ProxHTTPSProxy and HTTPSProxy in Windows XP for future use

[Dave-H]

So what does the ProxHTTPSProxy.exe file actually do in ProxyMII?
Does it just run the ProxHTTPSProxy.bat batch file?
I must say that I was puzzled as to why it was there, and I did wonder if it was there for compatibility reasons with other versions.

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, Dave-H said:

So what does the ProxHTTPSProxy.exe file actually do in ProxyMII?
Does it just run the ProxHTTPSProxy.bat batch file?
I must say that I was puzzled as to why it was there, and I did wonder if it was there for compatibility reasons with other versions.

Compiling an exe from a bat file has a few advantages. You can assign a program icon, facilitate the control of the cmd window, and add further files, all in one exe. I did that in my ProxHTTPSProxy's PopMenu, too.  ProxHTTPSProxy.exe is just a small program to launch the proxy, presumably a compiled version of the batch file ProxHTTPSProxy.bat. In Windows XP, I can't examine this file due to the need of .NET Framework 4.6 which is not supported.  That should be done on Windows 7 or higher.

PS: @Dave-H Maybe, the reason @cmalex created ProxHTTPSProxy.exe is that all users of ProxHTTPSProxy usually start the proxy using this exe, and would be confused if it wasn't there. 

Edited July 20, 2022 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[TuMaGoNx]

@AstroSkipper is this really need python3 or this also support python 2.7? its just a bit lame to use py 3.4 whic EOLed much earlier, when python 2.7 also support tls1.3

[AstroSkipper]

6 hours ago, TuMaGoNx said:

@AstroSkipper is this really need python3 or this also support python 2.7? its just a bit lame to use py 3.4 whic EOLed much earlier, when python 2.7 also support tls1.3

@cmalex created PROXYMII by using Python 3.7.1. If you have detailed questions about the source code or how this proxy was programmed, you have to address your request to @cmalex. I am not a Python programmer and can't assess which Python version is more suitable or which features they differ in.  . Anyway, ProxyMII is absolutely great, and honestly, I don't really know what your statement is supposed to tell us.   
For me, it doesn't really matter whether ProxyMII was programmed with Python 2.7 or Python 3.7.1. I am glad that we finally have a TLS 1.3 proxy that works perfectly. 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited July 20, 2022 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[TuMaGoNx]

okay, where I could get latest ProxHTTPSProxy.py ? I got v1.5 from @cmalex is this the latest? 
what I trying to say is if tls1.3 support in python is a dependecy, then I'd rather run it with python 2.7 which serviced longer than 3.4. Usually py3 script can be backported to py2 with help from backports.* package.

[AstroSkipper]

2 minutes ago, TuMaGoNx said:

okay, where I could get latest ProxHTTPSProxy.py ? I got v1.5 from @cmalex is this the latest? 
what I trying to say is if tls1.3 support in python is a dependecy, then I'd rather run it with python 2.7 which serviced longer than 3.4. Usually py3 script can be backported to py2 with help from backports.* package.

The latest versions of ProxyMII and 3proxy can be found in this post: 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

[AstroSkipper]

55 minutes ago, TuMaGoNx said:

what I trying to say is if tls1.3 support in python is a dependecy, then I'd rather run it with python 2.7 which serviced longer than 3.4. Usually py3 script can be backported to py2 with help from backports.* package.

When it comes to security, then follwing rule is most important: the more recent the better. In @cmalex's latest release (220717) of ProxyMII, openssl has been updated to 3.0.5 and cryptography to 3.4.8. Nothing else matters for me. 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited July 20, 2022 by AstroSkipper

[TuMaGoNx]

just a nitpick, I could compile any (future) openssl version I want with python. or compile last py35 fully compatible to xp with no funny hack involved, but python itself is deadend for xp, both py2/py3, and the last serviced python for xp is python 2.7.18. That's my point.

[AstroSkipper]

48 minutes ago, TuMaGoNx said:

but python itself is deadend for xp, both py2/py3, and the last serviced python for xp is python 2.7.18. That's my point.

I already knew that Python has been abandoned for Windows XP. 2.7.18 is the last official version compatible with Windows XP.
 

51 minutes ago, TuMaGoNx said:

just a nitpick, I could compile any (future) openssl version I want with python. or compile last py35 fully compatible to xp with no funny hack involved

Thanks! Good to know.

[genieautravail]

16 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

Hi @cmalex and all interested users of ProxHTTPSProxy!
At the moment, I am working on a full implementation of @cmalex's ProxyMII in my PopMenu. As I stated several times, I am not a Python programmer, but rather a batch programmer. The most is working fine, so far. I wrote small programs to activate or deactivate the proxy in the IE LAN settings. No problem at all. I was also able to create two other programs, one of which activates the proxy in the IE LAN settings and runs the proxy, the other closes the proxy and deactivates the proxy in the IE LAN settings, in both cases automatically. Works! But there is one problem. The launcher of ProxMII does not activate or deactivate the proxy in the IE LAN settings by itself. @heinoganda provided the executable ProxHTTPSProxy_PSwitch.exe which activates the proxy in the IE LAN settings, runs the proxy, and, closing the proxy manually, leads to its deactivation in the IE LAN settings automatically. Unfortunately, such an executable does not exist in the archive of @cmalex's ProxyMII. This means closing the proxy manually does not deactivate its settings in the IE LAN settings. Same problem when starting the proxy manually. @heinoganda created ProxHTTPSProxy_PSwitch.exe as a SFX archive which performs the activation or deactivation by using his batch file ProxySwitch.bat. You see all is a bit complicated, and once @Dave-H mentioned @heinoganda was an one man band without other contributors. Therefore, we'll presumably never know how he created the ProxHTTPSProxy_PSwitch.exe. Of course, it's not necessary to have such a file, but it is really nice to see that the proxy is activated or deactivated in the IE LAN settings  when starting or closing the proxy. I examined the file ProxHTTPSProxy_PSwitch.exe, I wrote several batch files to get this functionality. Unfortunately, without any success.I tried the commands "start /wait" and "call", but it doesn't work.
So, here is my question to all having knowledge in batch programming. What kind of ways do exist to start an executable in a batch file, and after closing it manually, to perform the next tasks in this batch? As I already said, the command start /wait does not work in the case of this proxy. It leads to ^C interruption and the batch can't perform the next tasks. I need some suggestions to solve the problem or the confirmation that this can't be solved using batch programming. I think the problem is that there is no compiled main program. The proxy is called by the program python37.exe, loading a py file. This is the existing command to start the proxy: python\python37 "%~dp0ProxHTTPSProxy.py", contained in the file ProxHTTPSProxy.bat. There is still an alternative file to start the proxy named ProxHTTPSProxy.exe. Thanks in advance! 

Sadly, batch isn't adapted for that.

You can try a loop in a batch file but the loop will stop if you don't keep the focus on the window.

For that, AutoIt is much more adapted.

AutoIt script can include batch commands and can be easily compiled into an executable.

Here an example of a loop that I use for killing hidden installs of C++ redistribuables:

 

$MICROSOFTVISUALCx86="vcredist_x86.exe"
$MICROSOFTVISUALCx64="vcredist_x64.exe"

Do

If ProcessExists ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx86) Then
	ProcessClose ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx86)
ElseIf ProcessExists ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx64) Then
	ProcessClose ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx64)
EndIf

Sleep (25)

Until 1=2

 

 

[genieautravail]

You must monitor the process ProxHTTPSProxy.exe

Edited July 20, 2022 by genieautravail

[jaclaz]

I am not sure to have understood the question, but there is nircmd that can kill a process from batch (or tasklist/taskkill).

Why would the focus on a window matter?

jaclaz

Edited July 20, 2022 by jaclaz

[AstroSkipper]

6 hours ago, genieautravail said:

Sadly, batch isn't adapted for that.

You can try a loop in a batch file but the loop will stop if you don't keep the focus on the window.

For that, AutoIt is much more adapted.

AutoIt script can include batch commands and can be easily compiled into an executable.

Here an example of a loop that I use for killing hidden installs of C++ redistribuables:

 

$MICROSOFTVISUALCx86="vcredist_x86.exe"
$MICROSOFTVISUALCx64="vcredist_x64.exe"

Do

If ProcessExists ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx86) Then
	ProcessClose ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx86)
ElseIf ProcessExists ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx64) Then
	ProcessClose ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx64)
EndIf

Sleep (25)

Until 1=2

 

 

One of my ideas was a loop using the command tasklist. Unfortunately, loops do have the disavantage of high processor load. 

5 hours ago, genieautravail said:

You must monitor the process python37.exe

That's correct! Alternatively, a monitoring of ProxHTTPSProxy.exe is possible if it exists (depends on the type of call), too.  

Edited July 20, 2022 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

11 minutes ago, jaclaz said:

I am not sure to have understood the question, but there is nurcmd that can kill a process from batch (or tasklist/taskkill).

Why would the focus on a window matter?

jaclaz

Hi @jaclaz, closing or killing a process can be done in different ways and is not the subject of my question. My question was

Quote

What kind of ways do exist to start an executable in a batch file, and, after closing it manually, to perform the next tasks in this batch?

I need ideas how to create one exe or bat file which activates the proxy ProxMII in the IE LAN settings, runs it, and deactivates its LAN settings when the proxy is closed manually by the user. Activating and running this proxy is no problem, but deactivating by closing the proxy is definitely a problem for me. 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

[AstroSkipper]

54 minutes ago, genieautravail said:

For that, AutoIt is much more adapted.

AutoIt script can include batch commands and can be easily compiled into an executable.

Here an example of a loop that I use for killing hidden installs of C++ redistribuables:

 

$MICROSOFTVISUALCx86="vcredist_x86.exe"
$MICROSOFTVISUALCx64="vcredist_x64.exe"

Do

If ProcessExists ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx86) Then
	ProcessClose ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx86)
ElseIf ProcessExists ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx64) Then
	ProcessClose ($MICROSOFTVISUALCx64)
EndIf

Sleep (25)

Until 1=2

I have heard a lot about AutoIt. I'll take a deeper look into it the next days. But, what about the processor load of such a loop using AutoIt?