The reason you had trouble with "Hide My IP" is that, "Hide My IP
chooses randomly from a list of hundreds of fake IPs from all around
the world spanning several countries." "Hide My IP Overview" Sky
Tray, Inc. (2006) http://www.hide-my-ip.com/product.shtml. As a
result, only if Hide My IP happened to choose a UK IP would you be
able to gain the access you seek. I could not locate anything on
their website that would allow you to control which countries it
selects from. Since you have already bought it, you might try
contacting them to see if there is anything you can do to make the
product usable for your purpose.
There are a couple of alternative approaches you can take to gaining
access by pretending to be located in the UK. The first, which is
easiest, involves another software purchase. I have not used either
of these personally, but they appear to perform the function you are
seeking.
This one has a free trial, but requires an extra program to limit the
proxy servers to only the UK that can only be obtained after purchase:
Hide IP Platinum "Bypass the restrictions by some owners of Internet
resources on users from certain countries or geographical regions"
"Hide IP Platinum" V7 Software Inc. (2005)
http://www.v7soft.net/hide-ip-platinum/index.htm
In the Help file it states: "How could I get proxy servers from the
country I want?
If you are Registered user we could give you a program let you import
your own proxy server list. Please tell us your Order ID in email."
Another one which does not have a free trial but looks simpler to use
since it explicitly is designed to allow you to change country
location:
"However, when you use the IP Address Changer, the information
available to websites that you visit is altered (IP address, ISP
server, and country location). Your IP address will appear to be
located in any of the following countries:
Country selections as of April 15, 2006: (changes occasionally)
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Slovakia, South Africa,
South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United
States (3 locations in U.S.), Venezuela"
"IP Address Changer" http://www.iprivacytools.com/
As this site notes, "IP Address Changer does not do anything that
Microsoft Corporation does not make inherently possible in Internet
Explorer. It just simplifies the process for the average user."
"Anonymous Surfing: How to Hide Your IP" Robin good (February 29,
2004) http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2004/02/29/anonymous_surfing_how_to_hide.htm
So, for free, you can try using anonymous proxy servers to get the
same effect. However, finding a proxy server that works requires a
lot more effort.
"If you want to hide your IP so that it appears you are from somewhere
else and to get past local goverment restrictions, you can use an
anonymous proxy from http://www.samair.ru/proxy.
Some of these will be slow or dead so test different ones.
To set your proxy in Internet Explorer: (Broadband)
Click the Tools menu and choose Internet Options
Click the Connections tab
Click LAN SETTINGS; check the USE PROXY SERVER box
Depending on the version of IE you are running, you may have to click
the ADVANCED box in order to enter the address of the proxy server and
the port number. Use port 8080 or 80 for HTTP.
Click OK on all dialog boxes to complete the process.
To set your proxy in Internet Explorer (Dial-up)
Click the Tools menu and choose Internet Options
Click the Connections tab
Now look for the Settings button (not the Lan Settings). Click it.
You will see another dialog box called "proxy server" which has a
checkbox for "use a proxy server." Check that box, then click the
ADVANCED button. For HTTP: enter the proxy address and port 8080 or
80.
Click OK on all dialog boxes to complete the process."
"Make Your IP Invisible to Anyone" Robin Good (June 19, 2003)
http://www.masternewmedia.org/2003/06/19/make_your_ip_invisible_to_anyone.htm
Note that you will want to select proxy servers located in the United
Kingdom from whatever list you use. Finding one that is currently
working with a decent speed is a trial and error process. You can use
the http://www.iprivacytools.com/ website to verify that you have
successfully obtained a UK IP address.
Another page with instructions for using proxy servers:
"Proxies" by ian and Snokrash, The Scream (2001)
http://www.the-scream.co.uk/html/resources/proxies.html
As to safety, I would avoid sending sensitive information through
them, but your Internet traffic goes through servers all over the
place inherently. They will almost certainly be slower than when you
are not using a proxy server. Whether you are using a proxy server or
not, you should be using a firewall to protect you from hackers while
you are connected to the Internet.
I hope my Answer explained to you why Hide My IP was not a good choice
for your purpose and that it gave you some useful ideas for how to
solve your problem.
Good luck!
Wonko |
