PortableTor..?

[LzBy1]

OK, there seems to be many versions of PortableTor out there that have different components, packages, etc. Basically, I tried a version or two, and I'm wandering what the big fuss is about. I have never used this type of software before so tell me what's going on. What exactly is PortableTor or "Tor" in general? What are the benefits of using in over a normal browser? How does it work? And which version is the best?

Thanks,
Chris

[Firewrath]

well,
im bias,
http://portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=995

But, Tor is actually a Proxy, not a browser,

it encrypts and redirects your internet traffic to random servers over the world before connecting to whatever page your going to,

it makes it very hard to track who you are and where your from,

its not perfect, and has some flaws, which are listed here:
http://tor.eff.org/

but nothing so bad theres reason not to use it,
though, id never use it to like, login to email and stuff,

[M@tty]

Excellent instructions Firewrath, and what I based my code on.

But LzBy1, if you would like a pre-configured Portable Tor then consider Torvox: http://portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1959 (You don't have to do the instructions Firewrath posted, as they are already done for you)

All you have to do is fire up Torvox and then point your browser to Privoxy on localhost port 8118.

If you use Firefox, then you can download SwitchProxy or TorButton aswell and have it done for you at the click of a button.

[LzBy1]

Can PortableTor be configured to work with uTorrent?

[M@tty]

Torvox gives you a SOCKS proxy on port 9050 and a HTTP proxy on port 8118.

So just fire Torvox up and follow the µTorrent instuctions:

Does µTorrent support proxies?
Yes. Open the options and go to Connection. It supports SOCKS4, SOCKS5, HTTP Connect, and HTTP proxies. Peer communication proxying is supported with SOCKS4, SOCKS5, and HTTP Connect. HTTP Connect is HTTP proxies that allow arbitrary TCP connections. Not all do, which is why it's a separate item in the list.

Tor gives you connections about as slow as dial-up, so, for downloading Torrents I would not advise using Tor.

[LzBy1]

Which proxy type would you recommend for torrents? HTTP or SOCKS? Should I use SOCKS4 or SOCKS5? Sorry, I'm new to proxies.

[M@tty]

Let me just re-iterate: I don't recommend you use Torvox in conjunction with µTorrent. Tor is intended for anonymous browsing, not downloading. Download speeds you get will be very slow, and frustrating for larger files.

As far as HTTP proxy vs. SOCKS proxy goes, I honestly don't know if there is any technical reason why you should go for one or the other. I've had a look on Wikipedia to try and find an answer for you, but to no avail.

[LzBy1]

Sorry about that, maybe I should have specified. I'm already behind two proxies with no way to forward any ports so DHT is impossible and my download speeds are already less than dial-up speeds. My hope has that by connecting through the Tor networks, the outside proxies would hold a connection longer than the typical 45 seconds that I seem to be getting here. I was also partially curious if it could work. Thank you for your help.

[M@tty]

Well yes, using Tor should be able to bypass the other proxies IF you can find a port that is not blocked, then in Vidalia set the Tor port to be that one and tell µTorrent to use the new port.

A port I used to tunnel all sorts of things down at college was 6192. This is, if I remember right, a port used by MSN Messenger and was not blocked.

If you find a program on the computers that has access to the internet, check out http://www.portforward.com/cports.htm to find out what port it is using.

[ahoier]

Firewrath, that sounds neat :)

Though I've been a fan of Torpark...though with the whole XeroBank speculation, who knows...(they seem to have gone a bit too commercial for my tastes).

[Simon.T]

Dear Andrew (and all his soldiers... )

I don't want to be some "mister nice guy" but... I see to many softwares with my name on them (the Suggested by field) for example: look/search for tor, And I see that since this PortableTor, there is no Vidalia, so... can you please give this PortableTor's Suggested by field "back" to Firewrath? I'll really appreciate that!

Thanks,
Simon

[Firewrath]

so... can you please give this PortableTor's Suggested by field "back" to Firewrath? I'll really appreciate that!

Thanks Simon, thats a nice gesture, ^-^
but honestly, i can see where Andy is in this, as theres no use having pretty much the same program listed like three times,
and he's using the suggested field for the version that he picked to keep in the database, so everythings fine with me how it is,
...plus, my way was a little ...complicated,

[Simon.T]

No problems Firewrath ^_^

I hope that you understand that what I meant is that Vidalia and PortableTor are the same app and nothing has been actually changed (accept the name?) and this is why there is no reason to change the Suggested by field, even if your way was a little ...complicated

same for PuTTY Portable...
PuTTY Portable 0.5.9 Released (officially portable!)
PuTTY Portable

[M@tty]

Don't let silivrenion hear you say that!

PortableTor and Vidalia are not the same app. PortableTor contains Vidalia, as well as Privoxy + Tor.

The instructions that existed in the database allowed you to configure Vidalia in the same way PortableTor (And *Cough* Torvox) does for you automatically.

[Simon.T]

Don't let silivrenion hear you say that!

PortableTor and Vidalia are not the same app. PortableTor contains Vidalia, as well as Privoxy + Tor.

The instructions that existed in the database allowed you to configure Vidalia in the same way PortableTor (And *Cough* Torvox) does for you automatically.

M@tty, it does the same trick, even if it was a little ...complicated
Am I right?