Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to have Internet Explorer installed to use WebReaper?
Yes. WebReaper uses Microsoft's WinINet libraries which are only available as part of Internet Explorer. WebReaper also uses the IE proxy and dial-up configurations to access the internet. You can download the latest version of IE here.
Q: Do I have to use IE to view the locally saved websites?
No. Although WebReaper requires IE in order to access the internet, you can continue to use any browser for surfing. The pages stored locally are valid web pages, and can therefore be viewed with any browser.
Q: Some sites result in an "Access denied" error in WebReaper. How can I download them?
Unfortunately, you can't. WebReaper obeys the internet Robots Exclusion Standard, which was set up to give website owners some control over which web-crawlers and spiders can access particular areas of their sites. This is controlled by a file (robots.txt) which will be in the root directory of the website.

Some site owners ban robots to stop people downloading the material on their sites en masse. Others do it because they have limited bandwidth available, and robots can thrash their servers (causing bandwidth problems with their sites).
Q: Can WebReaper download ASP and CGI pages?
Yes, in most cases. WebReaper downloads pages in precisely the same way that IE does, so if IE can download a page then WebReaper will usually download it too. However, some sites may be structured in such a way that the saved pages may not match what you see when online.
Q: Does WebReaper support cookies?
Yes - Any cookies generated within an Internet Explorer session will be used by WebReaper. So if you have local cookies which allow you to access a protected site without having to enter user information, WebReaper will also be able to use them.
Q: Does WebReaper handle ShockWave Flash movies?
Yes. Movies will be scanned, and internal links followed. The links will also be adjusted so that the locally-saved website can be viewed correctly, including movie content.
Q: Does WebReaper handle JavaScript?
No, not yet. Parsing JavaScript and downloading all pages that are referenced within the code is very complicated. However, I plan to add some JavaScript support soon.
Q: Is WebReaper free?
Yes. You can use WebReaper without paying to register for as long as you like, as long as you aren't using it in a commercial environment. No features are disabled, and you will get full support with any queries or suggestions that you might have.
Q: Why don't you force users to pay for WebReaper?
I originally wrote WebReaper as a utility for myself, because I could find no similar app on the Web which was available for free. I decided to make the application available to others as I thought it would be useful.
Q: Why should I register?
I work as a commercial developer and consultant, and have created WebReaper in my spare time as a hobby. Unfortunately, such is the popularity of WebReaper that I am answering 10 or so support emails per day. This takes a lot of time - time which I would normally spend earning! So, in order to help WebReaper cover its costs, I ask that you register your copy if you use it regularly.

The registration fees also help pay for the site-hosting costs.
Q: If I register, will any of my details be given out to anyone else?
No. The registration/credit card authorisation is handled by JRiver, a third-party company who provide secure on-line payment. The registration details are sent to me, and I will not divulge them to any third parties.
Q: Why is WebReaper no longer adware?
Unfortunately, as a result of the 'dotcom collapse', web-based advertising is no longer generating decent revenue. In particular, the amount of support mails generated by having the advertising in the app was far outweighing any financial benefits it was creating. So I decided to drop the ads and return WebReaper to real freeware status, hoping that regular users will show their appreciation of this by registering.
Q: I registered WebReaper to get rid of the ads. Now it's freeware again, can I have my money back?
Registration pays for a licence to use the application - it is not simply payment for removing the adverts. The $40 you paid has bought you a lifetime licence to use WebReaper.