forum support can be obtained from the TreeWalk DNS Forums provided for ConFetch Plug-ins. The ConFetch FAQ and Announcements groups are also available (these latter two are read-only, but you can post messages to "confetch.plugins"). Currently, this is the only way to obtain the latest "ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra" Beta version of the ConFetch Plug-ins.

ChangeDetection.com: Get notified by email when a ConFetch source file is updated! You can safely receive private notifications from ChangeDetection.com when your favorite HOSTS files or other lists are updated by following these instructions near the bottom of our "Credits" page.

Would you like to help out?

Well, you could run the "ConFetch Information Tool" you'll find in the ConFetch Tools folder in the Programs menu and attach your results to an email! Your email info will never be used for anything other than for ConFetch development: support@confetch.com. Do not adjust the subject line or delivery may fail! ((If you don't want your email info stored on the server, just mention in the message body that you'd like it deleted after the attachment has been saved.))

Answers

Click the item link to return to the FAQ index:

Does ConFetch run on the 64-bit Vista Operating System? Only the ConFetch Ultra version will install and run on the x64 XP/Vista platforms, until the older versions are updated to conform. Please review the ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra Download page for more information and check out the Change Log and Notifications page under "Things you need to know about Vista, User Account Control, TreeWalk and ConFetch".
What the heck are ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra anyway? Whatever the other ConFetch versions do ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra do it all. And more. In fact, those versions even have their own page, the ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra Download page. Check it out to see if one of those might be useful to you.
Why do I need ConFetch, again? Well, a lot of people aren't going to be happy with the vast number of sites ConFetch has the capability to block but many users will find it very useful. You can review the Home page and the rest of this FAQ to see if it's suitable for your needs, if you like. If the examples described for each version on the Downloads page don't help you to decide, you may be better off to start with the basic "ConFetch" version to get a better feel for what the programs are designed to do, then work your way up from there. ConFetch versions incrementally increase system demands (and therefore, requirements), increasing blocking levels as the numbers in the programs' names increases (ConFetch 2 blocks more than ConFetch 1 does, with ConFetch X being the largest blocker). As mentioned in the "What kind of performance hits will I take" FAQ answer, ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra probably won't be useful to everybody even though you can block as much or as little as you wish by choosing an appropriate version for your needs.
What kind of program is ConFetch? ConFetch does not have a GUI and uses a CLI instead. If you're not familiar with the Command Line Interface, it's still very simple to use ConFetch from the icons provided in the Programs Folder accessible from the Start Menu. After you run it a few times, it should be like old news!
Is ConFetch intended to replace my security programs? No way! You still want to keep all your anti-spyware, anti-Trojan and anti-virus programs updated and in regular use! ConFetch should only replace problematic HOSTS file conditions or be installed so you can revert your HOSTS file to it's proper, intended use. Just like the Read Me file states: "These scripts are not intended to replace any existing apps, but are intended to enhance secure TW browsing environments!" ((Review the "I use a HOSTS file. What should I do?" and "Can I secure my HOSTS file and only use ConFetch?" answers also located on this FAQ.))
I don't use TreeWalk. Can I still use ConFetch? Not really, unless you just want to generate a bunch of lists and zone files in BIND format! ConFetch is a plug-in for TreeWalk DNS "Hawk" version 8.21 or newer.
What does ConFetch do? ConFetch uses Wget to retrieve lists from multiple, trusted sources on the Web. It then uses a group of executables to convert and merge those downloads into a format that TreeWalk DNS can use to "block" or "filter" the hostnames it collects from those lists. Among the executables utilized are native NT5.x applications like "sort.exe" and "find.exe". Other executables from GNU utilities for Win32 are also used, such as "uniq.exe", "sed.exe" and "unzip.exe". You can find version information and download particulars for the latter on the "Credits" page of this site, as well as in the readme.txt file distributed with the ConFetch Installers. ConFetch calls these programs from a series of Batch Command Language files, and, it also calls a group of Visual Basic Scripting files that do the actual conversion work. The VBS files that ConFetch uses were based on creations by ObiWan, who is one of TreeWalk's original developers along side of NT Canuck. ((Note that on April 25, 2007, ConFetch "Ultra" was released with a new version of "unzip.exe" which runs on 64-bit.))

"ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra" are the only versions where the list is checked by Wget in spider mode (after the reduced list we use for TreeWalk has been loaded by TW), by sending an HTTP request to try to receive a 200 OK status for any sites that may have been prone to errors. "ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra" will record the (usually few) sites that send the "200 OK" status response back to us. Nothing can be downloaded to your machine this way because Wget stops when either a connection status has been achieved or it has been determined that the site was blocked as designed.
How do I install ConFetch? Simply start the installation by double-clicking the executable file you've downloaded from this site, and follow the instructions. (If you downloaded a file in .zip format you will need to decompress it first before you can use the executable.)
How do I uninstall ConFetch? If you want to remove ConFetch, just use the Uninstall icon in the program's icon group: select Start, select (All) Programs, select ConFetch (Version), select Uninstall ConFetch (Version). The uninstall procedure will remove all ConFetch files and folders from your computer and restores the TreeWalk configuration that was used when ConFetch was first installed. After that, you'll just need to Stop and Start TreeWalk from the TW Control Panel:
Start > (All) Programs > TreeWalk, select "TreeWalk control panel"

Advanced users who have modified their TW config after installing ConFetch should back up their current settings before uninstalling ConFetch, with the icons that TreeWalk provides for that task. Once ConFetch is removed from the system, then the saved, modified config can be restored via TW's program icons.
Which version of ConFetch should I install? The "eXtreme" version of ConFetch (ConFetch X) contains all files needed to retrieve all possible sources for our blocking filter. The "basic" version (simply called ConFetch) contains the minimum amount of files you need to block known Ad Servers. You can also upgrade to ConFetch 1 through 4 to incrementally increase and customize the blocking capability to a level you are content to use. Review the Downloads page for more details about these versions and recent upgrades. (If the examples described for each version on the Downloads page don't help you to decide, you may be better off to start with the basic "ConFetch" version to get a better feel for what the programs are designed to do, then work your way up from there. ConFetch versions incrementally increase system demands (and therefore, requirements), increasing blocking levels as the numbers in the programs' names increases. For example, ConFetch 2 blocks more than ConFetch 1 does, with ConFetch X being the largest blocker.) You can also review the ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra Download page to see if one of those versions might be more suitable for your particular requirements.
How do I use ConFetch? It's fairly easy. Just start it from the Start Menu and answer a few simple prompts to tell it what you want it to do! If you're new to this type of program, it's recommended to study the options until you become more familiar. If you're a batch enthusiast you probably already know how to customize ConFetch, so feel free! To start ConFetch: select Start, select (All) Programs, select ConFetch (Version), select Run ConFetch (Version). Note that LSE and Ultra do not provide this capability as they are designed to run unattended.
What kind of performance hits will I take? Working with TreeWalk is a breeze, and ConFetch will generally use about 30% of all available CPU resources when Wget is running (for those versions that use Wget). This can jump to 100% of available resources when executables are called to process the lists with the ConFetch filters. That doesn't last very long except with very large lists, however, you can soon learn how to work around it. Most of the time, you can easily and safely multi-task with CF minimized to the tray and running in the background. If you're surfing when TreeWalk restarts, you should stop and wait for the configuration to reload before continuing. Remember, ConFetch may not be suitable for everyone so you'll need to make up your own mind by comparing your system's available resources to one of the ConFetch packages and use the one best suited for you.
How long does it take to run ConFetch? It varies on how many sites and types of domains you want to block, as well as on the speed of your computer. Slower machines will probably benefit from experimenting with a custom installation of ConFetch by upgrading by a few "levels" to see what you're comfortable with. Review the Downloads page of this site for more statistics for each version as some of them are very quick.

Update: It can take less than an hour to run ConFetch PRO, LSE or Ultra completely to verify a blacklist that starts with nearly a quarter-million lines of input to generate approximately fifty thousand lines of output for blocking all names gathered. (Elapsed time and line counts will vary across different environments and versions of ConFetch.)
Can I train ConFetch PRO, LSE or Ultra? Yes, in a way, you do. Every time you run a full scan with ConFetch PRO, LSE or Ultra it will automatically add any names to the database list, so you won't be able to connect to them during any subsequent runs. It's like self-contained auto-correction and error-checking. ConFetch "Basic" through "eXtreme" versions can only process the submitted data and cannot find newly redirected names of for hosts that use these kinds of tactics to avoid detection, for instance. Additionally, all versions of ConFetch allow you to further personalize your filters with the included Blacklist [DENY] and the Whitelist [ALLOW] Tools. Your personalized changes are retained even when you upgrade to or from any version of ConFetch.
How often do you update ConFetch? In short, "Whenever necessary!" Theoretically we should not have to update the programs very often, but we all know this is not reality. ConFetch will probably grow into a larger blocking program as time passes, which means more "levels" will probably become available too. ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra programs will be monitored on a frequent basis and only updated when necessary. It's hard to gauge update requirements, but complete upgrade versions will only be produced when it's critical to do so. You should check this site's "Change Log, Notifications" page once in a while for any news regarding updates or upgrades, and run the ConFetch Updater tool to keep your version as current as possible.
What happens if a source site is down? ConFetch creates a backup of every file it downloads. Wget is set to a timeout of 5 to 30 seconds (depending on version), so if a site is unavailable ConFetch will use a backup of the last download and continue on to use that instead. You must make one successful run to begin with, to "prime" ConFetch with these backup files.
What happens if a blocked site is down? In that case, Wget is set to a single "try" so if a site that we've blocked is down, it will be quickly determined and Wget will move on to the next connection attempt to verify that the next site in our master list is blocked. Remember, there's a very high probability that the site will still be blocked if it comes back online because it's name is still in our filter.conf file. For this and other reasons, you should run ConFetch regularly to optimize your protection.
Can I remove an installed component from ConFetch? If you want to remove a particular HOSTS file or other list from your version of ConFetch, just use the ConFetch Folder icon in the program's icon group (select Start, select (All) Programs, select ConFetch (Version), select ConFetch Folder) to access the ConFetch files. Rename or delete the command file ConFetch uses to download the source file. This is completely harmless as long as you rename (or remove) the correct command file, but for the sake of simplicity, you don't need to remove any other associative files unless you know what you're doing. Each of the sources listed on the Credits page include the name of the file that is used to import their list.
Why do ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra restart TreeWalk twice? ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra download files from the Internet and convert them to a format that TreeWalk can use, but before TW can use the list, it must reload the configuration. With the "new" configuration loaded, we can then entertain the task of checking it against our master list we have just compiled from our downloads. And if these versions of ConFetch find nothing new to add, they act like all the other versions and quit early, without restarting TW a second time.
What happens if I quit ConFetch PRO at the first option? You're good to go, really, but it's up to you if you want to spend the extra effort to see if the blocking filter is verified or not. You should at least run ConFetch PRO completely once a week to update internal files that store any necessary data for the next time you run it. ((Note that ConFetch LSE and Ultra are designed to run straight through, without user interaction.))
Does ConFetch backup my TreeWalk files? Yes it does. All versions of ConFetch will restore the backup it saved upon installation when you uninstall it. Note that the last filter you built with ConFetch will remain active after you uninstall ConFetch until the next time you Stop and Start the TreeWalk service or reboot the computer. If you find you don't have an original filter.conf file for your TreeWalk DNS "Hawk" v. 8.21 (or newer) installation, you can download a copy of the replacement filter.conf file from this site. Open it and follow the commented instructions inside, but don't alter anything. After that, you'll just need to Stop and Start TreeWalk from the TW Control Panel:
Start > (All) Programs > TreeWalk, select "TreeWalk control panel"
Lastly, if you ever need an original "bogons" include file for TreeWalk you can download the replacement bogons.conf from this site. Please also review "How do I uninstall ConFetch?" for any other hints regarding backups.
I use a HOSTS file. What should I do? If you already use a custom HOSTS file for blocking and you want to try ConFetch, then you should temporarily rename or rebuild your HOSTS file prior to running any CF version. If you use third-party HOSTS management software or HOSTS locking applications, consult the Help file for your specific program and make the desired changes. Since the HOSTS file is checked by the system prior to utilizing our blocking lists, you'll gain better performance this way. A copy of the default HOSTS file for Windows 2000 and newer is available if you download hosts.zip. Examine Jim Byrd's useful HOSTS file dissertation on the TreeWalk forums for some additional pointers regarding the HOSTS file and it's use.
Can I secure my HOSTS file and only use ConFetch? There are some freely available applications that will allow you to password and lock access to the HOSTS file. If other users on your computer or network are running as Limited Users they cannot change the DNS or HOSTS settings if those settings are unavailable to them. See "I use a HOSTS file. What should I do?" regarding the proper usage of your HOSTS file.

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