1.) Why does my Tor Browser auto-reset the DisableNetwork setting to "1" after Tor Browser shutsdown for a clean "Exit"?
2.) How should I stop this settings auto-reset behavior so I do not have to re-edit the torrc configuration file every time I want to start Tor Browser?
3.) Does my manually resetting DisableNetwork to 0 before I restart Tor Browser harm my Tor online security settings in any way?
I run WinXP Home SP3 with local Administrator rights & the latest MS patches are up to date with the latest Tor Browser version 5.5.1. As far as I know, the McAfee Anti-Virus software I have installed does not interfere with Tor Browser or its settings. I have enabled the MS Security Center to enable ports 80, 443 for Tor Browser and obsf4 use.
Whenever I successfully open Tor Browser and eventually close Tor when I am finished, the DisableNetwork setting always auto-resets from 0 to 1 for no apparent reason. All other Tor Browser settings and changes are correctly saved, but not the DisableNetwork setting. No file or app error is listed in the WinXP system/app event log and DisableNetwork is not located in Firefox's about:config. The only Tor Browser listing for DisableNetwork is in torrc settings file. This unannounced DisableNetwork settings change prevents me from restarting Tor Browser unless I manually edit the Torrc file.
As a result, I only have 2 or 3 options to successfully restart Tor Browser.
The first option is to edit the text file c:\documents and settings\test user\desktop\tor browser\browser\torbrowser\data\tor\torrc to change the DisableNetwork setting from 1 to 0. Tor Browser will then run correctly after I make the DisableNetwork setting change. However DisableNetwork will later change back 1 when the Tor app is closed.
The second option is more tedious & time consuming, where I have to reinstall Tor Browser through a TorProject.org update or upgrade. Upon successful startup, I then have to reconfigure Tor Browser as if it is a totally new install of the software.
A third option after Tor Browser shutdown could be to create a batch file to copy a pre-saved torrc file that includes DisableNetwork 0 to overwrite the original torrc file. However, this is a temporary workaround and not a solution to why the DisableNetwork setting changes.
Any suggestion would be appreciated! I have experienced this same DisableNetwork settings problem when using Tor for the past several years...
