Frequently Asked Questions

TreeWalk is FREE for personal use! Dial-up users should review "How do I use TreeWalk on Dial-up?".
"DNS" is an acronym for either "Domain Name System" or "Domain Name Server". In some situations "DNS server" has been used to help clarify the differences.

Select an item from the list below for an answer:

Forums for TWDNS Support: TreeWalk Support forums and newsgroups provide TreeWalk users with access to shared help and advice. If you're going to post a message asking for help with your TreeWalk problem, please be sure to include specific details about your computer (memory and processor speed), Operating System, connection type (how you connect to the Internet), third party software (anti-virus, anti-Trojan, firewall, anti-scripting, etc.), the version of TreeWalk (or BIND-LE) you're using, networking configuration and hardware, and any relevant error messages. This will aid greatly to find the solution for your problem as soon as possible.

"Free if used for educational or home use" users of TreeWalk are invited to join in discussions taking place in the forums and place support questions in the forum ntc.support.questions. Licensed users should continue to contact the TreeWalk site for private email support but are still invited to take part in general discussions.

Do you need a TreeWalk licence?

TreeWalk was designed and developed for FREE use as a Personal DNS Caching Server only! If you wish to use it as a Mail Server or Web Server DNS application, please contact support@treewalkdns.com for details.

Answers

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What is TreeWalk DNS/BIND-LE? TreeWalk is a "free personal use", automatically installed DNS name-caching only server which is similar to, but more efficient than using your default ISP's DNS servers. (More "What is TreeWalk...")
What does TreeWalk do? Essentially, putting a "name" into the browser doesn't get you anywhere. The "name" must be translated into machine recognizable numbers (octets) such as 64.233.167.99 which takes you to Google.com (the Google Search Engine). (More "What can TreeWalk do...")
I'm new to TreeWalk DNS. How do I install it? Assuming you've already downloaded and extracted the latest version of TreeWalk to a handy location on your machine and ensured that have an active Internet connection with a previously secured Windows computer (Anti-Virus, etc.), just double-click the executable (.exe) file to begin the setup routine. Follow all prompts and read the documentation supplied during the install. (More "How do I install TreeWalk...")
How do I upgrade to a new version of TreeWalk? First, you'll need to uninstall any TreeWalk Plug-ins you may have installed and stop the "twdns" service to begin removing your old copy. (More "How do I upgrade TreeWalk...")
How can I tell which TW version I'm using? Actually, there are several ways to determine which version of TreeWalk you are using. The simplest way is to select the "Start" Menu button, select "All Programs" (or "Program Files"), select "TreeWalk", select "docs", select "TreeWalk Read Me". You will see the current version and Code Name near the top of that file. (More "What's my TreeWalk version...")
Can I use TreeWalk on a LAN? TreeWalk is capable of supporting a "huge" volume of traffic as it uses the "full" BIND (not a stripped down version), but the TreeWalk distribution was created with the home user or small personal LAN in mind. Using it within a Corporate network is possible, but the current setup doesn't handle the details of such an environment (such as VPNs, internal DNS servers and so on). For this type of usage, contact support@treewalkdns.com for additional setup information. (More "Using TreeWalk in your network...")
Is TreeWalk DNS compatible with ISC BIND? TreeWalk DNS may be compatible with some "ISC BIND" configurations. However, such cross-installations are not recommended and are not supported. (More "TreeWalk compatibility with BIND...")
Do you have a TreeWalk DNS manual? The TreeWalk DNS site is our manual! You should be able to find any information you want regarding TW by using the site's search database, the forums' FTS capabilities or the topics listed on the Site Map page. (More "Is there a TreeWalk manual...")
Should I turn off my script blocker? If you have some scripting blockers (anti-virus option) they may interfere with the installation so please test the files manually if you like, then disable the anti-virus or script blocker until the installation is completed. (More "Do I disable my script blocker...")
What Services does TreeWalk alter? The setup program changed your local DNS Client/Cache Service to Manual Startup mode, so if the Service was enabled, it will not be started after the reboot. This is done due to the fact that most programs will work better with the local TreeWalk if such a service is not active. (More "Which Services does TreeWalk affect...")
Can I manually update the root-hints? Depending on some factors independent of this custom DNS distribution, the named.root (root-hints) file may become outdated. To do this, simply use the "Update root-hints from ..." icons you'll find in the "TreeWalk" program group to update your root-hints file. (More "Can I update TreeWalk's root-hints...")
How do I use TreeWalk on Dial-up? Please! Create a dial-up connection with your provider before you install TreeWalk DNS! Note that on some systems with only one active DUN connection, TreeWalk may setup your Networking Properties without any further configuration required by you. (More "How do I install with Dial-up Networking...")
Any other tips for Dial-up users? Some Dial-up users may find that certain networking variables beyond our control may require a simple edit to overcome. (More "Tips for Dial-up users...")
Any tips for Windows XP (and newer) users? Due to some changes in the network stack, Microsoft® Windows XP, 2003 (and later) may not play well if you use 127.0.0.1 as the DNS address. If you experience excessive CPU usage from the TreeWalk process, try the following... (More "Tips for Windows XP (and newer)...")
What can I do about Logging and Debugging? This program has the ability to show logs in real time for advanced users but to see them easily, anyone can download a tool called "DebugView" by Mark Russinovich from Microsoft's site. (More "TreeWalk Logging and Debugging...")
Could my third-party firewall be causing problems? TWDNS can be completely trusted. Permissions must be allowed for "named.exe" ("named95.exe" in BIND-LE) for both incomong and outgoing rquests. A few TreeWalk users have reported problems with their third-party software firewalls, so we have included an unbiased page of recommendations that have been submitted by them (and others) so that their fellow firewall users may not experience the same troubles. (More "Third-party firewall problems...")
Can TreeWalk block Ad Servers? Absolutely. Some sites link to ads from "Ad Servers" specifically designed to display ads to you which can be quickly and easily blocked with TWDNS. (More "Can I block Ad Servers with TreeWalk...")
Should I flush the cache in TreeWalk? It's unlikely that under normal use you would ever need to flush the cache. TreeWalk constantly (and automatically) purges stale answers from the cache before they become unreliable, using normal DNS expiration times. (More "How do I flush TreeWalk's cache...")
How can I tell if TreeWalk is working? TreeWalk installs to most Windows platforms flawlessly if you follow the simple procedure and heed the notices displayed during installation. If you don't notice an increase in browsing speed after a few sessions of surfing the 'Net to some of your favorite sites, then there are a few simple checks you can perform from the icons provided within the program's group, accessible from the Start Menu. (More "How do I know TreeWalk is working...")
Which ports does TreeWalk use? TW and BIND-LE both use TCP and UDP ports 53, while TreeWalk also listens on TCP:953. (More "Which ports does TreeWalk need to use...")
Why won't TreeWalk setup multiple DUN connections? Please note that on some systems with only one active DUN connection, TreeWalk may setup your Networking Properties without any further configuration required by you. (More "Troubleshooting with multiple DUN connections...")
Is TreeWalk susceptible to cache poisoning? TreeWalk itself is protected and not vulnerable when TreeWalk collects information from authorized servers for each domain looked up. This is TW's preferred operation. So, you are protected from the cache poisoning issue by collecting original results and not a cached result that may have been compromised with a fake answer. (More "Can TreeWalk's cache be poisoned...")
Can you tell me how to set up my Web Server? Not specifically because BIND9 has extensive configuration documents already available for setting up DNS. (More "Can I use TreeWalk for my Web Server...")
Does TreeWalk secure my machine? No. TreeWalk will only work as well as you've set up your computer and devices to begin with. TreeWalk DNS is not a security application - it is DNS software. (More "Does TreeWalk make my computer secure...")

TreeWalk was co-developed by NT Canuck and ObiWan, and continues to be maintained and updated by ObiWan. The site and servers are maintained by the TreeWalk DNS Crew. TreeWalk and any companion programs provided from this site are completely risk-free and will never be affiliated with any form of spyware or adware. In fact, we go to great lengths to inform our users on how to generally enhance their computer security over-all. For these and other reasons we suggest that you periodically check the site and forums for updates or recent developments.

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