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The search "button" is just a link to DuckDuckGo to search our site (https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Aakeeba.com). The link opens in a new tab (target="_blank"). I assume you have a browser extension or configuration which prevents the new tab from showing up. Check your browser's location bar; there should be an icon allowing you to open the "pop-up window" that was blocked.

As for the message, it tells you to find the option named "Permanently disallow IP after this many automatic blocks" and check its value. Go to Components, Admin Tools for Joomla, Web Application Firewall, Configure WAF, Auto-ban tab. Set "Add persistent offenders to the IP Disallow List" to Yes. You will now see the "Permanently disallow IP after this many automatic blocks". Enter a value greater than zero in there (3 will do). Set "Add persistent offenders to the IP Disallow List" back to No. Click on Save & Close.

If you get exactly the same error then you did not follow the steps correctly. If the error message (which comes from Joomla's own form validation code) mentions a different field than "Permanently disallow IP after this many automatic blocks" you can either look for that field yourself, or ask me where to find it.

I copied you the labels of the options from the Admin Tools interface. In other words, I was following the process on my dev site as I was going along. That said, I see that you are NOT changing the option I told you. You are changing a completely different option, which explains why you are not having success.

I am going to give step-by-step, detailed instructions:

1. Log into your site's backend (administrator). Make sure your chose language is "English (Great Britain)" to be able to follow my instructions.
2. On the left hand side menu, find the menu item titled "Components" and click on it.
3. Find the item called "Admin Tools for Joomla!" and click on it.
4. On this new page, look in the main content are of the page. There is a button labelled "Web Application Firewall". Click on it.
5. A new page load, with different buttons. Find the button labelled "Configure WAF" and click on it.
6. On the new page that loads, there are a number of tabs at the top. Find the tab labelled "Auto-ban". It is the 7th tab from the start, 3rd tab from the end.
7. Inside this area there are several options. Towards the bottom of page, there is an option labelled "Add persistent offenders to the IP Disallow List". It is either the 3rd or 4th option counting from the bottom. Please find it, and note down its current setting. You will need it in step 10.
8. If the "Add persistent offenders to the IP Disallow List" option is currently set to No (the toggle control's background is grey), click on the toggle control to set it to Yes (the toggle control's background is green). If it is already set to Yes (the toggle control's background is green) do not touch it.
9. An option labelled "Permanently disallow IP after this many automatic blocks" is now below the "Add persistent offenders to the IP Disallow List". This is the 3rd option from the bottom of the page. On the right hand side of the "Permanently disallow IP after this many automatic blocks" label there is a number entry control. Change its content to the number three: 3
10. If the setting you noted down on step 7 was No (the toggle control's background was grey) find again the "Add persistent offenders to the IP Disallow List" option. It is the 4th option from the bottom of the page. Click on its toggle control so it goes into the No position (the toggle control's background becomes gray again).
11. Look at the toolbar towards the top of the page. There is a Save button. Click the dropdown control next to it to open the drop-down. Find the option titled Save & Close in the drop-down menu and click on it.

No worries! I'm glad we got that fixed :)