Web Site Zapper is a Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP/Vista software program
(does not work on NT) that closes or redirects Web browsers that are displaying
undesirable Web sites. It can be used for several purposes:
1) Blocking your browser from being redirected to dangerous
or undesirable sites, such as those infected with viruses.
2) Blocking popups
3) Access control, to allow parents, schools, and employers
to prevent children, students, or employees from going to undesirable sites,
such as pornography or gambling sites.
4) Controlling when people can access the Internet. Web Site
Zapper has a password protected switch to turn off blocking, so you simply have
Web Site Zapper block all Web sites until you are present and can turn off the
blocking. Parents can use this to control how much time children spend on the
Internet.
With Web Site Zapper, you compile a list of good and bad Web site titles
and/or URLs (Web addresses). You can add Web site titles and URLs to these lists
manually, or have Web Site Zapper build these lists automatically in learning
mode (explained later).
Once you have built a list of Web sites, Web Site Zapper can operate in
either of two modes. It can either close down any site on the bad site list
(Block mode), or close down any site NOT on the good site list (Allow
mode). You would use Block Mode if
you want to allow general browsing, but block access to some objectionable
sites. You would use Allow Mode if you want to restrict access to a few specific
sites or subjects. The Allow mode is most common for businesses, where the work
requires the employees to access certain sites, but the employers do not want
the employees doing general Web surfing on company time.
When Web Site Zapper is running, a lightening bolt icon is displayed on
the system tray. When Web Site Zapper automatically runs at Windows startup (an
option your can choose during installation), only this system tray icon
indicates that Web Site Zapper is running. You can view the Web Site Zapper main
screen by clicking on this icon. There is also an icon on the main desktop. You
can run Web Site Zapper by double clicking on this desktop icon if you did not
set Web Site Zapper to run automatically at Windows startup. If you do this, the
main screen of Web Site Zapper is immediately displayed.
Installing Web Site Zapper
When you install Web Site Zapper, one of the first questions the
installation program will ask you is whether you want Web Site Zapper to run
automatically when you start Windows. For most purposes, the answer will be yes.
This is definitely true if you want to use Web Site Zapper for access control,
because you want the program to run any time that anyone uses the computer. When
Web Site Zapper runs automatically at startup, it will not display except as a
lightening bolt icon on the system tray. You can click on this to display the
full Web Site Zapper main screen. If you select to not have Web Site Zapper run
automatically, you can run it from the desktop by double clicking on the
lightening icon. When you run Web Site Zapper by double clicking on the desktop
icon, it will start up in normal Windows mode. You would normally choose not to
have Web Site Zapper run automatically if you are using it for popup control,
you are not using the Internet all the time, and you do not want Web Site Zapper
to expend system resources (memory and CPU time) when you are not on the
Internet.
If your computer is set up with multiple users, the Web Site Zapper
install program may display a screen that allows you to select which users you
want to install Web Site Zapper for. Check the boxes for the users you want to
restrict. This assumes that user access is password protected, so that each user
can only sign in under their own name. If people can access the computer under
each other's names, you really need to check all the boxes, or users will simply
log on under the name of someone that Web Site Zapper is not blocking. Note: If
you do not install Web Site Zapper for the user name you are signed on as when
you install Web Site Zapper, the install program will still allow you to run Web
Site Zapper so that you can set up passwords and allowed sites. Web blocking
will be in force also. However, once you reboot the computer, Web blocking will
only be in effect for the user names you installed Web Site Zapper on, and the
Web Site Zapper icon will only appear on those user's desktops.
Once Web Site Zapper is installed and you run it for the first time, it
will take you immediately to the main configuration window. There you will be
able to set certain vital configuration settings, such as whether you want to
block sites on the bad site list or block all sites not listed on the good site
list. If you have any questions about these settings, click on the Help button
on the Configuration screen.
After you install Web Site Zapper and run it, we strongly recommend that
you click on Help and then on Instructions. This will allow you to read the
entire instruction manual.
Registering Web Site Zapper
From the first time you run Web Site Zapper, you will have 30 days to try
it out to see if you like it. During that time, it will be fully functional.
After the 30-day free trial, it will stop working until you input the unlock
code, which you must purchase from Leithauser Research for $25.00. You can pay
online by going to LeithauserResearch.com/paylr.html. Input the serial number of
your copy of Web Site Zapper (found on the registration screen) and click on the
Pay button. Then just follow the instructions for putting in your credit card
information. You can also print the registration form by clicking on the Print
button on the registration screen. Once you have this printed form, you can
either mail it with check or money order to the address given on the form, or
you can fill out the credit card information and fax it to the fax number given
on the form. You can also pay by phone using a credit card by calling
Tips on using Web Site Zapper effectively
These instructions will explain in detail how to use Web Site Zapper.
Before getting into the details of how to actually operate Web Site Zapper (what
the individual buttons do, etc.), this section gives you a general explanation
of Web Site Zapper and gives some general guidelines for using it effectively.
After this section, you will see step-by-step instructions for using Web Site
Zapper.
The purpose of Web Site Zapper is to allow you to control what Web pages
can be viewed on your computer. It can be used on one computer, or on a series
of computers networked together (See "Using Web Site Zapper on a network" near
the end of this document). It works by closing down or redirecting (explained
later) any browser that is showing a Web page that you would not approve of. It
can be configured in two modes: Block mode and Allow mode. In Block mode, you
create a list of Web page titles and a list of Web page URLs that you want to
block. If the browser attempts to display any Web page that has a title or URL
on these lists, Web Site Zapper will shut down that browser. In the Allow mode,
you create a list of Web page titles and a list of Web site URLs that you want
to allow. If a browser attempts to display any Web site whose title is not on
the title list and whose URL is not on the URL list, Web Site Zapper will close
it down. Note that in Block mode, the browser is shut down or redirected if
either the title or the URL is on the corresponding list. In the Allow mode, Web
Site Zapper will shut down or redirect the browser only if the title is not on
the title list
If any title in the bad title list is found within the title of a Web
page, that page is considered bad and is blocked if you are in Block mode. For
example, if you have the word "nude" in your bad title list, the site title "Hot
Nude Women" would be blocked. The comparison is case insensitive, so "nude",
"Nude", and "NUDE" would all block "
Likewise, if a word on the good title list is contained in the Web page
title, it will be marked as a good site. If a word on the good URL list is
contained in the Web page URL, it will be considered a good Web page. This
enables you to mark entire groups of pages as good. For example, suppose your
company, XYZ Widgets, maintains a series of Web pages at www.xyzwidgets.com and
you only want your employees to be able to access your company Web site. Putting
xyzwidgets on the good URL list will enable your employees to access all your
pages, like www.xyzwidgets.com/index.html and
www.xyzwidgets.com/companynews.html. If you want your employees to be able to
shop for supplies at Office Depot online, just add "Office Depot" to the good
title list and/or officedepot.com in your good URL list to allow employees to
access the entire Office Depot site. Note that if you merely put officedepot on
the good URL list, people would be able to go to www.officedepotcenter.com,
which is NOT an office supply site. The idea is to put a long enough word or
phrase in the list for it to only apply to the sites you want it to, but not be
too restrictive to include all the pages on that site.
You can also use Web Site Zapper to restrict WHEN people view the
Internet, instead of what they view. You could do this by configuring it in
Allow mode, and then not putting any sites on the allowed list. Web Site Zapper
has an option at the top of the main page that allows you to turn blocking on
and off. You can password protect turning off the blocking. This means that if
you configure Web Site Zapper in the Allow mode and then put no titles or URLs
on the lists, nobody will be able to view any Web page until you come along and
turn off blocking. This can be a simple way for you to make sure your children
do not use the Internet when you are not home.
Below are instructions on how to actually operate Web Site
Zapper.
Main screen
The main screen is the screen that appears when Web Site Zapper runs. It
contains various menus on the top menu bar to allow you to configure and operate
Web Site Zapper. It also contains two check boxes labeled "Learn Bad Sites" and
"Learn Good Sites" respectively. These check boxes allow you to easily build
your lists of good and bad Web site addresses. The Administrative password is
required to activate the "Learn Good Sites" function, and the Administrative or
Supervisor password is required to activate the "Learn Bad Sites" function if
you have configured Web Site Zapper for access control.
When you check the "Learn Good Sites" box (by clicking on it with the
mouse), any Web page you visit will automatically be added to the good site
list. Note: If you visit the sites using Internet Explorer or America Online,
the site URL will be added to the good URL list and the site title will be added
to the good title list. If you use other browsers, such as Netscape, only the
site title will be recorded, so it is much better to use Internet Explorer or
America Online.
This can be a very effective and convenient way to build a list of
allowed sites. Just check this box, and go to all the sites that you would
normally visit. When you finish, click on the box to uncheck it. If you are
operating in the Allow Mode, once you uncheck the "Learn Good Sites" box, any
site you go to that you had not gone to while in the "Learn Good Sites" mode
will be blocked. If you accidentally go to any page you do not want on the good
site list, or if an undesirable popup occurs while you are surfing your
desirable sites, you can manually remove these pages later. You can also edit
the list of good Web site URLs or titles to make them more general. This will be
explained later in this document in the "Edit Site List" discussion.
When you check the "Learn Bad Sites" box, any Web page you will be added
to the bad site list, with one exception. No Web page previously added to good
site list will be added to the bad site list. As soon as Web Site Zapper has
added the Web page to the bad site list, it will close the Web browser
displaying that page. This can be a very useful way to program Web Site Zapper
to identify popups. As you surf the Web, you can visit sites that you have added
to the good sites list, and any pages that pop up will be learned by Web Site
Zapper as bad sites. If you do not want Web Site Zapper to shut down the bad Web
pages as soon as it adds them to the bad site list, you can use the "Pause
blocking" function (explained later in this document) to shut down the blocking
temporarily. You would most likely do this if you wanted to visit a large number
of bad sites to add them automatically to the bad site list and you did not want
the Web browser to keep shutting down.
You cannot have both "Learn Bad Web Sites" and "Learn Good Web Sites"
checked at the same time. If you click on one box while the other is checked,
the one you did not click on will automatically uncheck itself. It would
obviously be a contradiction to add a site to both the good and bad site
lists.
At the top of the main screen are several options. These are Files,
Configure, Pause/Resume blocking, and Help. If you have not yet registered Web
Site Zapper, there will also be a Register option. These options are explained
below:
Configure
If you click on this menu at the top of the main screen, it brings down a
menu of other options. The first of these is "Basic Configuration". If you click
on this menu option, it displays the same configuration screen you saw when you
first installed Web Site Zapper. This allows you to set the following options
for Web Site Zapper:
Blocking method - Do you want to create a list of titles and
URLs that are blocked, or a list of URLs and titles of sites that are allowed
and block all other sites? In general, if you want to allow Internet Web users
to be able to surf the Web, but you want to prevent certain sites or types of
sites from being displayed, you would select the "Block Web sites on bad site
list" mode. If you intend to only go on a few sites that you know in advance,
you can select the "Block Web sites not on good site list" mode and then input a
list of the Web sites you want to allow. (See more information on these in the
"Editing Web Site List" instructions and the section on using the "Learn Good
Sites" option.)
Use mode - What is your intended use for Web Site Zapper? If
you only want to use it to prevent those annoying popup windows or to stop your
browser from being redirected to dangerous sites (like sites that contain
viruses), you can select "Popup control". If you want to use it to prevent other
computer users (e.g., children, students, and employees) from accessing some
sites when you are not present, select "Access control". There are two
differences between these modes. First, in "Access control" mode, many functions
such as editing the list of allowed or blocked sites are password protected.
Second, in "Access control" mode, you need to input a password to stop Web Site
Zapper from running. These features are obviously necessary to prevent the
people whose access you are trying to control from simply adding any site they
wish to visit to the list or shutting down Web Site Zapper.
Handling other browsers - Web Site Zapper can determine both
the URL and the title of sites viewed with Internet Explorer and America Online.
It can only determine the title of sites viewed by browsers such as Netscape.
You therefore have three options for dealing with these other browsers. If you
are using Web Site Zapper for popup control and you do not have other browsers
on your computer, you can select "Ignore other browsers". Web Site Zapper will
then ignore the presence of other browsers. Web Site Zapper will run slightly
faster and consume less system resources in this mode. If are using Web Site
Zapper for access control and you want to be absolutely sure that users do not
get on undesirable sites using other browsers, you can select "Block other
browsers". In this mode, Web Site Zapper will not let other browsers run at all.
If you want to let users use Netscape or other browsers and are willing to
settle for partial protection (blocking sites only by title, not URL), you can
select "Control other browsers".
Site list file - This is the name and location of the file
containing the list of allowed and blocked site titles and URLs. If Web Site
Zapper is being used on an individual computer, it is best to select "Default".
This will store the file somewhere that users are not likely to find it. If,
however, you install Web Site Zapper on multiple computers that on a network and
you want to be able to control the list of sites for all these computers from
one computer, you can select the location and name of the file. This allows you
to use the same file for all the copies of Web Site Zapper. To do this, for each
computer, click on "Custom" and input the path to the file and the name of the
file in the text box. For example, if you want to put the file on the server in
folder "Security", input something like "H:\Security\FileList" in the text box,
where H is the server as seen from that computer. Do not include an extension.
Web Site Zapper will provide that. See the section "Using Web Site Zapper on a
network" at the end of the instructions for more information on using Web Site
Zapper on a network.
Blocked Sites Report file - If you like, you can have Web
Site Zapper create a file and store a list of all the sites that it blocked.
This list will include the title and URL of the site, and the time that Web Site
Zapper blocked access to it. To do this, check the box labeled "Save report of
blocked sites". You must then decide the location and file name of the file. If
you have installed Web Site Zapper on an individual computer, you should select
"Default" for the location and file name. However, if you install Web Site
Zapper on multiple computers on a network, you can have all the files stored on
one computer so that you can access all the reports from one computer easily. To
do this, select "Custom name and location". Then input the location of the
folder (such as "H:\Security\") as seen from that computer, followed by the file
name. For example, you might input "H:\Security\JohnDoeComputer" for the file.
This is similar to setting up the site list file explained above. However, there
is one important difference. When setting up the site list file, you would use
the same file name for all the computers. When setting up the report file, you
want to select up the same folder for all the computes so that all the files
will go into the same place, but you must give a different file name for each
computer. That way, you can look into each file and see which sites were blocked
from each computer. Viewing sites will be explained in the "Viewing Report
Files" section, and selecting which file to view will be explained in the
"Select Report File" section.
Conceal icon on system tray - Normally, you want the Web Site Zapper icon
on the system tray so you can easily activate or deactivate blocking. However, a
few people prefer not to have the program be so conspicuous. Therefore, this
option is provided to allow you to have the Web Site Zapper not show up on the
system tray. (You can still display the Web Site Zapper control panel by double
clicking on the Web Site Zapper icon on the desktop.) Simply check this box if
you do not want the Web Site Zapper to show on the system tray. You can turn
this feature on and off from this configuration screen.
Block Task Manager,
System Configuration Utility, Process Explorer - Web Site Zapper can block these
programs from running. These programs can normally be used to deactivate
programs like Web Site Zapper. Although Web Site Zapper does have protection
against being deactivated by these programs, they may not always work,
especially on Vista or Windows 7 computers. It is therefore strongly recommended
that you allow Web Site Zapper to block these programs from running by leaving
this box checked, which is the default setting. Note that blocking these
programs is stopped when you use the Pause Blocking function of Web Site Zapper.
However, if you have a strong need to allow users to access these programs while
maintaining blocking, and you are willing to take the chance of them using these
programs to disable Web Site Zapper, you can deactivate blocking of these
programs by unchecking this box.
Show on Task Bar - In addition to showing the icon that displays the Web Site Zapper control screen on the system tray, you can have an icon appear on the task bar, just like other programs. This option is available mostly because some computers are a little quirky about the system tray and do not always show the icons properly. If this is the case on your computer and it is not showing the icon properly on the system tray, you will have trouble accessing the control panel. In that case, check this box so that an icon labeled WSZ will appear on your task bar and you can access the Web Site Zapper control panel by clicking on this icon on the task bar instead of the one on the system tray.
When you have made all your selections for the configuration, click on
the OK button. If you have just changed the "Use mode" setting from "Popup
control" to "Access control," Web Site Zapper will immediately ask you to input
a Supervisor password and an Administrator password. The Supervisor password
will allow you to make temporary changes to the program, like turning off
blocking or exiting the program. The Administrator password is needed to make
long term changes, like editing the list of blocked or allowed Web sites. (Note:
Passwords are case sensitive. This means, for example, that "Good" is not the
same as "good" or "GOOD". Be sure to input the EXACT password, including
capitalization.)
Edit Site List
The second option under the "Configure" menu is "Edit Site List". This
allows you to add new site titles and/or URLs to your list, modify existing
titles or URLs on your list, or delete titles or URLs from the list
completely.
At the top of the "Edit Web Site List" form there are three groups of
option buttons that control how the form operates. The first group is "Show Site
Type" and the options are Bad and Good. This allows you to control whether you
are looking at information on your good site list (the sites you want to allow)
or your bad site list (the ones you want to block). The next option group is
"Show" and it lets you control whether you are looking at a list of site titles
or site URLs. The next group is "Operation". The three operations you can
perform are "Add New", "Edit Old", and "Delete Old". As the names suggest, these
let you manually add a new item to the list, edit an existing item, or delete an
existing item.
Below the groups of option buttons there is a list box. If the "Show"
option is Titles, the list box shows a list of titles. If the "Show" option is
"URLs", the list box shows URLs. (For some Web pages, the title is a URL, so
don't be surprised if the title list contains URLs.) If the "Show Site Type"
option is "Bad", the list is of bad (blocked) titles or URLs. If the "Show Site
Type" option is "Good", it is showing a list of good (allowed) site titles or
URLs.
If the operation is "Add", the list box is disabled. This means that you
can read it, but not select an item on the list. It is for reference only, so
that you can see what items are already on the list. To add a new item to the
list, type it into the text box below the list box, then click on the "Add"
button. The item will then appear on the list.
If the operation is "Edit Old", you can select an item from the list box.
The title or URL you selected from the list box will appear automatically in the
text box below the list. You can then edit this text. When you have made the
changes you want, you can then click on the "Save Change" button. The changed
item will appear in the list.
If the operation is "Delete Old", you can select an item from the list.
If you then click on the "Delete" button, that item will be deleted from the
list.
When you add an item to the titles or URL list, any title or URL
containing that title or URL will be allowed or blocked, depending on whether
you have added it to the good or bad list. For example, if you add "eBay" to the
good title list, then any Web page containing "eBay" in its title will be
allowed when Web Site Zapper is operating in the Allow mode. Likewise, if you
put "eBay" on the bad title list, any Web page containing "eBay" in its title
will be blocked when operating in the Allow mode. If you put "ebay" in the good
URL list, then any Web page with "ebay" in its URL (such as www.ebay.com) will
be allowed when operating in the Allow mode. If you put "ebay" on the bad URL
list, then any Web page with "ebay" in its URL will be blocked when Web Site
Zapper is operating in the Block mode. The titles and URLs are not case
sensitive. For example, if you put "casino" in the blocked title list, any Web
page whose title contains "casino", "Casino", or "CASINO" would be
blocked.
One reason for editing the list of titles or URLs is to trim down titles
and URLs to make them more general. This allows you to take advantage of the
fact that pages merely containing words or phrases from the title and URL lists
will be allowed or blocked, as the case may be. For example, if Web Site Zapper
had learned the page title "eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel,
collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices" using the learn mode, you
could use the edit mode to trim this down to "eBay". This would cause any title
containing "ebay" would be blocked or accepted (depending on whether it had been
learned as a good or bad site). If Web Site Zapper had learned the URL
"popup-ads.com/scripts/popup.php?hid=2480cc07750e57915714&tmpl=x10PB2.tmpl"
as a bad URL, you could trim this down to "popup-ad.com". This would block all
pages hosted by popup-ad.com. Be careful how far you trim down a Web page name.
For example, if you objected to the page
http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/residentevilapocalypse.html, you probably
should not trim this down to yahoo.com, or your would be blocking every page on
Yahoo, including the search engine.
In order to help you add undesirable pages to your list, Web Site Zapper
comes with a prepared list of undesirable pages. These are pages that are known
to contain viruses that can infect your computer if you visit them, or are pages
that often appear in popups. If you plan to use Web Site Zapper in the Block
mode and are compiling a list of bad sites, it is a good idea to add these to
your list. To do this, just click on the "Add Prepared List" button that is
displayed when you are showing bad site information and you have not yet added
the prepared bad pages to the list. Once you add the prepared bad sites to the
list, that button will disappear.
You can make as many additions, changes, and deletions from the lists as
you like with the "Edit Web Site List Form". When you are finished, click on the
Close button and the form will disappear and the main form will
reappear.
You can resize the "Edit Web Site List Form". Just move the mouse cursor
to the right side or bottom of the form. When the mouse cursor changes to a
double pointed arrow, hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse. If you
increase the width of the form, the list and text boxes will lengthen, allowing
you to see longer titles and URLs. If you increase the height of the form, the
list box will increase in height to allow you to see more Web site titles or
URLs. If you shorten the form, you may lose sight of some of the buttons
temporarily.
If you are using Web Site Zapper for access control, you will have
created an Administrator and a Supervisor password. To help you manage these
passwords, the "Configuration" menu will also contain two more options. These
options are only visible if you are using Web Site Zapper for access
control:
Change Administrator Password
This option under the Configure menu will allow you to change the
Administrator password. You would use this if you suspect that someone has
learned the password. When you select this option, it will first ask you for the
current administrator password. Once you input the correct password, Web Site
Zapper will ask you to input a new administrator password. Note: Passwords are
case sensitive. This means, for example, that "Good" is not the same as "good"
or "GOOD". Be sure to remember the EXACT password you select, including
capitalization.
Change Supervisor Password
This option under the Configure menu will allow you to change the
supervisor password. You would use this if you suspect that someone has learned
the password. When you select this option, it will first ask you for the current
supervisor password. You can input the supervisor OR the administrator password.
This allows the administrator to change the supervisor password if the
supervisor is replaced. Once you input the correct password, Web Site Zapper
will ask you to input a new supervisor password. Note: Passwords are case
sensitive. This means, for example, that "Good" is not the same as "good" or
"GOOD". Be sure to remember the EXACT password you select, including
capitalization.
Show notice when blocking Internet
This option allows you to control whether Web Site Zapper displays a
window that says "Internet Access Restricted by Web Site Zapper" when you go to
a forbidden site. You close this window by clicking on the OK button.
This can be useful so that people understand why they cannot get on a
site. In some cases, like company computers, people tend to call tech support or
otherwise complain when their Web browser suddenly closes when they try to get
on a site. On the other hand, some people might find it annoying or not want
people to know why they are having trouble getting on some sites. Therefore, you
can turn this feature on and off.
To turn it on or off, click on the Configuration menu. One of the items
on this menu is "Show notice when blocking Internet." If this item has a check
mark beside it, Web Site Zapper will display the window when it shuts down a
forbidden site. If this item is not checked, Web Site Zapper will not display
the window. You check or uncheck this option by clicking on it with the mouse.
If it is checked when you click on it, it will become unchecked, and vice
versa.
You do need to input the supervisor or administrator password in order to
change this setting. Web Site Zapper will ask you for the password when you
click on "Show notice when blocking Internet."
Select Redirect Site
Normally, Web Site Zapper will shut down the Web browser when it goes to
a forbidden site. However, you can have it go to another specific site rather
than shut down entirely. To select a site to redirect the browser to, click on
Configure and then on "Select redirect site." Web Site Zapper will ask for the
supervisor password. Once you input the password, you will see the Redirect
Form. This form has a text box where you can input a URL. For example, you could
input http://MyCompany.com/MainPage.html. Then click on the OK button. Web Site
Zapper will then redirect the Web browser to this page instead of closing it
entirely when someone goes to a forbidden site. Note that this feature only
works if your Web browser is Internet Explorer, America Online, or a few other
browsers that are actually shells for Internet Explorer. Some browsers like
Netscape will still shut down entirely.
Another option is to redirect the browser to a file on your computer,
rather than an online site. One file in particular is
C:\Web Site Zapper\Pointer.html
This file is a Web file that simply displays a message saying
"Unable to open this Web page. This page is blocked by Web Site Zapper." This is
a way to display the warning that Web access is controlled by Web Site Zapper
without actually closing down the browser and forcing people to rerun it. They
can then go to an authorized site immediately without restarting the
browser.
The "Files" menu includes several options for using the report log that
shows a list of sites that were blocked. Of course, these options are only
available if you choose the option to "Save report of blocked sites" under the
"Basic Configuration" option. However, these options will still exist under the
Files menu even if you later turn off the report function, as long as the report
files exist.
View Blocked Sites Report
This option allows you to see a complete list of sites that have been
blocked by Web Site Zapper. This will allow you to see what unauthorized Web
pages people have tried to access, or what popups Web Site Zapper has blocked.
If you are using Web Site Zapper for access control, you will need to input the
Supervisor password to use this option.
The Report File viewer screen has a frame labeled "Show". Within this
frame are two option buttons, "titles" and "URLs". This lets you select whether
you want to view a list titles or URLs of Web pages that Web Site Zapper has
blocked. Beside this frame Web Site Zapper shows the number of Web sites
blocked. Beside this is the name of the report file being shown, if it is not
the default report file.
In the middle of the screen is the list of Web site titles or URLs that
have been blocked. If you click on one of the items in the list box, the title,
URL, and time the site was blocked will be displayed below the list
box.
You can refresh the list by clicking on the "Refresh" button. This is
useful if you are using Web Site Zapper on a network to monitor what is being
blocked on other computers in the network, and you want to update the
report.
You can resize the Report File viewer screen. Just move the mouse cursor
to the right side or bottom of the form. When the mouse cursor changes to a
double pointed arrow, hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse. If you
increase the width of the form, the list box and text information will lengthen,
allowing you to see longer titles and URLs. If you increase the height of the
form, the list box will increase in height to allow you to see more Web site
titles or URLs. If you shorten the form, you may lose sight of some of the
buttons temporarily.
Purge Blocked Sites Report
This option under the Files menu erases the list of site titles and URLs
in the report. You might want to do this if the list of blocked sites has grown
so long it is cumbersome to read through, and you have already read it and found
nothing of importance. Purging the report requires the Administrator
password.
If you want to eliminate the long list of sited blocked but want to keep
a record, you can save the old report and start a new one by selecting a new
report name in the "Basic Configuration" screen. That would start recording
sites blocked in a new file without actually destroying the old record. You
might want to give the reports names that indicate the time of the report, like
"ZappedSitesSeptember2004". If you maintain several records, you can select
which one you are viewing (and recording to) using the "Select Blocked Sites
Report File" option under the Files menu. This option is explained
below.
Select Blocked Sites Report File
This option under the Files menu is only visible once you have created
more than one report file. When you select this option, Web Site Zapper displays
a list of the report files that are in the same folder as your current report
file. Select a report file from this list by clicking on it and then click on
the OK button. If you click on the Cancel button, you will exit the screen
without changing your report file. Note that changing the report file changes
the file that you will view with the "View Blocked Sites Report" option" and the
file that you will purge with the "Purge Blocked Sites Report" option. It also
sets the file that Web Site Zapper will write the titles and URLs of blocked
sites to on your computer. It will not change which files other copies of Web
Site Zapper on other computers on your network write to.
Pause/Resume Blocking
This option at the top of the main screen allows you to temporarily turn
off blocking. If you are using Web Site Zapper for access control, it will
require the Supervisor password. Normally, Web Site Zapper will be blocking
sites, and the option on the menu bar of the main screen will read "Pause
Blocking". If you click on this, Web Site Zapper will stop all blocking of Web
sites (after asking for the Supervisor password) and the text will change to
"Resume Blocking". If you click on it while it reads "Resume Blocking", normal
blocking will resume and the text will change back to "Pause Blocking". No
password is required to resume blocking, even when Web Site Zapper is in access
control mode.
Register
This item appears at the top of the main screen if you have not yet
registered Web Site Zapper. It disappears once you register and input the unlock
code. Clicking on this item will display the registration screen, where you can
input the unlock code, print the registration form, or easily go to the
Leithauser Research site and register online.
Uninstall Web Site Zapper
DO NOT attempt to uninstall Web Site Zapper by manually deleting
programs. Because Web Site Zapper is a security program, it is designed to
prevent this. Trying to manually delete Web Site Zapper will only make it
mad.
You can uninstall Web Site Zapper using the normal Windows Add/Remove
Programs (called Programs and Features in Vista) function in the Windows control
panel. If you do this, it is best to close down Web Site Zapper first by
clicking on the Files menu on the Web Site Zapper control screen and then on the
Exit option.
You can also use the
"Uninstall Web Site Zapper" option under the Files menu allows you to
totally remove Web Site Zapper from your computer. If you select the "Uninstall
Web Site Zapper" option, it will first explain that you are about to uninstall
Web Site Zapper and ask you if you are sure you want to continue. If you click
on the Yes button, it will ask you for the Administrator password. Once you
input this password, it will delete Web Site Zapper from your hard drive. Note:
On some systems, especially some Vista systems, this procedure generates an
error. If this happens, Web Site Zapper will instruct you to go to the Windows
Control Panel and use to Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features to
uninstall Web Site Zapper.
Minimizing Web Site Zapper
Remember that if you minimize Web Site Zapper by clicking on the minimize
button in the upper right corner of the main screen, Web Site Zapper disappears
entirely except for the lightening bolt icon on the system tray. Click on this
icon or double click on the desktop icon to restore the main screen.
Using Web Site Zapper on a network
To do this, select a folder on one computer in your network
(usually the server) that is accessible to all the others. You will use that
folder to store the report files and the block/allow site lists files in. You
might want to great a special folder just for this purpose, or use an existing
one.
Install Web Site Zapper on each computer you want to monitor
separately. Under the "Basic Configuration" option, set the "Site List File"
option to "Custom". Input the file path and file name for the site list file to
the desired folder and file name, as it appears from that computer. For example,
the desired folder might appear as "C:\Security" on the server. However, it
might appear as "G:\Security" on the other computers on the network. You might
set the site list file to "G:\Security\SiteListFile" on all the other computers
on the network. Just make sure that all the computers on the network refer to
the same file in the same folder, regardless of how the folder is designated on
each computer. You also need to give the file the same file name. (Do not
include an extension. Web Site Zapper will provide that.) You can then access
this file to add/modify/delete the site lists from any computer. Of course,
since it is password protected, only the Administrator can do this.
There is another feature if you have Web Site Zapper set up
on a network and configured to share the site list file. An option will appear
under the Configure menu to pause blocking network-wide. This allows you to turn
off blocking on all computers on the network that share the same site list file.
If you click on the Configure menu, you will see "Pause blocking network-wide"
at the bottom of the list. If you click on this, it will ask you for the
administrator password. After you input this password, the option at the bottom
of the Configure menu list will change to "Resume blocking network-wide", and a
label will appear on the main screen that says that blocking is paused network
wide. Clicking on the "Resume blocking network-wide" option under the Configure
menu will resume blocking. However, doing this will also require the
administrator password. Note that pausing blocking network wide is residual.
That is, it persists until you turn it off, unlike the Pause blocking option for
the individual computer. Therefore, if you use this option, please be careful to
turn off blocking when you want it off.
The procedure for accessing the Blocked Site Report files
from one computer is similar. Set the "Blocked Sites Report File" option to
"Custom name and location". On each computer, set the path to the same folder.
For example, if the server folder "C:\Security" appears as "G:\Security" on Fred
Smith's computer, use this folder for the report file. However, on each
computer, use a DIFFERENT file name. For example, on Fred Smith's Computer, you
might assign a report file name of "FredSmithSites". The full designation of the
"Custom name and location" for the report file on Fred Smith's computer would
therefore be "G:\Security\FredSmithSites". Again, do not assign an extension.
Once you have installed Web Site Zapper on each computer you
want to control, you need to install it on the computer you want to control the
other computers from. You must do this even if you do not need to control Web
browsing from that computer. Set the site list file to the same file you set the
others to. Create a Report File for this computer too. It should be in the same
folder as the report files from the other computers, but with a different name.
Once you do this, the "Select Blocked Sites Report File" option under the
"Files" menu will allow you to select any of the report files.
Once you have set up the computers this way, when you run the
Web Site Zapper viewer program, the Files menu will include an option to Select
Report File to View. The default when Web Site Zapper first runs is always the
Report File for the computer you are on. However, selecting this option under
the Files menu will bring up a list of Report Files. Select the one you want to
view from the list and click on the Ok button. If you are viewing a user defined
report file, the name of the file will show on the main screen above the list of
viewed sites to help you keep track of which file you are viewing.
Using Web Site Zapper with America Online
Web Site Zapper works with both Internet Explorer and America Online.
There is one difference. With Internet Explorer, Web Site Zapper totally closes
down the browser. With America Online, it blocks the browser from displaying the
site. You will see the screen that says that the page is blocked by Web Site
Zapper. Bug reports, help requests, suggestions
If you need help with this program, have found a bug, or have a request
for additional feature, please contact Leithauser Research. The best way is to
send an email to [email protected]. You can also call Leithauser Research at
If you are suggesting an additional feature or other improvement, we will
make these changes and release a new version soon if we believe these
improvements would have broad appeal. You will be notified when the new version
is released. If we feel that the changes you suggest are not commercially
viable, we can still create a custom version of Web Site Zapper for you for a
fee. Contact Leithauser Research if you are interested in this. Go to
Leithauser Research home page