0.   Quick Install

    1.   Getting Ready

    2.   Install Software

    3.   Configure Email Addresses

    4.   Configure Preferences

    5.   Create a List of Allowed Senders

    6.   List Management: Allow/Block/Domain

    7.   Challenges: View/Release/Delete

    8.   Uninstalling Vanquish

    9.   Technical Support

  10.   Theory of Operation

  11.   Release Notes

Figures                       “Free Updates” splash is only for retail

    Configure Undetected Addresses

    Reply to Confirmation Email

    User Preferences

    List Management

Vanquish is frequently updated with new features. Please check for an update of this manual:

www.vanquish.com/docs/user_guide.pdf

Quick Start  (for the experienced user)

Install

·    On Windows systems that require login, do so with administer privileges. Close all other programs, especially any application that uses or generates email.

·    If you have an installation CD: Use the autorun feature or click Start à Run à Vanquish_Install.html.

·    If you do not have a CD: Open a browser and visit https://users.vanquish.com . If you have an activation code, enter it in the area for new users and follow directions. If you do not yet have an activation code, click the link at bottom. 

·    Accept security warnings and choose Open or Run from File Download window.

·    When asked if Vanquish should load at startup, Click Yes and then Finished.

·    If you installed Vanquish from a CD, select Start à Programs à Vanquish à Update Vanquish. When the process is complete, click Finished again.

·    Wait 20 seconds for Vanquish to present a login screen (up to 1 min on old PCs). If disk activity is not evident, select Start à Programs à Vanquish à Vanquish.

·    Enter the Username and Password created during installation and click Login.

·    Click OK to acknowledge the Cryptographic Key dialog. On older PCs, this may result in a delay of up to 1 minute. Click OK again when this process is complete.

Configure Email Addresses  ^{(for details, click here)}

·    If you wish to protect addresses that are not detected in Step 1, add them at the bottom. Later, in Step 3, you will configure them and then add the following pre­fix to the SMTP and POP server addresses within your email applications:

                      vq.<username>.  (include both periods; but not “<” and “>”)

Configure Preferences  ^{(for details, click here)}

·    Choose the anti-spam technologies that you wish to use, including the number of days for challenges to be answered and SmartSubject™ replies.

Import an Email Address Book  ^{(for details, click here)}

·    Select the entire address book in your email program to receive a new message. Verify that Vanquish is running and that the sending account has its SMTP server setting directed to your local Vanquish proxy (additional details on pg 8).

·    When you send mail with the subject vq--add-users-to-allow-list--vq , Vanquish adds the recipient addresses to your Allow list instead of actually sending the message. Just in case you make an error, it is best to use Bcc instead of To or Cc.

1.  Getting Ready

Vanquish is compatible with PCs operating under any version of Windows 98 or higher, including Windows ME/2000/NT/XP. Here’s what you need to get started:

The install process requires an internet connection. If you do not have the installation CD, we recommend a high speed connection. The installer file download is 15 MB.

The install process is interactive and makes use of your web browser. To be consistent with steps described in this document, use Microsoft Internet Explorer for installation.

Retail versions of Vanquish are shipped with a printed Activation Code – 5 groups of 5 characters each. If you were offered Vanquish by your ISP or mail service provider, they will send you this code. If you do not yet have an Activation Code, you will have an opportunity to purchase one during the installation process.

Vanquish has been tested with Outlook, Outlook Express, and Eudora. Additionally, Netscape and Pegasus can be used with Vanquish, with some qualifications. Please see the Readme file that is installed with Vanquish and is also in the root folder of the CD.

† Vanquish is compatible with email programs and services that use the common POP3 standard to retrieving mail. It is not yet compatible with the proprietary methods used by AOL, MSN and some enterprise mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange.

   Vanquish can also be used with browser-based email if the service offers a POP inter­face or allows forwarding to another address. The premium version of Yahoo mail supports these features – but as of this writing, Hotmail does not.

2.  Installing Software

·    On Windows systems that require login, do so with administrator privileges.

·    Important:  Close any application that sends or receives email. Do not run any email program until instructed to do so.

·    If you have an installation CD: Place the CD into your CD or DVD drive. On most systems, the Autorun feature automatically launches the Vanquish installer. If not, click Start à Run à Vanquish_Install.html.

·    If you do not have a CD: Open a browser and visit https://users.vanquish.com.

·    Enter your activation code into the area for new users. The code is composed of 5 sets of 5 uppercase characters. Click Next to continue.

·    Create a username and password (case sensitive). Then create a “hint” that helps you remember your password, but is not meaningful to others. If you forget your password, we will mail the hint to a protected email addresses.

·    Remaining data is optional. It will help us in the event that you require support.

·    Click Install Vanquish. (For CD installations, choose Download Vanquish).

·    The File Download window asks Open or Save. Choose Open (this is sometimes called “Run from Web”. In the event that you require these installation files again, your PC will automatically retrieve them from your temporary file folder after checking for a newer version on the web.

·     Click Next in “About To Install” (the dialog with a large Vanquish logo at left).

·    When asked if Vanquish should load at startup, Click Yes.

·    Click Finished. You may close your browser.

·    If you installed Vanquish from a CD, select Start à Programs à Vanquish à Update Vanquish.

·    Click Finished.  Vanquish is installed! It is not necessary to reboot your PC.

·    If Vanquish does not launch, Select Start à Programs à Vanquish à Vanquish. During this first time, Vanquish may require up to a minute to launch.

·    Enter the Username and Password created during installation and click Login.

·    Click OK to acknowledge the Cryptographic Key dialog. On older PCs, this may result in a delay of up to 1 minute. Click OK again when this process is complete.

3.  Configure Email Addresses

      3.1  Select or Add Email Addresses to Protect

This Email Account Configuration screen displays addresses that Vanquish detected on your PC. Depending on the history of your PC, you may not recognize all addresses. Additionally, some addresses that you regularly use may not appear in this list.

·    Mark the address(es) you wish to protect in the boxes to the left.

·    Use the entry fields at bottom to add missing addresses - and even ones that are contained in the list, but that you use with email programs other than the ones listed at the  bottom. If you give out addresses that are forwarded into an account used with this PC, include them in the entry fields at bottom, also.

      3.2  Verify Selection of User Profiles

·    Place a check next to each profile that you desire to protect with Vanquish.

·    Choose a meaningful challenge identity at right. Detailed instructions are on pg 6. If the challenge identity cannot be changed. See the tip at the top of the next page.

If you see all of the email addresses from which you regularly send mail and if they appear under the email program name(s) from which you use those addresses, skip the next step by pressing Next until you arrive at “Reply to Confirmation”

      3.3  Configure Undetected Email Accounts

If you entered any undetected address(es) into the fields at the bottom of step 3.1, type the associated mail server address information into this table. You cannot change the settings of accounts that were detected automatically. If any data for those addresses is incorrect, return to step 1; UN-check the address at the top of the screen and enter it into the fields at the bottom. Then proceed again through the sequence of steps.

Figure 1 (Email Configuration Step #3) — Configure Undetected Email Accounts

This information is available from your service provider, but you can also find it within the configuration menus of your email application. Look under tools, options, or accounts. Mail programs refer to each personally configured email account as an identity, personality, profile or simply an account.

a)  Email Address

You cannot change these from within this step. The table presents the email addresses that you selected or entered manually in 3.1. These are the addresses that you wish to protect from spam. They might be the addresses that you give to friends and colleagues or the destination box at your provider into which your public addresses are forwarded.

b)  Outgoing (SMTP) Mail Server

Enter the address of the outgoing mail server through which your PC sends mail…

To locate this information, launch your email application and view the mail server settings for the account that you want protected. In most email applications, this configuration field is called “SMTP address” or “outgoing mail server”. It does not contain the “@” symbol.

c)  Incoming (POP) Mail Server

Enter the address of the mail server from which you retrieve mail at your ISP or mail provider. In most email applications, this field is called “incoming mail server” or “POP address”. It does not contain the “@” symbol.

d)  Account Name

Enter the login or username with which you pick up mail from the incoming (POP) mail server at your ISP or mail provider. Typically this is the part of your email address before the “@” symbol, but some mail services require your entire email address or another username that was assigned when you signed up for service.

To locate this information, launch your email application and view the mail server settings for the account that you want protected. In most email applications, this configuration field is called username, or login.

e)  Challenge Identity

If you configure Vanquish to accept mail from unknown senders who respond to a challenge (section 4), they receive mail that identifies their original message by date, subject, and a challenge Identity that is chosen by the protected recipient. Enter a name or phrase that identifies you to these strangers. It should make sense when used in this sentence: “Your email to __________________ has not yet been delivered.”

Don’t offer your full name, because senders you challenge are likely to be strangers. Likewise, avoid using your email address, because it can be harvested by spammers and lead to an increased network traffic. Senders already know your email addresses, but if you forward mail, your protected addresses may not be recognized. We recommend you use your first name, a nickname, or the name of your company.

·    Click Next when you have entered all the required information. Vanquish displays the Email Client Settings screen.

·    Vanquish lists updated SMTP and POP information. Copy this information into your email application in the menus which configures mail server addresses.

      3.4  Reply to Confirmation for Each Protected Address

Vanquish sends automated mailings to ensure that you have access to the addresses you wish to protect. Launch your email program and reply to the message for each protected account by clicking on the link contained in each message. Alternatively, you may reply to each message if your email program does not support active links, but this method will not provide the instant feedback described in the next paragraph.

As you confirm each address from within your email program, return to the Vanquish Step 4 configuration screen and observe the symbols to the left of each selected addresses. A green check mark reflects their newly protected status.

Figure 2 — Replay to Confirmation for Protected Addresses

4.  Configure Preferences

After you configure your protected email addresses, the installer brings you to the main Preferences screen. You can also enter this screen at any time Van­quish is running by either right-clicking on ‘V’ in the Windows tray or clicking Preferences on the blue Vanquish control banner at the top off any incoming messages.

Figure 3 — Set User Preferences

The first 5 check boxes allow you to choose the anti-spam techniques that you wish to enable. We recommend enabling all of these powerful features.

Bonded mail is a Vanquish exclusive. It allows unrecognized senders to personally guarantee your satisfaction with their message by placing real cash at risk. As more senders adopt Vanquish, it will enable you to receive email from responsible bulk mailers that are not admitted based on the other criteria below, such as purchase confirmations, opt-in newsletters, or mailers who are sending from a different email domain than you expected.

Challenges allow an unrecognized sender to demonstrate that they provided you with a real return address and that the message was sent to a limited audience. The challenge cannot be solved by automated programs, but it is designed to be simple for an individual to solve.

SmartSubject™ is a Vanquish exclusive. It ensures that you will receive replies to your own outgoing mail, even if the reply is sent from a different email address than your original message. To accomplish this, Vanquish scans inbound mail – before it is even downloaded – and looks for subjects that fully or substantially match your recently sent mail. When enabling this feature, choose the number of days for which you want to accept messages with subjects that match your outgoing mail.

Warn on Shutdown:  This feature tells Vanquish to warn you of unintended conse­quences whenever you manually exit the program…

Vanquish operates most of the time as a background process with little or no user interaction. It tests and bonds email, while maintaining your lists of senders and do­mains. Although you may exit Vanquish at any time by right-clicking on the ‘V’ icon in the Windows tray, there are better alternatives.

When you installed Vanquish, your email programs were re-configured to send and receive messages through a local “proxy” – a program that resides between your email application and your internet connection. If you wish to temporarily sidestep Vanquish functions, it is better to use the Bypass mode which is also accessed from the tray icon. Alternatively, you can uninstall Vanquish completely, which will result in the restora­tion of your original email application settings.

SurfMatch™ is a Vanquish exclusive. It ensures that you will receive messages from web sites at which you make a purchase or at which you fill in and submit forms. The feature is experimental and may interfere with submitting forms at some web sites. To experiment with this feature, you must manually configure your browser:

In Internet Explorer: Tools à Internet Options à Connections à LAN Settings

Check the box “Use Automatic Configuration Script”, and enter this address:

http://www.vanquish.com/app/proxy/surfmatch.pac

The list of domains that are flagged for admission can be viewed by right-clicking the “V” tray icon à Configure Domains. If the list fills with domains from large ISPs and popular web mail services, such as AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo, click Exclude Domain on the banner of any incoming message. This is different than Block Domain. In just the first week of use, you will generate a very thorough Exclude list.

Even when you exclude a domain, you continue to receive mail from any user that matches any other criteria (bonded, challenge, smart subject, etc). In fact, you can explicitly allow sub-domains that take precedence over an excluded domain. This is helpful for admitting messages from an organization that doesn't own a domain. For example, if you get mail from Bobs-Hats.YahooStores.com, you can admit mail from Bobs-Hats without admitting all Yahoo stores. To control your list of admitted, exclu­ded and blocked domains, use the Domain List editor, which can be accessed from the ‘V’ icon in your Windows tray (next to Configure).

5.  Create a List of Allowed Senders

There are three ways to load your Allow List with the email addresses of your contacts.

      5.1  Direct Entry Method

Click Preferences à Allow/Block Lists. The box at the top may be loaded with any number of email addresses. It is not necessary to place each address be on a separate line. They will be accepted as long as they are separated by any character that is not part of a valid email address, such as comma, space, semicolon, etc.

Once an address has been entered, the check boxes to the left can be used to select multiple addresses for action. The action buttons are shown at bottom; currently Delete or Move To Block List.

      5.2  Import an Email Address Book (Best for initial loading)

It may be easier to transfer your entire address book using this alternate technique...

Send mail with Subject: vq--add-users-to-allow-list--vq . This special subject tells your local Vanquish proxy to intercept the message without sending it out of your PC.* Although you can place your list of addresses on either To, Cc, or Bcc, we strongly recommend using Bcc. In the event that you make an error in the Subject syntax, you won't send your entire address book to everyone on your list.

* As with the other methods, the Allow List loading will not send your address list out of your PC. However, with this method #2, it is necessary for your mail application to begin an SMTP session with a remote server. So, if you have no internet connection, you cannot not use this method. Either wait until you are online or use the first method described above.

      5.3  Use SmartMaintenance™  (Best for ongoing use)

You will be surprised how quickly you can build your list of Allowed addresses by simply enabling Vanquish SmartMaintenance™ from within the Preferences screen. This feature – enabled by default – causes Vanquish to automatic­ally add addresses to your Allow list whenever you send to a new address or whenever another sender solves your challenge. You will have an opportunity to exclude the sender from your Allow list as each message arrives from senders who solved your challenges.

Of course, bonded senders will always be allowed unless you have blocked them.

6.  List Management

      6.1  View and Edit the Allow List

Vanquish allows you to view, add, and modify the status of individual senders. Use the radio buttons to modify status. The colored background indicates the current status. You may also add addresses into this list manually, using the entry box at the top.

Figure 4 — Allow List Editor

·   Allow       Messages from this address are admitted to your IN box.

·   List          The message is admitted if either the From address or To address matches the entry. This is useful for accepting mail from list servers.

·   Block       The sending address is blocked, based on a test of the From header. Vanquish does not send a “courtesy” response to Blocked addresses.

·   Remove    The message is deleted at your provider’s server when you next check your mail. (Until then, it will continue to be shown in this list).

      6.2  View and Edit the Domain List

Just as Vanquish allows you to admit or block individual senders, you can do the same for domains or even sub-domains. Deeper sub-domains take precedence over more general domains. For example, you could Allow mail from yale.edu, while blocking mail from drama.yale.edu.

·   Allow       Messages from this domain or sub-domain are admitted to your IN box, unless a sub-domain is explicitly blocked elsewhere in this same list.

·   Block       The sending domain is completely blocked, unless a sub-domain is explicitly allowed based in the Domain List, or the sender’s email address is listed in the Allow List.

·   Exclude    The domain is not blocked, but it is not automatically added to the Do­main Match list by SurfMatch™, if enabled. Individual senders are still admitted based on any other means enabled in Preferences: Allow list, chal­lenge, SmartSubject™, or including a bond.

·   Remove    The domain is deleted from this Allowed list. It will receive no special treatment. Incoming mail is still subject to individual sender rights.

7.  View Challenges Pending

After a month of using SmartMaintenance™, you may never need to inspect your list of challenged messages. That’s because the addresses of confirmations, newsletters and other automated ‘bots’ from which you desire mail are either listed within your Allow or Domain lists, or a SmartSubject™ entry matches a recent outgoing message.

Just as you can manipulate the status of addresses and domains, you can also change the status of any message that has been challenged. By marking radio buttons at left, you can prepare to change the status of any messages to

·   Hold         [default] – The message is held at the server until the challenge is solved, or expires in accordance with your configure preference setting.

·   Release     The message is released when you next check your mail.

·   Delete      The message is deleted at your provider’s server when you next check your mail. (Until then, it will continue to be shown in this list).

      View Other Advanced Data

The other advanced link allows you to view more esoteric information stored in your person­al database. This data is dynamic and is used to manage the overall process of admitting desirable messages–while blocking or challenging messages from spammers.

For example, you can view a list of your recent subjects sent, or see a list of individuals with whom you have exchanged bonds. These are other Vanquish users with whom you have sent and received mail. Once you establish this two-way relationship, their bond enjoys a special ‘no-cash required’ status. If you subsequently become irritated with their mail, your penalty button will not cause them a financial penalty, but instead reverts their status to that of an unrecognized sender. That is, their bond becomes ‘live’ and again represents a cash liability which can be penalized at your discretion.

8.  Uninstall Procedure

As an alternative to uninstalling Vanquish, you may wish to either operate in Bypass Mode (right-click on the ‘V’ icon in the Windows tray), or alternatively remove the Vanquish shortcut from your Startup folder (click Start à Programs à Startup. Then drag the ‘V’ icon onto the desktop). With this latter method, remember to remove Vanquish extensions from the server address settings that were modified within your email application configuration when you installed Vanquish. To do this, close Van­quish and open the email application(s) with which you use Vanquish.  Locate the ‘configure account’ dialog. The menu may refer to it as a mail identity or personality.

The complete uninstall procedure consists of four steps:

·    Confirm Protected Email Addresses

·    Delete the Vanquish Application

·    Delete the Vanquish Application Folder

·    Reset Email Accounts

      8.1  Confirm Protected Email Addresses

Before uninstalling, determine which email address (or addresses) are pro­tected by Vanquish. Either make a list of these addresses or print out the Email Account screen under the Configuration option. Save this information: you will need it in later steps.

      8.2  Delete the Vanquish Application

1)  Close Vanquish and your email application.

2)  Click Start à Settings à Control Panel à Add/Remove Programs

3)  Locate Vanquish near the bottom of the list and remove the program

If you wish to reinstall Vanquish after uninstalling it, go to https://users.vanquish.com  and enter your User ID and password under the heading Existing User.

      8.3  Save or Delete Address List and other User Data

1)  Close your email application and all other Windows programs.

2)  Rename or Delete the .vanquish  folder and any subfolders. It is stored under the Windows folder or – for PCs that require user login – it is under Documents & Settings and the login name of the Vanquish user.

3)  Delete the vanquish folder and all subfolders. It is stored under Program Files.

      8.4  Reset Email Accounts

Take your computer off the network. This is not necessary, but it prevents a flood of spam as you reset the accounts.

1.    Get the list of protected email addresses you made in the Confirm Protected Email Addresses procedure.

2.    Open your email application.

3.    For each protected account on your list, remove the .vq.username. entry on both the incoming and outgoing SMTP and POP settings. 

4.    Close the email application.

9.  Technical Support

Vanquish users enjoy an active user forum. Visit http://vanquish.com/forum . Addi­tion­ally, if you acquired Vanquish through an ISP or mail service provider, add /vanquish to their home page URL to learn more about support. Vanquish also offers paid support on a per-event basis. Visit www.vanquish.com/support/  for price and support options.

10.  Theory of Operation

Vanquish is a software ‘proxy’, residing in the communications pipeline between your existing email application and the internet connection to your ISP or email service. Vanquish never sends or fetches mail by itself. Only your email program can initiate this – initiated by you or a timer that you previously configured.

Instead, Vanquish quietly waits for incoming mail addressed to the accounts of your choice and tests each message against the rules shown on the back page. The most unique and empowering feature of Vanquish is its ability to look for and validate a bond, which indicates that the sender has placed cash at risk. The sender is voluntarily granting you – the recipient – the instantaneous, irrevocable, and incontrovertible discretion to penalize him or her for any reason.

Likewise, Vanquish can add bonds to your outgoing mail so that other subscribers will accept your message without filters or delay. Unlike filters, the process of bonding and testing does not attempt inspect the contents of your mail, the path through which it was sent, nor even a sender’s identity. These filtering techniques are obsolete, as they are subject to deception, missed detection, and false alarms (identifying a desirable message as spam). When senders agree to bond their mail, the chances of encountering your displeasure are slim, because the ‘filtering’ takes place in the mind of the sender. Senders who know you – or who are very certain of the conditions under which you would accept contact from a stranger – will bond their message. But senders who blast messages to audiences that are both large and untargeted cannot afford the risk of an empowered recipient

      10.1  Using Vanquish on Multiple PCs

We recognize that email users may need to send and receive mail from more than one PC. Vanquish supports the use of a single Activation Code on multiple PCs, but not simultaneously. To avoid duplicate challenges and to ensure access to your Allowed lists and digital signature, each PC must access the same personal database when send­ing or receiving mail from one of your protected addresses:

1.  Only one email program may be active at a time. Do not leave a program check­ing mail at home while you are also checking mail from work. If you must leave an email program running, or if a family member must access your email address, use your provider’s webmail interface when checking mail remotely.

2.  Cary your Vanquish personal data file between PCs on a floppy disc or keychain drive and either copy data before launching Vanquish or specify the removable media as your data folder (configured from the Vanquish Preferences screen). This ensures that your digital certificate is available to bond mail and penalize senders, that your addresses and domain lists are current; and that you will not issue duplicate chal­lenges to unrecognized senders from each PC.

      10.2  Norton Anti-Virus

Users of Norton Anti-Virus or Norton SystemWorks may experience a problem which causes outgoing mail to be sent twice. To resolve the problem, disable outgoing email scanning from the Norton Anti-Virus control panel (Click Options à Email Scanning).

      10.3  SurfMatch™ Interaction

SurfMatch is an experimental feature and is still under development. We have received reports that it can prevent certain web sites from bringing up a new page after filling in a form or other action. We are working to resolve the problem. There is no danger in enabling the feature. See page 10 for details. If you encounter problems, disable it from Preferences and remove the proxy address setting that you added to your browser.