Step 2 - Use DNSKong

Step 2 - Use DNSKong Step 2 - Use DNSKong.

This page talks about how to install DNSKong and its companion program, eDexter. DNSKong is used to block spyware and advertisements by making the sites inaccessible. If you want to read the details about what it does, click here. Otherwise, I won't bore you with the details.
Getting it to work is a piece of cake as long as you follow these directions. In fact, most novices can do this whole thing from start to finish in only a little longer than it takes to read this page.

First, download my copy of Pyrenean's DNSKong unless you use Windows 2000 or XP. Make sure to save it as "\DNSK106.EXE" (With the quotation marks!.) Do this exactly as it appears here. (Geocities forced it to be called dnsk106.BIN, which is not correct.)(Note: I have virus-scanned it and so has Geocities.    Now, find DNSKong. It should have been saved in your root directory. Click Start, then Run, and type C:\DNSK106.EXE -d Do this exactly as it appears here. It will handle the rest.
   If you do not use a cable/DSL router or firewall, or plan on buying one in the near future, you can skip to the next paragraph. You now need to find out what your current ISP's DNS servers are. You usually will have only two or three. In all versions of Windows except XP, run WINIPCFG by clicking the Start button, then, then select the Run... item. Type in WINIPCFG and click Ok. You may need to click on More Info... to show the DNS Servers field. Write down those addresses and proceed to the next paragraph. If you use Windows XP, click Start, then Run... and type in CMD and click Ok. This will put you in a DOS prompt. Type in IPCONFIG /ALL and hit Enter. (If you get more than a screenful of information, you can enter the following: IPCONFIG /ALL | MORE, then hit Enter.) Jot down your DNS servers for the type of connection you use.
   The following instructions apply to all versions of Windows except Windows 2000 and XP. If you use 2000 or XP, click here for alternate instructions directly from DNSKong's maker, Pyrenean. You also may wish to download and install their newer version, which is better suited to Windows 2000 and XP. You should still check your DNS Configuration panel in case you've been infected by the Lop.com/C2Media spyware. If you do not use Windows 2000 or XP, continue on.
   Run DNSKong, by either double-clicking its icon on the desktop or from the Programs menu. You should see a rectangle over top of two squares in your tray at the bottom right of your screen. That's how you know DNSKong is running.
   Now, you need to go into your Network panel. To do this, click on Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, and double click on the item called Network. You should have at least one item called a TCP/IP Adapter. It will say TCP/IP -> something Adapter and they may have a weird looking icon next to them that kind of looks like a plug with two wires coming out of it forming a Y, similar to the item highlighted in the figure below. Whatever it says, click it and select Properties. If there is more than one of these, you may need to repeat this for each TCP/IP Adapter after you finish with this one.

After you click Properties, select the tab along the top called DNS Configuration. You'll see something like the box below. This entire box should be blank or grayed out. (If it's not, contact your Internet Provider or Network Administrator to find out why. If there is anything in there that says lop.com, tjgo.com, or some weird, four-letter name followed by .com, you are probably infected with the Lop.com [a.k.a. C2Media] spyware. You will learn how to get rid of this later, so don't sweat.)
Anyway, click the button called Enable DNS. In the box called Host, enter the word localhost. In the box called DNS Server Search Order, enter 127.0.0.1 and click Add. If there is anything else in this box, ask your system administrator or ISP if it should be there. If so, write the numbers down and remove them so only 127.0.0.1 is in this box. All of the other boxes should be blank. If they aren't, remove anything in there by highlighting it abd hitting the Backspace or Del key. It should look exactly like the figure below. Click Ok when done making changes.

   If there was more than one item called TCP/IP -> Adapter, repeat this for each TCP/IP Adapter.
   There are a few other things you can do here to further secure your system but we'll get to that in Step 6 because I don't want to overload you.
   Click Ok when you are done with everything I mentioned and leave the Network panel. If Windows says something about your network not being complete, ignore it. Windows is stupid.
   Now start up DNSKong if you haven't already. If there was anything else in the DNS Server Search Order box, and your ISP or network administrator says it was supposed to be there, right click the DNSKong icon at the bottom right. Select Proxy DNS, and enter the numbers you jotted down into the settings here. If there wasn't anything in the DNS Server Search Order box, or if it seems like it wasn't supposed to be there, forget about this and just continue.

   Finally, download the latest named.txt (DNSKong's configuration file) here. Place it in the same folder you put DNSKong (normally, C:\Program Files\Pyrenean\DNSKong) so DNSKong will know where to find it. If you are asked to overwrite the old one, click Yes or Ok.
   Note for Zone Alarm users: if you use Zone Alarm at all, you should put 127.0.0.1 in the Trusted Zone. Click Security tab, then Advanced, and Add it into your Trusted Zone area.
   Unless you use a cable/DSL router or firewall, you are done and can proceed to the next step! If you did exactly what I said here, DNSKong will have installed itself and it's companion, eDexter, and placed shortcuts in your StartUp menu so as to automatically run at startup.

   If you DO use a cable/DSL router, you will have to tell the router to use 127.0.0.1 as a DNS server. The instructions that follow are for the Linksys routers/firewalls (specifically, the BEFSR41/BEFSX41). Consult your router or firewall's documentation for more information.
   For the Linksys, go into the router/firewall's setup screen. Open another browser window and enter in 192.168.1.1 in the address bar. A dialog box will appear asking you for your password and username. Enter your password (and, if you set one up, your username). The default password is 'admin'. If you have not changed your router/firewall's password from the default, please do so!. At any rate, select the menu item called DHCP along the top. In the first DNS server field, enter 127.0.0.1 (use the TAB key to jump between columns. Repeat this for the line caleld WINS server. Once you have entered 127.0.0.1 in both fields, click Apply. You are done changing router/firewall settings and close the windows or you can go on to change your password.
   Now, right-click DNSKong's icon and select Proxy DNS... (if you are using DNSKong version 1.43 [recommended for Windows 2000 and XP], select Options then Proxy DNS...) Now, enter the IP addresses you received from WINIPCFG or Windows XP's IPCONFIG. Make sure you have allowed DNSKong to access the Internet in your firewall.
   Take a breather. You're done.

Effects this will have: DNSKong will cause some sites to become inaccessible when it's running. Normally, that's a good thing: you don't want your computer to be able to talk to ad and spyware sites, do you? Most of the sites that are blocked are being blocked for a good reason. If, for whatever reason, you want to visit a site and you suspect DNSKong is blocking it (you will just see a blank screen for awhile and the browser won't appear to be trying to load a page) then you can simply either briefly turn off DNSKong, or, right-click it, select Modify Named.txt, and search for and delete the offending entry. You will need to select Load Filters. Sometimes, you have to shut down your browser and restart it before this takes effect. I advise not shutting down DNSKong considering the immense protection it gives.
If you ever switch Internet Service Providers, you may want to change the DNS server settings in the DNSKong's Proxy DNS... option, if you set them.

Don't forget to check out the Frequently-Asked Questions and Troubleshooting Guide if you have questions or concerns.
If it ever suddenly happens that you cannot view webpages, check the DNS Configuration: you might have been infected by Lop.com, possibly by file-sharing software. Simply erase reference to lop.com or any four-letter names followed by .com or .net and you should be fine.

Click here to go back to Step 1. Click here to go on to Step 3.
In case you get lost, this page is located at http://www.oocities.org/yosponge/udnskong.html