User's Guide

Now that you are here (the page of guide), we assume that you have successfully downloaded FreeSurf^TM and you would like to read the guide in order to get FreeSurf^TM work as you browsing Internet. If you haven't downloaded FreeSurf^TM, please follow the instructions in "download" page to download the software. Then come back here to see how to configure your downloaded FreeSurf^TM and get it work for you.

Note: Current version of FreeSurf^TM only supports Internet Explorer (IE) of Microsoft and this guide is prepared for IE v6.0 or higher. This doesn't imply that we have any bias on browsers, no intention to favor Microsoft either. The only reason is based upon the fact that IE currently is most ubiquitous browser and with a limited resource it is too hard to cover all categories of browsers. Please excuse us.

I. Overview of processes

There are basically two processes you need to know in order to use FreeSurf to secure your surfing: the process to get your browser and FreeSurf ready to work together (a.k.a. process of configuration); and the process to start and run the software (a.k.a. process of using). The process of configuration needs to be done only once after the software is installed. The process of using is just about the order of the operations you need to follow as you use FreeSruf for surfing. The two processes are outlined as below.

1. Process of configuration
   Start FreeSurf -->Configure your FreeSurf -->Configure your browser -->Add URLs (if any)
2. Process of using FreeSurf:
   Start FreeSurf-->Start Internet Explorer (IE)-->Enjoy surfing ...--> Exite Internet Explorer -->Exite FreeSurf.

II. Configure your FreeSurf^TM

After you submitted your email address as you downloading and installing FreeSurf, the IP address of a proxy would has been sent to you through the email. Now, it is the time to check your email box to find that message.

The message containing the proxy's IP just has a one-line content, yet it does not look like an IP address because it is encrypted message. However, you don't need to worry about how to decrypt it because your FreeSurf will decrypt it for you. All you need to do is copy the one-line content and follow the following instructions to configure the IP into your FreeSurf:

1. Start FreeSurf (see IV. Start FreeSurf to learn how to open your FreeSurf).
2. Press the button of "Update Proxy". You will see an interface as below:

   

   Figure 2-1. GUI for Updating Proxy

3. From the main menu of this interface, choose "Edit" option and then pick the "Paste" option-item.
   

   

   Figure 2-2. Select "Edit" 0ption and "Paste" option-item to paste the encrypted IP to the textfield

4. After you have done the last step, the encrypted IP address you copied previously from your email is supposed to appear in the text field of this frame.
   
   Figure 2-3. The encrypted IP appears in the textfield

   [Note: Of cause all the steps above can be done by manually typing the one-line encrypted IP address into the text field.]

5. Press the "OK" button. When you see the confirmation (Figure 2-4), you are done!
   
   Figure 2-4. The encrypted IP appears in the textfield

III.Configure your browser (IE)

After successfully configured FreeSurf, you need to configure your IE as well, so as to bypass censorship's firewall (that checking, eavesdropping, or blocking your surfing) when you surfing with IE:

1. Open IE, from the main menu choose "Tools" option, then choose "Internet Options" (refer to Figure 3-1):

   

   Figure 3-1.Choose "Internet Options" from "Tools" of the menu of IE.

2. Click the tab of "Connections" in the popup panel (see Figure 3-2):
   

   Figure 3-2. This panel shows the information of your Internet connections: LAN (or DSL) or dailup.

   • If you are using a local area network (LAN) or DSL, then press the button "LAN Sttings". Then, follow the instructions and configure the settings as illustrated by Figure 3-3:
     
     1. Check "Use a proxy server".
     2. Set "address" to be "localhost".
     3. Set "port" to be "8080".
     

     Figure 3-3. Configuration of browser when the computer is connected to the Internet through LAN (or DSL).

   • If your are using Dial-up, e.g. "MIT Dialup" in the example illustrated in Figure 3-4, then choose that connection you are using (here is the "MIT Dialup"):
     

     Figure 3-4 The connection information when the computer is connected to the Internet through a Dial-up connection.

     Press the button "Settings ..." in "Dial-up Settings", then follow the instructions to configure the settings as illustrated by Figure 3-5.

     1. Check"Use a proxy server".
     2. Set the "address" to be "localhost".
     3. Set the "port" to be "8080"
        

        Figure 3-5. the settings when the computer is connected to the Internet through a Dial-up.

IV. Start FreeSurf^TM

You can either start FreeSurf by double clicking the icon of FreeSurf on your desktop (if you let the system created a shortcut icon on the destop when you were installing FreeSurf) or from your Java Web Start.

1. If the shortcut icon has been created, you would see this icon as below:

   

   Figure 4-1. Shortcut icon of FreeSurf

   Double click the icon, then your FreeSurf will start to run.

2. Another way to start your FreeSurf is from Java Web Start: Open Java Web Start, you will see a GUI illustrated by Figure 4-2.

   

   Figure 4-2.Java Web Start with one application: FreeSurf

   Double click the icon of FreeSurf in the Java Web Start window, FreeSurf will start to run.

After the FreeSurf starts, you will set a window as below:

Figure 4-3. GUI of FreeSurf.

After the configuration of FreeSurf, in order to evade censorship which makes you uncomfortable as you access some websites, you need to add the visited sites to what we call "take-care-list" of FreeSurf, so that FreeSurf and the designated secret proxy will help you to access the sites through secret channels which cannot be blocked and cannot be eavesdropped. Please read Add/Remove URLs to learn how to add/remove a website in/from the take-care-list.

V. Add/Remove URLs from Take-Care-List

Below is the instructions of how to add (or remove) a URL of a website to (from) the take-care-list.

After you start FreeSurf, press the button of "Manage Website", then you will see a list of URLs of websites, a.k.a. "take-care-list" (Figure 5-1).

Note: The accessing to the websites in the list are secured by FreeSurf, however, accessing to the websites not in the list could be eavesdropped or blocked by anyone along the access path.

Figure 5-1: Take-care-list of URLs in FreeSurf

Add a URL to the take-care-list：

1. Press the button of "add URL", you will see a small popup window for input (Figure 5-2)

   

   Figure 5-2. Panel for adding new url of a website

2. Type the URL of the website into the textfield and press the "OK" button. The newly added URL will be displayed in the take-case-list (See Figure 3-3).

   

   Figure 5-3. Expanded take-care-list of URLs

VI. Disable FreeSurf^TM

If such a perfect day came, there were no offensive censorship or eavesdropping, you don't need FreeSurf for your surfing. You may disable it:

1. Open your IE, from the main menu, choose the option "Tools" and then choose "Internet Options". Please refer to Figure 6-1.

   

   Figure 6-1. Choose "Internet Options" from option "Tools" in the main Menu of IE.

2. Now, you will see a popup panel (Figure 6-2), click the "Connections" tab in this panel.
   

   Figure 6-2. Information of the Internet connections of the computer.

   • If your computer is connected to the Internet through an LAN (local area network) or DSL, then press the button "LAN settings". Then uncheck box of "Use a proxy server" in the popup window (see Figure 6-3).
     

     Figure 6-3. disable FreeSurf for a LAN (or DSL) connected computer

   • If you are using Dial-up for your computer, choose the connection you are using, and then press the button "Settings ..." in the "Dial-up Sittings", then uncheck the box of "Use a proxy server" in the popup window (see Figure 6-4).
     

     Figure 6-4. disable FreeSurf for the computer connected to the Internet through dial-up.

VII. Remove FreeSurf^TM from your computer

FreeSurf can be removed from your computer by following steps (see Figure 7-1).

1. Open Java Web Start.
2. Select the FreeSurf icon in the Java Web Start.
3. From the main menu of Java Web Start, select the option of "Application" and then select "Remove Application".

Figure 7-1. Remove FreeSurf through Java Web Start.

Note: As you have removed the FreeSurf, you have to disable the FreeSurf from your IE (please refer to section VI Disable FreeSurf to see how to disable FreeSurf -- you may do this before you remove the FreeSurf). Otherwise, your IE would assume the FreeSurf were still the gateway for the web traffics and then the browser will display a message says "The page cannot be displayed...", as the traffic cannot get through the disabled gateway.