ConFetchConFetch
Home
 Home 		| Support
 Support 		| FAQ
 Frequently Asked Questions 		| Downloads
 You are at Downloads 		| Site Map
 Site Map 		| Content

Change Log, Notifications

ConFetch versions are updated whenever necessary! You can safely receive private notifications from ChangeDetection.com when your favorite HOSTS files or other lists are updated by following these instructions below. Current version details are presented on the Downloads page for the basic ConFetch and versions 1 through X, and on the ConFetch PRO, LSE and Ultra page. "LSE" is the LAN Server Edition of "PRO" that runs unattended, without any user interaction. "Ultra" is based on the "LSE" version of ConFetch and is currently the only version intended for use with Vista and Windows 64-bit Operating Systems (ConFetch Ultra also runs on Windows 2000, XP).

 Latest Changes 

 April 7, 2010 

 All versions of ConFetch  (Basic - LSE versions *.6.9.6 and Ultra v. 13.7.4.25) continue to be updated automatically whenever you run your version of ConFetch. All users should still run the built-in updater occasionally for messages regarding future ConFetch versions or return to this page periodically for notifications. Forum notices will also be available from the links on the Support page of this site.
ConFetch Updater: Start > (All) Programs > ConFetch > ConFetch Tools > CF Updater

 Vista, TreeWalk and ConFetch?  If you only want to install TreeWalk on Vista, you can do that too! Please review "Vista, UAC, TreeWalk and ConFetch" below, which includes a link to a "helper script" to get you going.

Starting ConFetch

Any ConFetch version should be started from the icons provided in the Start menu, or a desktop shortcut you've made from that menu. All versions should be allowed to run without any interaction as they were designed to do, until completion.

Previous Changes

 Previous ConFetch version history:  Older updates and notifications have been archived to the History Archive page.

 2009 Changes 

 June 3, 2009:  All versions of ConFetch (Basic - LSE versions *.6.9.6 and Ultra v. 13.7.4.25) have been updated. All users should run the built-in updater to implement the most recent ConFetch changes for their particular version. This update provides improvements to many of the ConFetch scripts and also brings older versions to include more functions that have been realized with ConFetch development since the last Update Notification on February 19, 2009.

 February 19, 2009:  If you use either of ConFetch X, PRO or LSE (version *.6.9.6) you should run the built-in updater to implement the most recent changes for those releases. As well as some non-critical issues, this update fixes the HEX D7 problem created by a certain list. If you have any problems after installing this update, please try replacing your current ConFetch X, PRO or LSE installation and run ConFetch again. If you are a list provider or maintainer, PLEASE consider parsing your lists for "illegal" characters (such as extended ASCII) BEFORE distribution, as they can create more problems than they are worth!

 February 10, 2009:  All versions of ConFetch (Basic - LSE versions *.6.9.6 and Ultra v. 13.7.4.25) have been updated. All users should run the built-in updater to implement the most recent ConFetch changes for their particular version. This update supports the downloading of important core files that ConFetch uses to control the size of the "filter.conf" file which ConFetch produces for TreeWalk's configuration schema. This has been included in ConFetch Ultra for quite some time but this latest update will also perform additional checks for these important, auto-generated and auto-updated files. All versions will now be required to use them. Finally, a minor but equally important adjustment has been added for a particular list that many versions of ConFetch now use.

 January 19, 2009:  This notice does not apply to "ConFetch Ultra v. 13.7.4.25". Users of "ConFetch *.6.9.6" versions should run the built-in updater to implement the most recent ConFetch changes. The versions that this update applies to are: ConFetch (Basic) v. 0.6.9.6, ConFetch 1 v. 1.6.9.6, ConFetch 2 v. 2.6.9.6, ConFetch 3 v. 3.6.9.6, ConFetch 4 v. 4.6.9.6, ConFetch X v. 11.6.9.6, ConFetch PRO v. 13.6.9.6 and ConFetch LSE v. 13.6.9.6.

 

 Newest - ConFetch Ultra v. 13.7.4.25 

 April 25, 2007:  "Ultra" is the newest version of ConFetch designed for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows, including Vista, and is similar to LSE in concept with some exceptions. Changes for this version include the following...

The ConFetch Ultra Plug-in:
  • Backwards-compatible to Windows 2000
  • Standardized, optimal scripting for all ConFetch components
  • Installs to 32-bit and 64-bit Vista (must run with UAC disabled)
     · individual Start menu folders for Whitelist [ALLOW] and Blacklist [DENY] personal lists
    See important information provided below about:
    Vista, UAC, TreeWalk and ConFetch
  • New "Vista Theme" splash graphic and language packs for the Installer
  • The Installer Helper Script now unpacks components to the "dns" directory
  • Faster than *.6.9.6 versions, produces acceptable results with Vista OSes
  • Uses GNU Sort.exe for IP address lists (renamed to gnusort.exe to avoid conflicts)
  • New "Find Listed Names Search Tool" locates name strings in downloads and ConFetch database files
  • ConFetch Ultra attempts to auto-update these core files whenever it is run: filtsort.bkp, farms.txt, fakes.txt, names0, name_w, name_b
  • Honours timestamps where possible so only newer files are downloaded (uses previously formatted lists for components that are not refreshed)
  • The built-in Updater has been changed to use a single updating script for replacement of other files and components that should not be auto-updated
  • Resolves IP Addresses to names where possible and stores those that cannot be resolved for later inclusion to ACLs or for firewall packet filtering
  • A large list of ccSLDs (comprised of two labels, like ".co.uk, ".com.sg", etc.) enforces resolution of those ccTLDs (".uk, ".sg", etc.) to integrate improved filtering at the highest levels
  • Two string-reversal scripts use sed.exe arguments to reverse names so that higher level names can be used as regular expressions to remove matching subdomains that would be positioned on the next line of the re-sorted list (those results are then reversed again into the correct readable format)
  • Introduced the Google Safe Browsing List component for a more robust, globalized usage of that list (includes revised stream editor arguments and DNS lookups)
    • (Deprecated, 2008: Google no longer provides this list in a format ConFetch can freely obtain. Requires the Google API.)
  • This version can support proposed add-ons for ConFetch plug-ins (Convert My HOSTS, Scrape My SPAM, Blacklist Optimizer, etc.)
    • (Deprecated, 2008: Deemed unnecessary or will be provided as additional installers for a future version of ConFetch.)

Download ConFetch Ultra .exe (cf_ultra.exe - 1.19 MB)

The ConFetch Information Tool is included in every version of ConFetch and provides the ConFetch Information Report, which includes statistics for the last time you ran ConFetch. You need to start the tool via the Start Menu to generate a report. Following are reports from several systems...

ConFetch Information Reports for "Ultra" (use any "Back" function to return here): Windows 2000, ConFetch Ultra, Pentium 2 @400 mHz., 128 MB RAM:

The ConFetch Report is automatically generated for statistical analyses every time you run ConFetch and is one of the collection points for the ConFetch Information Tool (included in all versions). Following are ConFetch Reports from the systems mentioned above...

ConFetch Reports for "Ultra" (use any "Back" function to return here):

((Times can vary for individual comparisons across different systems, and will depend on the number of components the user might select and download during installation.))

 

 Vista and ConFetch Ultra 

Things you need to know about Vista, UAC, TreeWalk and ConFetch:

Vista's new User Account Control feature disrupts TreeWalk maintenance procedures, and ConFetch will fail to run if UAC is enabled. Therefore, there are currently some limitations to successfully installing, and running, the ConFetch plug-in with TreeWalk DNS. It can all be done in a matter of minutes if you review the process first! Here's a few pointers to get you going with TreeWalk and ConFetch Ultra on Vista...

Vista Helper, May 14, 2008. The Vista Helper script for TreeWalk v. 8.21 is available to aid Vista users to install, and remove, TreeWalk "Hawk". Due to difficulties for the Service Control Manager in Vista to handle spaces that some users might have included in their administrator account login credentials, those users will have to logon to the Service manually, as described below under "Logon to the newly created service" (you should review that part anyway, before leaving here for the TreeWalk 8.21 Vista Helper page if you only need to install TWDNS).

Install TreeWalk DNS (Hawk) v. 8.21 using Administrative credentials:
1. Obtain the TreeWalk installer and run it under Vista. When you arrive at the final page with the restart options, select "No, I will restart later", then exit the installer.
2. Go to Vista's new "Start" button to access the menu and find "Control Panel" if the "Windows+R" key combination doesn't work for you. If "Control Panel" is not there you will need to add it - right-click the Taskbar, select Properties, select the "Start Menu" tab, press the "Customize" button, scroll to "Control Panel" and select "Display as a menu" or "Display as a link" if you prefer. Select "Okay", then press "Apply" and "Okay" to save changes.
3. Once you've found the "Control Panel", select "User Accounts", select "Turn User Account Control On or Off" and uncheck the check-box there. Press "Okay". Restart the computer as requested by Vista. Logon using the same Administrator account again and simply "Close" any ensuing notices regarding "named.exe", which is TreeWalk's executable.

There are three ways to complete the next step. The simplest may be to run the Vista Helper script but you can do it yourself as described below. If you choose to do this manually, you will need to delete the "twdns" Service that the TreeWalk "Hawk" v. 8.21 installer has just created before you can use TreeWalk with Vista:
i. Open a command prompt ("Windows+R" keys, type cmd, press "OK" or as described below under "Logon to the newly created service")
ii. Type sc delete twdns and press the "Enter" key on your keyboard
iii. if your Vista is a 32-bit version: type or paste (exactly as shown)
  sc create twdns binPath= %windir%\system32\dns\bin\named.exe
  ...and press the "Enter" key
iv. if your version of Vista is 64-bit: type or paste (exactly as shown)
  sc create twdns binPath= %windir%\syswow64\dns\bin\named.exe
  ...press the "Enter" key

Logon to the newly created service using one of the following methods:
a. Open the "Control Panel" again and select "Administrative Tools" to open the "Services" applet. Scroll down to the "twdns" Service and right-click for "Properties" (or double-click "twdns"). Choose the "Log On" tab and enable the "This account" option. Type ".\Local_Administrator_Account" (without the quotes, where "Local_Administrator_Account" is the Administrator's Account name you're running under, preceded by a dot and a backslash). Enter and confirm the correct password and "Okay" your way out. (Skip ahead to start the TWDNS service, below.)
b. ...or, you can open the Start Menu and select "Run" (you may need to add this too, via the Taskbar, right-click for Properties, Start Menu tab, etc.). Once you have the "Run" box, type cmd and press "Okay" to open a command prompt. At the command line, type or paste this (each command must be all on one line with actual login credentials where those are required):
sc config twdns obj= .\Local_Administrator_Account password= Local_Administrator_Password start= auto DisplayName= TreeWalk
...while keeping spaces intact and using proper credentials. Press the "Enter" key of your keyboard and you should receive "SUCCESS" (if not, please try the previous method). Optionally (but not required), you can also execute this at the command line (including quotation marks, with all on one line):
sc description twdns "TreeWalk DNS Personal Server"
c. Start the TWDNS service manually from within the Services applet, TreeWalk's Control Panel or with this command:
net start twdns
Confirm that TreeWalk is working normally before installing ConFetch Ultra.

Note: After you're done you should see "TreeWalk" as the displayed name but the service will still only respond to commands that define "twdns", just like it always has.

Install ConFetch Ultra v. 13.7.4.25 using Administrative credentials:
After you've satisfactorily installed TreeWalk, obtain the ConFetch Ultra installer and run it under Vista. You will not be able to run ConFetch with UAC "On" as ConFetch needs to update TreeWalk's configuration to activate filtering.

You can print a shortened text version of the above or download a slightly more printer-friendly version in .zip format for reference.

Monitor This Page

 ChangeDetection Notifications:  Get notified by email when a ConFetch source file is updated, or when a new ConFetch program file or component becomes available! You can be safely and privately notified by ChangeDetection.com when your favorite HOSTS files or other lists are updated. You can also use the service to receive emails for changes to the "ConFetch history page" you are currently viewing, where updates and upgrades will always be listed. All versions of ConFetch list their sources and the authors' sites. You should only need to right-click and copy any link to obtain the URL you'll need to enter into the ChangeDetection form(s). Make sure to do this for every file you want to be notified about and to use the link for the actual files, not the authors' sites! (Sites may opt to block access to some files and directories.)

((You really only need to subscribe for changes to this page of the ConFetch site for important announcements. All relevant notifications will be posted near the top of this page whenever substantial ConFetch changes are necessary!))

Previous Changes

 Previous ConFetch version history:  Older updates and notifications have been archived to the History Archive page.

Many thanks go out to the dedicated and numerous people who endure the tireless work of providing the lists and files that ConFetch uses. We try to acknowledge them further with the version descriptions above. Take a well-deserved bow, Folks, and keep up the good work! Review the "Credits page" page for full details.

* Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
"Surf safely!" - the TWDNS Crew

TOP