Options
The Options allow you to change how Online Armor works in a more general way. While the other items in the main menu allow you to fine tune control of Online Armor’s protection, the Options allow you to make changes that affect how Online Armor behaves in general, without regard to individual programs or protection settings. You can access the Options by opening the Online Armor Control Panel and selecting Options from the Main Menu.
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- Automatically allow trusted programs to access the internet (Video)
- Display a small popup when trusted programs are allowed access (Video)
- Show or hide the firewall activity in the system tray (Video)
- Show me where to find backup settings (Video)
- Show me how to backup settings (Video)
- Show me how to restore settings (Video)
The General tab allows you to change settings in Online Armor that are not related to protection. These options include the following:
- Check for updates – Allows you to change how often Online Armor will automatically check for updates. This includes both software updates to Online Armor and updates to OASIS and the Antivirus definitions (if you are using Online Armor ++). If you change this setting to “Manual only”, then Online Armor will never check for updates automatically; only checking when you initiate the check yourself.
- Internet Settings – Allows you to configure a proxy server if needed, such as if you are on a company network.
- Send anonymous information… – Allows you to change whether Online Armor will automatically send information back to the Online Armor team regarding programs that you Allow or Block using Online Armor. You can click the link at the end of the text to read our privacy policy regarding the information sent. This helps to add new programs to OASIS, strengthening protection and making Online Armor easier to use. This option is enabled by default.
- Interface language – Allows you to change what language Online Armor uses.
- Mode – Allows you to change between Standard, Advanced, and Banking modes.
- Enable multi desktop support – Enables support for virtual desktops.
- Enable GUI autolock – Allows you to choose whether Online Armor will be automatically locked after a few minutes of inactivity to ensure that it is not accidentally left unlocked if you must step away from the computer. This feature will only be available if a password has been set.
- Launch Online Armor at next startup – Allows you to change whether Online Armor will automatically start the next time your computer is rebooted. This option is enabled by default.
- Enable debug mode – When you enable this feature, Online Armor will create detailed logs that can help our developers to see what Online Armor is doing when a problem occurs. Debug mode should only be enabled if you are experiencing an issue that you have been asked to obtain logs for, as logging will reduce performance and the log files can get quite large if left enabled for an extended period of time.
The Firewall tab allows you to make overall changes to the Online Armor Firewall that are not covered in the Firewall settings. The Firewall tab contains the following options:
- Automatically allow Trusted programs to access the internet – Allows you to change whether Online Armor will automatically allow programs on the Trusted list. Disabling this option will cause Online Armor to pop-up when any program attempts to connect to the internet. This option is enabled by default.
- Notify me when programs are allowed to access the internet – Allows you to change whether Online Armor will show a balloon tip from the system tray when the Firewall automatically allows a Trusted program access to the internet. This option is only applicable if "Automatically allow trusted programs to access the internet" and/or "Autoconfigure trusted programs" are selected. This option is enabled by default.
- Autoconfigure trusted programs (Advanced mode only) – Allows you to change whether Online Armor will automatically create rules to allow ports and protocols as programs use them. Disabling this option will cause Online Armor to pop-up any time a program uses a new port or protocol not covered by an existing rule. This option is enabled by default.
- Enable logging – Changes whether Online Armor will keep a log of specified Firewall events.
- Additional debug info – Logs additional information needed for debugging firewall programs by the Online Armor development team. If you are gathering logs to send the Online Armor team to help resolve a problem, then please enable this option. This feature is not otherwise necessary.
- Default Logging Level – Allows you to select whether Online Armor logs only Allowed events, only Blocked events, or all Firewall activity.
- Block all the traffic during system boot – Allows you to configure Online Armor to automatically block all internet traffic while your computer is starting, when Online Armor cannot display Firewall pop-ups. This option may interfere with normal networking communications on some systems, preventing you from establishing a proper network connection until after Online Armor is fully running.
- Enable Windows Firewall when OA is disabled (Advanced mode only) – When ticked, this option will ensure that Windows Firewall is switched on, if you choose to shutdown Online Armor or untick the Firewall component on the General section. This option is enabled by default and can only be disabled in Advanced mode.
- Show firewall activity in tray – Allows you to change whether the Firewall status icon is shown in the system tray, the area next to the system clock in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. This option is enabled by default.
- New networks discovery – Allows Online Armor to detect new networks and lets you assign separate trust statuses to each new network via a popup. When this option is enabled, the interface status will then reflect the Trust status of the network you are currently connected to. If this option is disabled, Online Armor will not detect new networks and they will instead be treated according to the Trust status you have previously chosen for your interface. This option is enabled by default.
- Enable active subnet scan – If this option is enabled, Online Armor will periodically sends ARP packets to any other computers on your LAN to track whether they are on or off.
- Filter invalid MAC addresses (according to IEEE OUI listing) (Advanced Mode only) – Blocks connections originating from computers with invalid hardware (MAC) addresses. MAC addresses follow standards, so invalid addresses may indicate an intrusion attempt.
- Lookup external IP address - Checks the external IP address if you are behind a router and uses that address on screens such as the Firewall Status Display.
- Intercept Loopback interface – Some programs that filter internet content (such as some ad-blockers, antivirus software, and spam filters) operate as a proxy server which your internet software is then configured to connect to in order to connect to the internet. This connection is created using the “loopback interface.” Most loopback connections are harmless system functions, however if you are running a proxy that is already allowed to access the internet, malicious software could potentially use this software to connect to the internet without the Firewall alerting you. This option allows you to change whether Online Armor will pop-up when the loopback interface is used and is enabled by default.
- Uninstall Firewall (Advanced Mode only) – Allows you to remove the Firewall component of Online Armor while keeping the rest of the protection. You can use this option if the Firewall conflicts with another program or if you are using another firewall.
Note: Only one firewall should be installed on your computer as having two firewalls may prevent one or both firewalls from operating normally or may cause unpredictable system errors. The Windows Firewall is the exception to this rule, however it should be disabled while another firewall is installed.
This tab allows you to specify folders that will not be monitored by Online Armor in any way, preventing pop-ups or restrictions of any kind by Online Armor for the programs within the specified folders.
Note: This tab is not available in Online Armor Free
Allows you to create backups of your Online Armor settings so they can be fully restored at a later time, such as if you reinstall Online Armor.
You can also restore previously backed up settings in this tab.
Once you have created a backup of your settings a record will be created in the list below the Backup and Restore buttons for your reference.
The Backup/Restore Tab contains the following option:
- Enable autobackup – When enabled, Online Armor will automatically make a full settings backup to Program Files\Online Armor\Backup which can be used to restore your settings. Autobackups are made daily; either when the current days changes, or if the computer is not switched on at this time, an autobackup will be made during the next boot. This feature is enabled by default.
Note: This tab is not available in Online Armor Free
Allows you to see and configure key combinations (combinations of keys pressed on your keyboard) that control various functions on Online Armor.
You can change a Hotkey by either selecting it in the list and clicking the Set button, or double-clicking any entry in the list. Once a Hotkey is set the entry will be colored yellow for visual reference.
If you do not wish Online Armor to respond to any key combination then you can place a check in the box labeled “Disable Hotkeys” underneath the list.