Revised version in this thread
Revised version in the online help (Spamihilator wiki)
Anbuva's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
concerning Spamihilator 0.9.9.26 and higher
installed with Windows Vista
(Translation from the german FAQ. Last changes on november 17th, 2007.)
(0) What are the preconditions of these FAQ?
These FAQ are meant for Spamihilator versions 0.9.9.26 up to 0.9.9.32. They presuppose, that you are working with Windows Vista as an administrator or as a user, and that you are installing your programs on drive C by default.
It is important for the proper functioning within Windows Vista, that you install the current Spamihilator version 0.9.9.32 with separate settings for each user. Evidently, it would be the best if you would work on the Windows Vista multi user operating system as a user with restricted user rights and if you would install programs under a user account, starting the installation executable file "as administrator". See also the very important item (26) below.
(1) After a new installation or after a new start of Spamihilator, the settings are lost, or Spamihilator behaves oddly, or e-mails are missing in the training area or recycle bin.
It is essential, that you terminate Spamihilator after installation and restart as a restricted Windows Vista user. Possibly you have to log off as administrator and log in again as user. Otherwise, Spamihilator's own restart after installation will still keep the rights of the installing user or administrator, and all settings and data will be written into their folders and not into the required user's folders.
(2) Some plugins don't work, or don't work any more, or aren't displayed under installation of Spamihilator with Windows Vista. Which plugins will work properly with Windows Vista?
Plugins already optimized for Windows Vista:
· Spamihilator's basic filters, these are the Learning Filter, Spam Word Filter, Newsletter Filter, DCC Filter, Image Filter and Attachment Filter
· Bob Loeffler's Filters, these are Empty Mail Filter, Html Filter, Plain Text Filter, No Comment Filter, Scripts Filter and the Export Senders Plugin, Statistics Plugin and Unclassified Filter Plugin
· Charset Filter
· Misnamed Filter
· PopNotifier
Plugins working properly with Windows Vista, but not yet optimized:
· Alphabet Soup Filter
· Strange Country Filter
Limited funktion within Windows Vista:
· Whitestring Filter (changes through administrators will affect all users)
· Blacklist Filter (installation takes place in the virtual Windows folder – it works, but cannot be configured)
· URL Filter (redirected into VirtualStore, more see below)
· X-Header Filter (redirected into VirtualStore)
· Spamgame (displays an error message, but works)
Seriously problematic plugins:
· Bad Recipient Filter
· DNSBL Filter
· SpamiOL Addin for MS Outlook (in progress!)
Others:
· Language Packs (working correctly)
· Boarisch Language Pack (working correctly)
(3) My Spamihilator version doesn't work, or doesn't work properly, or does behave oddly with Windows Vista.
The first Spamihilator version optimized for Windows Vista is 0.9.9.26, please uninstall all previous versions properly. Folders within the shared document folders may have to be removed manually.
(4) Spamihilator doesn't work together with my e-mail client. Which e-mail client should I use together with Spamihilator on Windows Vista?
Spamihilator has been successfully tested with Outlook 2000/2003/XP/2007, with Outlook Express 2000/2003/XP, and with Windows Mail (formerly Outlook Express), with Thunderbird 2, Opera, Eudora, Pegasus Mail, Phoenix Mail, and IncrediMail. Other e-mail clients may work with Spamihilator as well.
(5) Can I use the Spamihilator import utility to insert the saved settings of another installation?
It's not recommended to import the settings of an older Spamihlator installation into a new version since 0.9.9.26. Inserting saved settings is possible from and within versions up to 0.9.9.25, or from and within versions higher than 0.9.9.26, because of the different user right management of the newer Spamihilator versions.
(6) Are there any (new) problems with Spamihilator regarding the new security features in Windows Vista? Do my antivirus and firewall programs still work properly together with the new Spamihilator versions?
Since the Spamihilator version 0.9.9.26 and higher, the new Windows Vista safety patterns are implemented. And until now, I haven't encountered many problems.
As far as it will be used any security software which is Vista ready, no problems should happen. Norton 2007, Avast 4.7, AVG and Antivir from AVIRA, Spybot-SD, and Windows Defender work correctly with Spamihilator.
Every further program is supposed to run without causing any problem, too. But presently, we have watched problems together with the G-Data security suite. Hence, it would be very interesting for me to hear more about this, and particularly about the G-Data suite running without problems on Windows Vista.
(7) How stable is Spamihilator under Windows Vista?
Very stable, as far I have watched it. Until now, it has worked without any hang-ups.
(8) The program start of Spamihilator needs very long time, or Spamihilator keeps hanging in a loop.
This could be caused by the new autostart behaviour of Windows Vista. Programs are getting started one after another, smartly fitted with the prefech function. Some plugins as well do generate a delay looking as if hanging in a loop. E.g. the URL-Filter seems to last very long by it's loading.
If the loading sandglass lasts much to long, it's possible to terminate Spamihilator manually and restart it.
(9) Which paths are used by Spamihilator and its plugins? Respectively, where do I find the user specific data and the installation data?
The default installation path is C:\Program Files\Spamihilator, and the user settings and the most plugins are stored under C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Spamihilator. See also items (10), (13) and (26).
(10) How can I recognize an incompatible Spamihilator plugin? Respectively, after the installation of a plugin, it's files are not displayed.
Windows Vista provides a virtual folder for, I want to say, romping around, where application programs can act under a simulated environment as if they were working regularly under Windows Vista. This folder can be found in C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Spamihilator. As long as you don't find a folder there, you presumably have had no problem with a plugin.
(11) While installing Spamihilator or a plugin under my user account, Windows Vista requests for the administrator password; is this dangerous?
No, this is not dangerous, it's a Windows Vista feature to limit user rights and ask for administrator rights only when required. Spamihilator needs adminstrator rights whilst its installation to be allowed to write data into its installation folder. This is prevented for the most common users to hinder him from unintentional program installations.
(12) I can't install Spamihilator or a plugin! Or, after double clicking on the executable setup file, nothing happens.
The Spamihilator installation needs administrator rights. This can easily be realized by right-clicking on the setup file and chosing "run as administrator".
Note: Usually, Windows Vista should recognize the need of administrator rights for an installation and automatically request them, when started a setup file. But sometimes, Windows Vista does not, and shows just no reaction.
(13) The paths mentioned in items (9) and (10) don't exist on my computer, respectively I only can find paths in my own language. Can this cause problems with the installation?
No, Windows Vista uses uniform paths, which are translated into the each localized language version. One can recognize the real paths the best by using the user prompt for displaying the paths. An installation in the german C:\Programme is actally installed under C:\Program Files.
(14) A new Spamihilator version has been distributed, respectively a new plugin version has been distributed. Can I install the new version easily, or do I have to uninstall the previous version?
Please note the special conditions you have to carry out for updates from Spamihilator versions until 0.9.9.25 to higher versions, as described in item (26). The higher versions have attained the user rights specifications needed for the use with Windows Vista.
Else, you may install any update over an existing Spamihilator installation. For example, you can easily install the updated version 0.9.9.32 without uninstalling the preceding version, if the preceding version is 0.9.9.26 or higher. Thus, you can keep your settings and all installed plugins and their settings.
(15) When working as a regular user with Windows Vista, I'm meeting several problems, e.g. with plugins not able to write into their ini-files. I have installed Spamihilator and all his plugins into the programs directory, logged in into Windows Vista as administrator, and I have neglected the separate settings for each user.
Logged in as a regular user in Windows Vista, the user rights are restricted to limited actions, excluding writing rights for the program directory. Therefore, it is very much recommended to install Spamihilator logged in as a user and chosing the option for separate settings for each user. Furthermore, it's important to * POLICY VIOLATION ! * attention to the development state of any plugin filter meant to be installed.
(16) While still installing Spamihilator, my Windows Vista system performs a reboot. After that, the Spamihilator program seems not to have installed, and I have to start the setup again. This time it works, but do I have to reckon with more problems?
This particular behaviour occurs, because Spamihilator has to install some required system files within Windows Vista. The operating system has to assimilate the installed system files, before you can continue with installing Spamihilator, and it needs to reboot. Almost certainly, those files files will be included in upcoming Windows Vista updates or service packs. Any next Spamihilator installation will not need further reboots.
(Update at october, 4th: The current Windows Vista version, including all updates, will no longer reboot within the Spamihilator installation.)
(17) I have installed the Spamihilator program and modified the e-mail client perfectly, as it is written in the user manual or performed by the wizard. Nevertheless, my e-mail client wouldn't work with Spamihilator. It delivers an error message, saying that the server couldn't be found.
In some cases it helps to replace "localhost" with "127.0.0.1" in the account entries. Sorry, but I don't know why.
(18) Since I have installed Windows Vista (or in some fewer cases, changed design of Windows XP), the little window icon to switch from training area to recycle bin and the other way, lying as a forth icon besides the window minimizing icon, has vanished. I have to click into the empty surface to switch the Spamihilator windows.
Cited Michel Krämer: "... probably Spamihilator can only handle with the Luna themes and the Classic themes. If you look at the spamihilator.exe with e.g. the ResourceHacker, you will find that it contains a bitmap with the buttons for the Luna style. Spamihilator can't emulate other styles."
(19) After the installation of Spamihilator or one of ist plugins, Windows Vista notifies that Spamihilator or the plugin has not been installed properly (or something alike).
The message may appear during the installation, but mostly after completed installation. It can be just ignored, because the installation has performed correctly, nevertheless, and Spamihilator works perfectly. Why Windows Vista does generate this message, I can't tell until now, but I suppose, that it has to do something with the new computer security rules realized in Windows Vista. More detailed, perhaps it has to do with write protection of files already in charge. Similar behaviour has been watched with other software developed for Windows XP originally, though working properly with Windows Vista, too.
(20) How about IMAP under Windows Vista?
At the present time, I have no experience with IMAP under Windows Vista. However, I recommend to use IMAP with the Spamihilator version most up to date. Further hints or clues can be searched in the Spamihilator forums. (By the way, any reports of users are wellcome and may be printed here by name.)
Footnote of the translator: Spamihilator's IMAP module doesn't work properly until now. Michel Krämer, the program author of Spamihilator, is currently very concerned about this. Until it's fixed, please use the cross protocolling method, which is working properly.
How IMAP in Spamihilator ought to work:
Setup your e-mail client:
- incoming server is: IMAP
- incoming server: localhost or 127.0.0.1
- account: imap_server&account_name
- incoming port: 143
Setup Spamihilator:
- local server port POP3: 110
- local server IMAP: 143
Spamihilator creates a new folder on the IMAP server, called SPAMIHILATORSPAM. At the moment when the mail client receives mails by clicking on receive, Spamihilator downloads a copy of all new mails and examines them. All spam mails are moved into the SPAMIHILATORSPAM folder, while all non-spam mails are left in their folders as unread mails. If you need to correct the sieving of Spamihilator, a non-spam mail erroneously moved into the SPAMIHILATORSPAM folder can be restored easily.
Only now, after having clicked on receive, the user of an IMAP configuration should look at his new unread mails. Here lies a powerful possibility of confusion, for the user has to click on receive explicitly. If the user only visits the IMAP mail directory without clicking receive, it will not yet have been sieved by Spamihilator.
Another fundamental problem will occur, when the user accesses his IMAP mails from several different computers, which is the point of using IMAP, of course. The mail clients may be others, or they may be configured in another way, perhaps even without another Spamihilator instance. Nobody knows what will happen then. Usually bad things.
The cross protocolling method has been programmed to bypass the IMAP protocoll, which is rather complicated and brings about some instability. Use cross protocolling, if your mail provider uses IMAP, but you rather like to work with the POP protocoll. Use it when you encounter trouble operating IMAP together with Spamihilator.
How cross protocolling is to be configured:
Enter the following into your mail client:
- incoming server is: POP3
- incoming server: localhost or 127.0.0.1
- account: imap_server&account_name&143
- incoming port: 110
And in Spamihilator:
- local server port POP3: 110
- local server IMAP: 143
(21) The wizard for the configuration of the mail accounts doesn't recognize my mail client, e.g. Windows Mail of Windows Vista.
If the wizard doesn't configure properly your mail accounts, I recommend to configure it manually. Open your mail client, open the configuration window of the concerned account, and enter the following into the appropriate fields:
- incoming server is: POP3
- incoming server: localhost or 127.0.0.1
- account: your_server&your_account_name
- incoming port: 110
Configure Spamihilator:
- local server port POP3: 110
See also in the Spamihilator FAQ about configuring the e-mail client: http://www.spamihilator.com/help/0.9.9/ ... client.php.
(22) Do you know about problems with the Windows Vista firewall or other firewalls?
The firewall integrated in Windows Vista is (really) good and absolutely sufficient for the common user, and it doesn't interfere with Spamihilator. Some problems have been watched with security suite firewalls, which sometimes want to grant more protection as needed and therefore block more traffic than needed. There have occasionally happended obstructions with them. If possible, they should be configured manually, but I can't give more detailed hints, for there are so many and so different possibilities.
Tip for protection supporters: To control even outgoing internet connections within Windows Vista easily, you can download the program Vista Firewall Control. It's freeware, for I'm an IT professional, I'm using the extended version, but the freeware version is entirely sufficient.
(23) With Windows Vista, it's quite impossible to receive my Hotmail e-mails. What should I do now?
To solve this problem, download the uncomplicated program FreePOPs with the hyperlink http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/free ... e?download e.g. It works as a proxy between Outlook and Spamihilator, and it doesn't need further configuration, though possible. Only the e-mail client has to be fitted like this:
- set up a new POP3 mail account
- incoming server: 127.0.0.1
- outgoing server: 127.0.0.1
- account name: localhost&your_hotmail_adress&2000
The other settings can be kept unchanged.
(24) How about the collaboration of screen savers with Spamihilator?
With Windows Vista, Spamihilator's small activity bubble window appears, while the screen saver continues untouched. Problems are imaginable with some peculiar screen savers, but until now, we have no experienced.
(25) New mails in the mailbox aren't displayed in the training area.
This may happen, when Spamihilator was installed under a user account with admininstrator rights, and is further operated with the administrator rights by mistake. The e-mails are assigned to the admininstrator then, and they are stored in the administrator's training area, but eventually handed over to the e-mail client opened under the user rights. Remedy: Terminate Spamihilator, and start it again under user rights regularly.
(26) Since installation of the newest Spamihilator version, I've got problems.
The Spamihilator versions 0.9.9.26 and higher are programmed to be ready for Windows Vista. They now are ready for the specific user rights features of Windows Vista. To avoid incompatibilities when updating from previous Spamihlator versions, it's necessary to uninstall completely and deeply every previous version. Please go after the following instructions:
0. Backup your computer system, before you install or uninstall any software.
1. Uninstall the old Spamihilator version.
2. Delete manually all Spamihilator directories, e.g.
- C:\Program Files\Spamihilator
and in Windows Vista
- C:\Users\YOUR_USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Spamihilator
- C:\Users\YOUR_USER_NAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Spamihilator
and in Windows XP
- C:\Documents and Attitudes\YOUR_USER_NAME\Application Data\Spamihilator
3. New installation of the current Spamihilator distribution. Choose separate settings for each user account (recommended). Then install the filter plugins recommended for Windows Vista.
Please note: These steps 0. to 2. only concern users who have worked with preceding Spamihilator versions under their Windows Vista. All Spamihilator settings will go lost, and it's not recommendes to import the settings of previous installations.
(27) Is it reasonable to install programs as restricted user in Windows Vista?
You can in fact get the needed rights for program installations, being logged in as a restricted user, when installing it as though administrator. Both, the concerned program and Windows Vista ought to recognize it, that's why some older programs (older than 2007) can cause some trouble.
If it's logical or not, I can't say, but it saves time, when you don't need to switch between user and admininstrator all the time. I have only once needed the administrator login within Windows Vista. All other installations and settings have been possible to be carried out, logged in as a restricted user and starting the action as though administrator. (But respecting safety of installations critera, perhaps I should always recommend the login as administrator for installations and for administering Windows Vista in general.)
(28) Do I have to reckon with problems using Spamihilator together with the integrated spam filters within Windows Mail of Windows Vista or within Outlook (all versions) or various other programs?
No, because Spamihilator is interconnected upstream as a proxy, and the mails will only be checked by the integrated spam filters, after they have been transferred to the e-mail client.
Sometimes it seems as if e-mails wouldn't arrive in the e-mail client, though handed over properly by Spamihilator (you can recognize that by looking into the training area of Spamihlator). Then it's very likely they have been moved to an extra spam folder of the e-mail client, where they shoud show up again. To prevent further problems like this, it may be better to turn off or adjust light the integrated spam filter.
(29) I still get a great number of false-positive sieved e-mails or false-negative transmitted e-mails. Presumably, the filtering isn't optimized, respectively some filters sieve falsely whilst others aren't applied at all.
It may be of numerable effect to optimize the filter sequence and the filter settings. At the first position you should place the positive filters, e.g. the Newsletter-Filter. Then continue with some strong or cool filters, e.g. the DCC-Filter or the Empty-Mail-Filter. At the end of the row put the Spam-Word-Filter and the Learning-Filter. Further tips can be found in the Spamihilator forum (http://spamihilator.com/forum/).
A possible filter sequence, which is well-tried with Windows Vista and Spamihilator 0.9.9.32, is listed below:
(01) Newsletter
(02) Misnamed-Filter
(03) URL-Filter (habe ich mal mit reingenommen)
(04) Charset Filter
(05) Strange-Country-Filter
(06) Attachment-Filter
(07) DCC-Filter
(08) Empty Mail-Filter
(09) No Comment-Filter
(10) Scripts-Filter
(11) Lernender Filter
(12) Plain Text-Filter
(13) HTML Links-Filter
(14) Image Filter-Filter
(15) Alphabet Soup-Filter
(16) Spam-Wort-Filter
(17) Unklassifizierte Mails Filter
(In the statistics, this filter sequencing has yielded a rate of spam identified of 99,57% and a rate of non-spam mails sieved erroneously of 0,85%.)
(30) I want to try out another older Spamihilator version with might and main, and forgetting about common sense.
It's because an older version has worked more stable under Windows XP than the current version. Where can I download previous Spamihilator versions? See the following list of older Spamihilator versions. Those older versions aren't supported any longer, and they are 100% incompatible with Windows Vista. Windows Vista is not the same as Windows XP, and in technical view it's not a direct evolution from Windows XP. Therefore I advise against using older Spamihilator versions under Windows Vista. Except, one plans to reinstall the entire computer system, or perhaps one has lost his sanity after having caroused the whole night long.
http://www.spamihilator.com/updates/spa ... _9_9_9.exe
http://www.spamihilator.com/updates/spa ... 9_9_10.exe
http://www.spamihilator.com/updates/spa ... 9_9_13.exe
http://www.spamihilator.com/beta/1_0_0/ ... 9_9_21.exe
http://www.spamihilator.com/updates/spa ... 9_9_30.exe
For a complete listing of all versions available see here:
http://spami.kanuuli.de/ (thanks to KanuUli!).
(31) I have installed Spamihilator way back. Lately, my e-mail client behaves oddly. Unexpectedly, receiving mails lasts longer than usually. Also, Spamihilator reacts only with delay, or it hangs shortly whilst receiving mails. Is this related to Spamihilator?
Spamihilator doesn't change anything serious within the operating system, else it would have shown just after the installation (e.g. with an error message).
This behaviour could be caused by some new features of Windows Vista. It has been watched, that after some days or weeks of use, the indexing service of Windows Vista disabled the reaction time of itself or of user programs. You could clarify this by deactivating it by trial. When I tried it out, I found in fact little performance increase with Outlook. This service will be improved in the next service pack for Windows Vista, anyway. Furthermore, I have considered about "new services" within Windows Vista (or similar in Windows XP) like Superfetch, but I haven't found out more about it.
(Footnote of the translator: It may be worth trying to reduce the Bayes filter memory file by cleaning up the Learning Filter within the Spamihilator settings.)
More ideas about this issue are appreciated.
(32) Help! Spamihilator rates my e-mails as non-spam, but they don't arrive in my mailbox ...
Some mails which passed the Spamihilator may be sieved out by the e-mail client's integrated filter unintentionally and be moved into the e-mail client's spam folder. Moreover, the integrated spam folder is often missed by the user. Also see in item (28).
(33) The e-mails from my friends aren't displayed in the training area. Aren't they learned by the Bayes Filter at all?
Concerning this question, it's important to know wether the setting "learn from friends automatically" is checked or not, and wether the sender is listed within the friends list or not. It's recommended to use "learn from friends automatically", when using the friends list, so that Spamihilator is able to train the Bayes Filter with e-mails from friends. Without this setting, mails from friends will pass the filters unlearned.
(XX) My problem is not listed here, or looks quite different.
Quite simply first make sure three points, a) that you are actually working with Windows Vista, b) that your e-mail client is Vista ready, and c) that you have installed the Spamihilator version 0.9.9.26 or higher. If all this applies to you, it may help to search in the Spamihilator forum (http://spamihilator.com/forum/), or to post your question there.
With sincere regards from Anbuva
(These FAQ are born at june 6th, 2007)
at the moment. The practice will show whether the other users are also satisfied with that.