How would I go about setting a custom proxy IP number on my PC?
O.o
Umm.. You mean using your browser with a proxy ..? If that is so then for Internet Explorer , Do this :
Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options
Click on Connections tab
Click on Settings button beneath Add and Remove button
Enable the checkbox of Proxy Server and enter the Proxy info in the text box given below ..
For Maxthon its relatively easy ..
Maxthon > Maxthon Options > Proxy
Click on + sign and add Proxy information ..
I dont use Opera or Firefox so maybe someone else will help you out on those ..
There’s a simple plug-in for Firefox for the proxy thing.
But the proxies don’t work. 
Sorry for going offtopic a bit but I hope you know the implications of using a anonymous proxy server as a “man in a middle” which are found lying for free on the internet?
I had written this for my blog couple of days back,lemme quote it here:
Well your concern is valid if the user is trying to attack other user/server or something malicious. But there can be other uses as well like accessing the services available to only a large set of IP addresses and not necessarily hiding your identity. Just masking it.
As for free services…
well u may notice that most of the “free” things on samair are always changing…
u see actually they are compromised servers (compromised in the sense that the owners have not configured em correctly). That is why they keep on changing. Intersetingly enuf, India has more proxies listed than most countries which have many more servers and more b/w. Indeed, I did a reverse DNS on the Indian ones, and ALL of them belonged to Indian ISPs - VSNL, SIFY and most of all HATHWAY. HATHWAY had 2 or 3 listed, whereas the others had just 1 each.
There are plenty of reasons for pep,s to use a proxie. Just the fact that its a privacy issue should be enough of a reason on it’s own.
Agreed.But that makes you use those anonymous proxy server’s which you’ve no diea who’s controlling?
Let me ask you this,how do you find & trust that machine?
Also could you list other reasons as well ,maybe it could add a layered sense of security to what I already practise.
As mentioned in an early post a lot of the free proxies are servers that have been set up wrong. Althogh you do bring up a good point that is why it is good idea to change your proxies from time to time. Stegmos has a proxie program that will change your proxie as much as once every 10 seconds or so.
I just need a Russian proxy to get some data off a website. 