Anti-Virus, Firewall, and Security Software Configuration Guide

PokerTracker 4 version 4.0.x
October 25, 2013
  • Overview

    There are several different firewalls which are known to cause problems with PokerTracker 4 and PostgreSQL. If you are experiencing registration problems or PostgreSQL connectivity issues, please follow the instructions for your firewall below.

    PokerTracker 4 automatically connects to a registration server periodically to validate and update your registration information.  PostgreSQL is the database server used to store hand history information and is a required component of the PokerTracker 4, a firewall has the potential to block communication between PokerTracker 4 and PostgreSQL.


    Many common personal computer Firewalls are included in this guide, but there are far too many to include instructions for all options available.  If your Firewall is not listed then please see General Firewall Troubleshooting.

    If you have followed the instructions in this troubleshooting guide and continue to have issues, please contact PokerTracker Support.

  • General Firewall Troubleshooting

    Most firewalls installed on your personal computer provide you with the ability to grant certain programs varying levels of Internet access called exceptions since they deviate from your “general” firewall rules. Typically you can do this by configuring your firewall and locating a section called “Program Control”, “Process Control”, “Application Control” or something similar dependent on your operating system.


    If you are having issues verifying registration or problems with PokerTracker 4 connecting to the PostgreSQL database it is imperative that you allow FULL Internet access for the following four processes:

    • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTracker4.exe
    • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTrackerHud4.exe
    • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\pg_ctl.exe (x.x refers to the version of PostgreSQL installed on your computer)
    • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\postgres.exe (x.x refers to the version of PostgreSQL installed on your computer)

    As a precaution we advise once you add exceptions to your firewall to allow the four programs listed above FULL Internet access then you should restart your computer for the changes to take place.

    Once your computer has restarted, you should no longer have any type of firewall issues which prevent PokerTracker 4 or PostgreSQL from operating properly.

    If you continue to experience problems, please contact PokerTracker Support.

     

    • AVG® AntiVirus

       

      AVG Website: http://www.avg.com
       
      AVG may inhibit PostgreSQL from working properly, or it may cause PostgreSQL to crash. To determine if AVG is the cause disable the antvirus tool, restart, and attempt to use PokerTracker 4 once again.  If the crash does not occur, then we advise uninstalling AVG, to be replaced by a more compliant free antivirus tool such as Microsoft Security Essentials.
       
      Please direct all AVG AntiVirus related product questions to AVG's technical support department which is located at http://www.avg.com/support
    • Norton 360™ version 2.0

      Norton Website: http://www.symantec.com/norton/index.jsp


      You may be eligible for a FREE upgrade to Norton 360 version 3.0 or later which does not have nearly as many problems with PokerTracker 4 and PostgreSQL. You can find the free upgrade here:

      Norton 360 : Free Upgrade

      After upgrading to the latest version of Norton 360, restart your computer to resolve the issue. If it does not, please follow the instructions listed under General Firewall Troubleshooting.


      Please direct all Norton related product questions to Norton’s technical support department which is located at http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/dtree.jsp

      Norton 360 also has a forum on the Norton website for users to discuss issues with one another:http://community.norton.com/norton/board?board.id=Norton_360

       

    • Norton™ Internet Security / Personal Firewall

      Norton Website: http://www.symantec.com/norton/index.jsp


      If you are using Norton™ Internet Security, follow these steps:

      • Open Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall.
      • Click Settings
      • Go to the Network tab, select "Smart Firewall" along the left, and click "Configure" Program Control. 

      Norton Smart Firewall

      • Click Add. You will see the "Select a program" browse window.
      • Navigate to C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\pg_ctl.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)
      • Select that file.
      • Click Open. You will see the Program Control dialog box. It has the following choices:
        • Allow
        • Block
        • Manually configure Internet access
      • Select "Allow".
      • Click OK. Your application will be added to the list.
      • Repeat the steps above and add more "Allow" rules for the following programs:
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\postgres.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)
        • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTracker4.exe
        • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTrackerHud4.exe
      • Click OK. Close Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall.
      • Restart your computer for the changes to take place.

      These steps above have been adapted from Symantec's directions, located at http://service1.symantec.com/Support/nip.nsf/docid/2006101617551936?Open&docid=2003022714315536&nsf=nip.nsf&view=docid


      Please direct all Norton related product questions to Norton’s technical support department which is located at http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/dtree.jsp.

       

    • McAfee® Internet Security Firewall

      McAfee Website: http://www.mcafee.com


      McAfee may, in certain situations, require exceptions be added to allow PokerTracker and to function properly. In order to add these exceptions, follow these steps:

      • Open McAfee Internet Security
      • Click on Firewall and then Settings

      McAfee Firewall Settings

      • Click Internet Connections for Programs
      • If PokerTracker4.exe is already on the list, edit the permission to "Full" Access
      • If PokerTracker4.exe is not listed, add it to the list by scroll down to "Add"
      • Click "Browse", locate the C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4 folder, and then double-click the PokerTracker4 file. (Note: The computer settings determine whether the file name is followed by the extension ".exe")
      • Make sure that Access is set to "Full" for PokerTracker4. (If it isn't, change it in the drop down menu)
      • Click "Save" to save your settings.

      McAfee Poker Tracker 4 Firewall

      • Repeat the above steps for the following files:
        • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTrackerHud4.exe
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\pg_ctl.exe (x.x refers to the version of PostgreSQL installed on your computer)
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\postgres.exe (x.x refers to the version of PostgreSQL installed on your computer)

      Several different McAfee products contain Net Guard which may also cause problems with installation PostgreSQL. If Net Guard is installed on your computer and you are having issues installing PostgreSQL, please proceed to the next section titled McAfee Net Guard.


      Please direct all McAfee related product questions to McAfee’s technical support department which is located at http://www.mcafee.com/us/support/index.html.

      • McAfee® with McAfee Net Guard

        McAfee Website: http://www.mcafee.com

        Several different variations of McAfee products contain a feature called McAfee Net Guard.

        MacAfee Net Guard may not allow PostgreSQL to install properly. Please disable Net Guard prior to the installation of PostgreSQL. Once PostgreSQL is installed, you may reboot and re-enable Net Guard as Net Guard should not interfere with PostgreSQL once it is installed.

        Please direct all McAfee related product questions to McAfee’s technical support department which is located at http://www.mcafee.com/us/support.aspx.

         

    • Kaspersky ® 2010 products

      Kaspersky Website: http://www.kaspersky.com


      This includes Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012.  If you experience any firewall issues between Kaspersky 2012 programs and either PostgreSQL or PokerTracker 4, please follow the steps outlined below:

      • Open Kaspersky 2012.
      • Click "Settings" on the top-right hand corner of the main Kaspersky window.
      • Click "Advanced Settings" (the little box icon in the upper left) and select "Threats and exclusions".
      • Under "Exclusions" section, click the "Settings..." button.
      • Select the "Trusted Applications" tab and then click "Add".

      Kaspersky Firewall Settings

      • Browse to and locate the following file: C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTracker4.exe
      • Check all of the Exclusion boxes then click "OK".

      PokerTracker 4 Firewall Settings

      • Repeat the steps above for the following files:
        • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTrackerHud4.exe
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\postgres.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\pg_ctl.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)
      • Click "OK" then "Apply" to save your changes.

      Please direct all Kaspersky related product questions to the Kaspersky technical support department which is located at http://www.kaspersky.com/support/.

       

    • Avira®

      Avira Website: http://www.avira.com

      Avira antivirus has been known to occasionally and incorrectly detect PokerTracker 4 and parts of the PokerTracker software suite as a Trojan horse virus. First, please make sure that your anti-virus definitions are updated.

      If you are still receiving this alert and you have downloaded PokerTracker from the official PokerTracker website then you can be assured that this is a false-positive and PokerTracker is completely clean. We also suggest that you directly contact Avira to notify them of this false-positive alert at http://www.avira.com/en/support/.

       

    • Comodo Firewall

      Comodo Firewall:  http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/firewall.php

      If you experience any firewall issues between the Comodo Firewall and either PostgreSQL or PokerTracker 4, please follow the steps outlined below:

      • Open Comodo Firewall
      • Go to the Firewall tab
      • Click on "Define A New Trusted Application"

      Comodo Firewall Settings

      • Click "Select" and then "Browse"

      Add Firewall Exceptions

      • Browse to the following file:  C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTracker4.exe 
      • Apply the settings
      • Repeat the steps above for the following files:
        • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTrackerHud4.exe
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\postgres.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\pg_ctl.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)

      Select users have had issues with the Comodo Firewall and the HUD on PokerStars Zoom tables.  If you have followed the steps above and continue to have issues, please disable the Comodo Firewall and consider using another firewall for the time being.

    • F-Secure®

      F-Secure Website: http://www.f-secure.com


      F-Secure can be named one of several things, including Charter Security Suite, Shaw Secure, Orange Firewall or an array of other names.

      If you experience any firewall issues between F-Secure programs and either PostgreSQL or PokerTracker 4, please follow the steps outlined below:

      • Open F-Secure
      • Click Settings
      • Click "Application Control" along the menu on the left and go to the "Applications" tab
      • Click "Add" and then browse to the following file:  C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTracker4.exe 
      • Make sure both outbound and inbound connections are set to "Allow"

      F Secure Poker Tracker 4

      • Repeat the steps above for the following files:
        • C:\Program Files\PokerTracker 4\PokerTrackerHud4.exe
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\postgres.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)
        • C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\x.x\bin\pg_ctl.exe (x.x refers the version of PostgreSQL on your computer)

      FSecure Firewall Applications

      Once all the applications are added, click "OK" to save your settings

      Please direct all F-secure related product questions to F-Secure customer support page which is located at http://www.f-secure.com/en_EMEA/support/.

    • NetNanny®

      NetNanny Website: http://www.netnanny.com

      NetNanny may not allow PostgreSQL to be installed. In this case, please temporarily disable NetNanny during the PokerTracker 4 and PostgreSQL installation. Once installed properly, you can safely re-enable NetNanny with no negative impact on PokerTracker or PostgreSQL.

      Please direct all NetNanny related product questions to NetNanny support which is located at http://www.netnanny.com/support.

       

    • Recommended Free Alternatives

      Desktop Firewall
      ZoneAlarm®: Basic Free Firewall
      http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/free-upgrade-security-suite-zonealarm-firewall.htm

      Anti-Virus
      Microsoft Security Essentials
      http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/security-essentials-download
       

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