Benign runs on the following Windows operating systems:
Operating system: Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4, 2000 or XP.
Free Hard Disk space: 10 Megabytes.
RAM: 32 Megabytes for Windows 95 and 98, 64 Megabytes for all other operating systems.
Processor Speed: 75 MHz or above.
Screen Resolution: 800 x 600 or above, 16 colors or above.
Benign works with all email clients including the following:
Sometimes Benign may fail to detect your mail program. The failure can be for a variety of reasons but the good news is that you can manually configure your mail program and Benign.
At this stage Benign supports only POP3 mail protocol.
Complete the following steps to download Benign:
Benign is approximately 1.2 megabytes in size and takes approximately 4 minutes with a 56k modem to download or about 5 seconds with a DSL connection.
Yes, Benign runs in the background and does not require any input from you.
Unfortunately not, as GMail requires SSL which is not compatible with Benign.
Benign is not Windows Vista Operating System ready but will work if you manually unlock the hosts file and run Benign with "Run as Administrator" enabled.
We plan to develop a version of Benign that will run on Vista without any manual intervention of the hosts file but have no release date at this stage.
Vista will lock the Hosts file but users have found that one of the below solutions will enable a work around. I.e. unlock the hosts file for Benign to write to.
1.) Start>>All Programs>>Accessories, right click on Notepad and left click, 'Run as Administrator'
2.) In Notepad click File > Open and browse to, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, choose to show 'All Files' rather than the default 'Text Documents(*.txt)' and then open the 'hosts' file. Then click File > Save and then File > Exit
3.) Benign will now be able to write to the Vista 'hosts' file.
Now you want to ensure that Benign runs as administrator.
Click Windows Start > All Programs > Firetrust Benign > and right click on the 'Firetrust Benign' shortcut and left click on 'Run as Administrator' then setup the account as per normal.
My hosts file example.
# Begin B9
127.98.9.1 pop3.myisp.com.b9
127.98.9.2 127.98.9.2 pop3.my2ndisp.com.b9
127.98.9.3 # End B9
Then add the .b9 to your POP3 server your email program.
In Windows Mail click Tools > Accounts > select your mail account > Properties > select Servers at the top > add a .b9 to the end of your POP3 server address > also note down this address before the change > click OK > right click on the shortcut that you use to start Benign, and click, "Run as Administrator" and click, > Tools > Options > Accounts > click Add > enter your POP3 mail address noted earlier (without the .b9) and enter what security setting you desire for this account.
This is because you have User Account Control enabled on Vista. With UAC, an administrative user will run with 2 access tokens at all times only using the administrative token for administrative tasks. The rest of the time your "admin" user is using a standard user token. This is by design of Microsoft .
Run As Administrator
On occasion you may come across an application that, when you come to launch it, refuses to launch due to insufficient user permissions. For example, if you try to launch the boot configuration application, BCDedt, from the Command Window you may get the following message 'The boot configuration data store could not be opened. Access denied.'
When this happens it usually indicates that Windows requires your permission to launch the application. in this situation it is advisable to use the Run as Administrator option.
By using the Run as Administrator option you can allow this application to run once without the need for full administrator privileges.
1/ Locate the applications icon or short cut and Right click on it
2/ From the Drop Down Menu select the Run As Administrator option
3/ Now click the application icon or short cut and it should run
4/ When the User Account Control (UAC) message appears enter the appropriate credentials if you are logged on as a standard user, and click the Submit button
5/ If you are the Administrator and UAC is not configured to always require credentials, just Click the Continue button and the application should start.
Vista's 'Blocked Startup Programs' is part of Vista's security features and is common with many other programs but there is a 'work around' fix that lets Vista's task scheduler start Benign and thus saves you having to manually click 'Run Blocked Programs' B9.
Solution 1
Right click on your Benign shortcut > with the left mouse button select Properties > select the Compatibility tab at the top > ensure the option "Run as administrator" is checked > click OK.
Restart your computer.
Solution 2 – if solution 1 fails
In Benign click Tools >> Options >> General >> and uncheck 'Launch Benign startup'
In Benign click File > Exit
Restart computer.
Note: This only works if you are an administrator. You cannot cause an administrative program to automatically start on a standard user's desktop. Benign needs to be run under administrator privileges
Launch the Task Scheduler
In Windows click Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Task Scheduler(or may just say 'Create task')
From the Actions panel on the right, select Create Task.
Give a name of your choice in the "Name Section" I.e. Benign
Check ‘Run only when user is logged on' and 'Run with highest privileges'
Configure for 'Windows Vista'
Click on the Triggers tab
Click New
Click on the dropdown next to "Begin the task", select 'At log on'
Put a check next to 'specific user or group'
Click OK
Click the Actions tab
Click New
Click browse
Find the program you want to run I.e. look for C:\Program Files\FireTrust\Benign\b9.exe
Click ok
Click the Settings tab
Check ' Allow task to be run on demand'
Uncheck 'Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed'
Uncheck 'Stop the task if it runs longer than 3 days'
Click OK to save and close the task properties
Restart computer
Click here for the current version of Benign.
We are currently developing a new version of Benign with increased functions that include encryption and SSL options. Registered users of Benign will be entitled to a free upgrade when this program is released. We have no date for the release of this program at this stage but you will be advised when this program is available.