What is an IP address ? 

Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique identifier called "IP address".  On many networks, the computer's IP address is always the same (static). On others, a random IP address (dynamic) is assigned each time the computer connects to the network.  With dynamic addressing, the IP can change quite often.  Most dial-up modem Internet providers are using dynamic addressing.
When using an anonymous proxy, your real IP address remains hidden behind the proxy's address.
 

Without a proxy:	your Real IP = Public IP			Web site
Using anonymous proxy:	your Real IP		proxy's IP = Public IP	Web site

What are your current real and public IP addresses?  Try the Real IP page.

HiProxy can auto-detect your real IP, or you can manually enter it in Settings, box Real IP.  Auto-detection is recommended, especially for dial-up connections when the real IP can change with every session.

Your network (LAN) may use internal addresses. In this case your machine has an IP address assigned for inside the network only.  Internal IP addresses begin with 10, 172, 173 and 192.  The International Network Standard RFC 1918 reserves the following IP address ranges for Intranet use (i.e. internal addresses):
  10.0.0.0  to  10.255.255.255
  172.16.0.0  to  173.31.255.255
  192.168.0.0  to  192.168.255.255
You can see your LAN IP address:
in Windows 98/Me - go to Start, Run, then enter winipcfg
in Windows XP/2000 - go to Start, Run, then enter cmd /K ipconfig
Internal (LAN) IP addresses are irrelevant to proxy verification and should not be set in Hiproxy.

Proxy servers stand between your computer and other computers on the Internet:
Your Computer <===> Proxy Server <===> Remote Internet computers
When your computer sends a request for a web page, it is first analyzed by the proxy server. Some servers include a large amount of disk space with stored web data.  Imagine that you wish to get some data from a remote server that has limited bandwidth and is constantly overloaded.  Instead of getting the data from this server you can get it from your proxy. There are also situations, when you have a very slow connection to a certain region of the world.  In this case you only need to choose a proxy that has a good connection both with you and with this region.  This will speed up your connection and make it faster.
The second important function of a proxy is to provide Internet anonymity.  In many cases your Internet activity is recorded at the sites you visit.  There are also people who would like to exploit security holes in your computer.  If they know your IP address it becomes easier for them to brake in.  In this regard, there are two kinds of proxies - those that give out information about you (non-anonymous), and those that replace it with their own info instead (anonymous).  By using anonymous proxies you can protect your identity.
Free public proxy servers around the world come in all flavors.  Sometimes they respond very quickly to Ping requests, but take a long time to return a result from your Test Page.  HiProxy has a Timeout option to limit the waiting time.  Other proxies are "curious" and send ping requests to you. Use a firewall to automatically discard such requests.  There is also the case of "flipping" proxies, which are anonymous today, but may reveal your identity tomorrow. Some are very reliable, others go on and off very often.  Some are closed or disabled, they respond, but do not go to your Test Page.  Frequent proxy verification is recommended.  Proxies with firewalls will work fine in general, but will probably fail if the site you are visiting pops up a Username/Password box.  It is wise to work with just a few good servers and keep looking for better.
Anonymity, reliability and speed are the most valuable qualities of a proxy server. HiProxy can help you find the right one. 

SOCKS is a proxy protocol developed by NEC. Socks proxy servers are usually on port 1080 and are anonymous. Many Internet programs (file sharing, P2P, ICQ, games, etc.) support Socks proxy connections.
Socks proxies are more difficult to find. Fortunately, you can use SSL tunnel (HTTPS) proxies as substitute for Socks.  Download and install SSHProxy - a small, free Java program acting as your own local Socks proxy. It can transmit Socks communications through an external SSL tunnel (HTTPS) proxy. Some brief instructions:

• open HiProxy > Settings > select HTTPS test value > Enable HTTPS test > 
  select 'add to HTTPS test' (tunnel test) > Enable ping > Save.
• Verify some HTTP proxies and select one with column Tunnel = Y.
  Smaller value in column Ping means faster proxy response.
• in SSHProxy's config.txt file set the following:
    EnableLog=yes
    SOCKSPort=1080
    UseSHttpProxy=yes
    SHttpProxyHost=<IP address of tunnel proxy>
    SHttpProxyPort=<port of tunnel proxy>
• open a command prompt window in SSHProxy's directory and type 
  java SSHProxy (or "jview SSHProxy") - this will start your own local Socks proxy.  You can stop it with CTRL/C.
• open your Socks client application, select "Socks 4" or "Socks 5" and enter
  127.0.0.1:1080 as Socks proxy address, then launch the application.
• watch the SSHProxy window for connection info.  If there are errors, repeat the steps above with another SSL tunnel proxy until you find one that works with your application.

Most of the information others can get about you on the Net is contained in the so called Environment variables (or HTTP headers).
Click here for a test page with a Java applet.  Java must be enabled in your browser.  The Java applet will find your real IP address and compare it to your public IP address, which is visible to the Internet. If they are the same - you are not anonymous. If they are different, your identity is protected by a proxy server.

Meanwhile notice - enabling Java creates a threat to your anonymity!  Malicious applets can get the real IP address of your computer.  For verification, or to manually disable Java in IE, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Internet > Custom Level > Microsoft VM / Java permissions > Disable Java > Apply.

Use HiProxy to make your web browser anonymous and open anonymous accounts in Yahoo or Gmail. Be aware that Outlook and Outlook Express are not anonymous. They will include your real IP address in message headers, regardless of the destination email server. However, Outlook can be "socksified" with SocksCap to send emails through a Socks proxy.
 
For anonymous posting to Usenet newsgroups use HiProxy and browser-based newsreaders like Mailgate or Google. You can also use newsreaders with proxy support like NewsPlex. NewsPlex uses Socks proxies (copy them from HiProxy) and is compatible with Outlook Express.

Internet Explorer: Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings > uncheck "Use a proxy server".
Firefox: Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Connection > Settings > select "Direct connection to the Internet" 

  HiProxy specific   

Is HiProxy a proxy server ?

No, Hiproxy is a proxy-support utility. It helps you find and verify proxy servers and set easily your browser with different types of proxy servers. Hiproxy is not part of your Internet connection and does not interfere with Internet browsing. 

Probably you selected a non-responding proxy server. You have two options - select another proxy server or disable proxy usage in the browser.

• Open Hiproxy, select (highlight) another server from the list, right-click and hit Verify from the menu. If the server is responding, select it and hit button HTTP below - its address goes to the HTTP box. Finally hit button Apply to save it.
• To disable browser proxy usage from Hiproxy - unselect checkbox "Use Proxy", then click button Apply.

    Browser Proxy Setting instructions:

•  Internet Explorer Browser - tested versions 5, 6, 7
  
  Open Hiproxy, select checkbox Use Proxy, then enter a file name location in Config File. After choosing proxies for one or more protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, etc.), hit button Apply.
  To disable proxies, uncheck Use Proxy and hit Apply.
   
•  Firefox Browser - tested version 2.0
  
  Open Hiproxy, select checkbox Use Proxy, enter file path in box Config File. After choosing proxies for one or more protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, etc.), hit button Apply.
  A confirmation page will open in Firefox. If "Browser Status" is not Ready, you may do it manually:
  Open Firefox > Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Settings > check only "Automatic Proxy Configuration URL" and enter "file:///<pac-file>", where <pac-file> is the value from Hiproxy box Config File, like "file:///C:/Program Files/Hiproxy/autoproxy.pac".  Hit button Reload, then Ok. 
  To disable proxies, uncheck Use Proxy and hit Apply.
  Manually: Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Settings > check option "Direct connection to the Internet".
   
  
•  Opera Browser - tested version 7.23
  
  Open Hiproxy > select checkbox Use Proxy > enter file path in Config File. After choosing proxies for one or more protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, etc.), hit button Apply.
  Open Opera > File > Preferences > Network > Proxy Server > uncheck all boxes > check only "Use Automatic Proxy Configuration" and enter "file://<pac-file>", where <pac-file> is the value from Hiproxy box Config File, like "file://C:\Program Files\Hiproxy\autoproxy.pac".
  After each proxy change close all open Opera windows, then reopen a new one. 
  To disable proxies, go to Proxy Server and uncheck "Use Automatic Proxy Configuration" option.
   
•  Netscape and Mozilla Browsers  - tested version 1.6
  
  Open Hiproxy > select checkbox Use Proxy > enter file path in Config File. After choosing proxies for one or more protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, etc.), hit button Apply.
  Open Mozilla > Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Proxies >
  Check "Automatic Proxy Configuration URL", enter "file:///<pac-file>" and click Reload > Ok. 
  <pac-file> is the value from Hiproxy's box Config File, like "file:///C:\Program Files\Hiproxy\autoproxy.pac". If you change the browser proxy in Hiproxy, repeat the above steps - all Mozilla windows will start working with the new proxy.
  To disable proxies, go to Proxies and select "Direct Connection to the Internet" option.

    Do not forget to add file:/// (or file://) in front of the PAC file path - this is a common mistake.

The main reasons are: no Internet connection, dead Test web page, short timeouts or Hiproxy was started before a dial-up connection is established.
Solution:
Make sure your Internet connection is alive and your public IP is showing in Hiproxy Settings.  Verify the validity of your Test Web Page.  Use reasonable timeout periods,  recommended timeouts are: Ping = 2500 ms, Test Web Page = 20 sec.

This is usually due to an incorrect "Real IP" address stored in Settings. Also, very rarely some proxies switch from anonymous to transparent status.
Solution:
Select checkbox "auto detect Real IP" in Settings and hit button Save. Or find your real IP from here and copy it in Settings.

Hotmail uses a protocol named HTTPMail, which is not supported by all public proxy servers.  It also uses HTTPS for authentication. If you set a valid HTTPS proxy with Hiproxy, you will be able to connect.
Solution:
Select another proxy server in Hiproxy and hit Apply. Close and restart Outlook Express.

The current HTTP Test webpage is probably inaccessible.
Hit button Settings > open dropdown "HTTP Test" and select a different webpage > Save

Some errors occurs when Hiproxy installation has failed. You need to reinstall: 

1. Uninstall Hiproxy: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Hiproxy Remove
2. Download Hiproxy Lite from http://www.hiproxy.com/download.htm and install it 
3. Pro Edition users only: replace Lite Edition executable Hiproxy.exe with the file you received by email

See the Main Window section.

See the "Lite vs. Pro" comparison.

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