For years now, Anti-P2P organizations have been polluting BitTorrent with fake peers and bogus torrent files, which send out fake or corrupt data in order to slow down file transfers and/or log the IP addresses of users who ’share’ the torrent. This is typically rampant on a communal BitTorrent level through publicly-accessible torrents from popular sites such as ThePirateBay, mininova, Isohunt, et al. Consequences range from those laughable (but sometimes scary) DMCA notices sent from your ISP; cease-and-desist letters; and even worse, pre-litigation letters from any company under the RIAA / MPAA / IFPI “umbrella”.
To significantly reduce your chances of connecting with malicious peers, the integration of IP Blocking is crucial to P2P safety. This can be approached through third-party software, including PeerGuardian2 or Blocklist Manager - but it can also be handled client-side through IP blocklists. µTorrent supports IP blocking at the BitTorrent protocol level - and it’s a great solution for Vista users who don’t yet have the option of using an external program such as PeerGuardian2.
This article has been done to death, but I’ve updated it with easy-to-follow screenshots and a working link to the updated ** file.
Installation
1. Download the nipfilter.dat.gz file, and save. NOTE: You’ll need to open and extract it with WinRAR or 7-ZIP (or any other archive program). Extract ipfilter.dat and save to the location of your choice. Similar lists can also be found at http://iblocklist.com/lists.php.
2. Copy the file to your “C:\Documents and Settings\<your computer name>\Application Data\uTorrent” directory. To locate this, open a folder and in the Address Bar, type in: %AppData%\uTorrent.
This can also be done through the “Run” command. Click the Start Button, and select “Run” - enter %AppData%\uTorrent. If using Vista, click the Start button, and in the Search Field type in ‘Command prompt’.
3. After the file has been copied there, either restart µtorrent or hit CTRL+P in the µtorrent window, and select OK. To verify that the IP blocklist is working, click on the LOGGER tab and look for “Loaded IP Filter.dat”, like this:
NOTE: These steps must be repeated when updating the ipfilter.dat file, which is recommended to do at least once a month. Here is a great blog-post on how to automate the updating process.
IP Blocking for µtorrent & Vista
This is a great solution for Windows Vista users who want to incorporate PeerGuardian-style IP blocking and use BitTorrent exclusively. The procedure is exactly the same as above, except in Step 3, you’ll need to place the ipfilter.dat file in this directory:
C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\utorrent.
Another alternative is to use a pre-release ‘beta’ version of PeerGuardian2 for Vista.
Troubleshooting - IP Filter & µtorrent:
By default, IP filter is already turned ‘ON’ in the latest versions of µtorrent. If you’re using an older version, verify that it is set to ‘ON’ in the settings. Go to OPTIONS > PREFERENCES… and scroll down to where it says “ip filter:enable“. Choose “True” and click ‘OK’ to save.
moggy Says:
why not just use utorrent ip filter updater at http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3750256/uTorrent_Ipfilter_v124_2007-07-07-CoC works and have manual update feature
I have set mine to update at pc startup
moggy Says:
sorry use this link http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4003708/uTorrent_IP_Filter_2008-01-27-coc
Trackback :: p2pvine.com
IP Blocking for utorrent in Windows XP & Vista…
For years now, Anti-P2P organizations have been polluting BitTorrent with fake peers and bogus torrent files, which send out fake or corrupt data in order to slow down file transfers and/or log the IP addresses of users who ’share’ the torrent. Thi…
Ghost Says:
Can’t download the nipfilter file… keep getting a server error.
NewJackDUde Says:
Keep trying…..I had no problem and I’m behind a corporate firewall.
Bas Says:
Why not just use PeerGuardian?
John Smith Says:
BAS: PeerGuardian doesn’t have Vista support yet.
Lt.Dan Says:
why dont you just use peerguarding?
Lt.Dan Says:
correction.
peer guardian
http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/
Greg Says:
I’m running vista and i think what is the newest version of pg2. (not sure what exact version) People always say that pg2 doesnt work in vista, but ive had only a few problems. i use Blocklist Manager from the B.I.S.S. site to create a PG2 blocklist that i update every day or two and import into PG2 along with its original blocklists. right now PG2 is blocking 2944687381 IPs which i think is almost double compared to not having the blocklist from BLM. the only problems ive had with PG2 is that it can be very touchy at times; i can’t click through the menus too quick because it will freeze, and sometimes when i first open the program it shows the loading splash screen but never shows up. when this happens i check my task manager and it says its running and taking up a lot of memory. ending the task and starting it again usually works.
sharky Says:
If you’re using a 32-bit version of Vista, then there’s not too much of a problem with PG, aside from it being buggy as you suggested. It’s Vista 64-bit version that’s hard to get going with PG, and requires all that extra stuff.
jimbo Says:
right this is all very well stoping third parties seeing ur ip address but in england isp’s are logging ur ip of whos downloading torrentz. how do you stop them from seeing ur ip address
help Says:
howcome i don’t have the folder %AppData%\uTorrent ????? i can’t do anything
Encrypt_It Says:
@ Jimbo:
You need to use encryption. Take a peek at this article. It’s pretty easy/simple.
http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-encrypt-BitTorrent-traffic/
Madcotto Says:
thanks i never knew about the Ctrl P bit doe!
have your say
http://www.VistaFuckingSucks.com
up Says:
the blacklist is here
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/bims/filters/
Wedge Says:
Why not just use a private tracker? There are lots of theme out there and the generally have everything your looking for. Plus it is ALWAYS what it says it is going to be. IF you find one that wants to charge you moeny, its a bullshit operation. The good ones are always free. People on public trackers are the ones who are always getting caught.
Kyle Says:
This is a great article, thanks for the information. Only thing is that if you have the chance to update this page, the download for the ip blocker file has been moved to http://blocklistpro.com/download-center/ip-filters/
COLBY Says:
QUESTION ABOUT PEER GUARDIAN: SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT CERTAIN “BLOCKED” “RANGES” THAT APPEAR IN BOLD ON PEERGUARDIAN 2? OR DO I RELISH IN THE FACT THAT IT WAS JUST BLOCKED TRYING TO GET INTO MY COMPUTER? FOR EXAMPLE, STARWAVE CORPORATION IS NOW IN BOLD, I SHOULD BE HAPPY, RIGHT?
me Says:
firstly, pg2 works with vista… until you reboot,then its not worth a fuck..
there is no vista support for protowall either..
in any case, i doubt ip blocklist acctually work anyway..if these companies etc keep getting bounce from a particular ip ( you) this is more likley to make them suspicious..
if you download as i do.. you gotta face the fact that you may be cought.. luckily, i have nothing to take.. so fuck them !
me Says:
also, that ipIP Filter & µtorrent stuff above dosent work with vista,
i think its something to do with vista and Teredo and ipv6.. at any rate, you cannot get the logger to confirm the ipfilter installation.,, all it says is the date and time and IPv6 is installed.
bsilent Says:
my computer is running on windows vista could somebody help me to block my ip?
thanks
Taylor Says:
PeerGuardian does have Vista support, though it’s still in “beta.” All you need to do is download the beta from Phoenix Labs, along with ReadyDriver Plus (to circumvent Windows’ driver signing enforcement), and it works like a charm. I’m running Vista Ultimate x64 and haven’t had a problem at all!
bing Says:
readydriver wont let me boot
anonymous Says:
Worked perfectly with uTorrent 1.8.2 on Ubuntu linux via Wine. Thanks for this!!
Pi TASARIM Says:
Perfectly .. Cool Very Cool .. Tnx filesharefreak.com
ruski732 Says:
I downloaded the ipfilter.dat and got it working but it slowed down my downloads big time….how do i restore my speed?
kete_wan Says:
Why not try beethink ip blocker, which is based on NDIS filter. And it is compatible with Vista and Windows 7 64 bits.
http://www.beethink.com/BeeGuardian/IPBlocker/IPBlocker.htm
Sodium Hydroxide Says:
I believe Utorrent has block lists you should be able to load with any version of windows.
HNo2 Says:
will this slow down my downloads???
hicalcium Says:
Hi, The nice article sites just found your site on with bing helped me a lot! I really like the info, thank you.
bloodspill Says:
google peerblock. the new peerguardian. operates on all platforms and is extremely stable.
be sure to visit http//twistedtorrents for more advice like this. we are very friendly folk who like to share files with the good bunch of seeders out there!!
bloodspill Says:
sorry thats http//twistedtorrents.com
many thanks again
mek8630 Says:
Thank you, I have been looking for an ipblocker at the uTorrent level so that I don’t have to worry about other things being blocked that I don’t want blocked. I use an awesome torrent client on Linux but Windows doesn’t have a torrent client that has a built in ipblocker, so this this great. Thanks again.
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