Akbar & Jeffs Nerd Retention Center, "Where the elite meet to get off their feet & speak geek"

Akbar: Welcome, welcome all, I am Dr Akbar and this is my, er , ah, associate Nurse Jeff, and we are here to discuss this whole nerd/geek/dweeb thing, and analyze what makes you losers, er ah specimens tick so to speak...

Jeff: yowsa!!

Akbar:stop interrupting me you fool!!! We have much to discuss on this subject, such as what do they eat, and how we can kill, er ah reintegrate them into society

Jeff: zowie!!!

Akbar: your constant badgering has left me no option, i must ignore you now.

http://www.pinette.net/chris/akbarjeff/akbar.gif

and

http://www.pinette.net/chris/akbarjeff/jeff.gif

you know i really just started this because I wanted to know if anyone was interested any of the geekier computer stuff - I know some of you are - anyways I thought I'd share

so i have ventured into the world of open source-browsing, I started messing with Mozilla Firebird (http://texturizer.net/firebird/index.html) , its a free open-source browser which you can use instead of Microsoft's explorer.

Its pretty neat, they have versions for Linux and windows, and there are tons of free extensions (http://texturizer.net/firebird/extensions/) that you can add features with, similar to IE's plugins. It has built-in pop-up disabling, an Ad-blocking extension and other stuff im still trying to figure out.

I'm using it right now, the pages load a little quicker, and the only difference I see is that the graphics look a little squeezed, and the pages look cleaner (no ad's at all)

one thing that takes getting used to is that it is a tabbed browser, meaning that you dont have to open new pages, you can open new sites/follow links in new tabs within the same window

one thing i have noticed is occasionally when I click the "reply" button here I get a strange error aas it tries to autocomplete the form data

Has anyone messed around with Linux at all? I have been messing around with Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.net/) it is a free program you download as an ISO, burn to cd, then boot your pc to it into Linux.

It takes a bit of messin around, but it is really a very easy way to start using Linux

Ive tried Mozilla Firebird, Its ok... I like Opera except for some reason the pages load too slow once i switched to broadband.... I still use AOL/IE's browser though lol just because its easier to switch from site to IM's and stuff....



Haven't Tried Linux...

I gotta finish some school stuff Ill be back in a couple hours to post more lol...

I hate Realplayer ugh, only use for it is for those dang RAM files...

Im now trying out Spysweeper, by the same company who makes windows washer, so far its finding the same old things that ad-aware/spybot finds and its scanning too slow lol.. after this scan its being uninstalled...

Originally posted by AAOT
Im now trying out Spysweeper, by the same company who makes windows washer, so far its finding the same old things that ad-aware/spybot finds and its scanning too slow lol.. after this scan its being uninstalled... Yeah, there are a LOT of rip-offs of SpyBot and AdAware going around, some of them have even been busted using hacked versions of Spybot, or their threat files (they put falsies in there for just that reason) - I really havent seen anything that compares to those 2 - Steve Gibson (of www.GRC.com) used to maintain a spyware checker/remover, but as soon as Spybot came out he discontinued his & started recommending Spybot.

Originally posted by AAOT
I hate Realplayer ugh, only use for it is for those dang RAM files... same here, thats why I will never install it again - I use the Realplayer alternative, and actually instead of Quicktime, I use the Quicktime alternative. Both of them are just plugins for the old version of Windows Media Player - the one that came with Win98!!!

You can download them both from the Kazaalite site, they also have downloads for a hosts file (they call it the "Supertrick" for some reason) and a codec pack that includes codecs for almost every codec you could ever run into.

They sure have made it hard to find that Kazaalite site haven't they? you can find it at http://www.kazaalitesite.com/ -- forget trying to find it on Google !!!!!

Originally posted by AAOT
Ive tried Mozilla Firebird, Its ok... I like Opera except for some reason the pages load too slow once i switched to broadband.... I still use AOL/IE's browser though lol just because its easier to switch from site to IM's and stuff....



Haven't Tried Linux... i love it that you can open the links in a new tab in the background - so even if the page does load slow you can still read the page youre lookin at.

One reason why other browsers load some pages a little slower is that a lot of pages are "optimized for Internet Explorer" - meaning they may use some non-standard tags - i dont know how much that would really slow it down, but anytime you get visible errors (ie javascript errors) - you definately see how much it slows down the page loads.

Originally posted by robyrob
one thing i have noticed is occasionally when I click the "reply" button here I get a strange error aas it tries to autocomplete the form data

Has anyone messed around with Linux at all? I have been messing around with Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.net/) it is a free program you download as an ISO, burn to cd, then boot your pc to it into Linux.

It takes a bit of messin around, but it is really a very easy way to start using Linux the cool part is you cant mess up your system doing it - because the whole thing runs off the cd, and it doesnt have permission to write to your hard drive (you can manually allow it - i set aside a separate partition so I can download/save stuff) it CANT screw anything up!!!

Another cool thing is how much stuff they cram into the cd - it comes with OpenOffice.Org (which I now use exclusively in Windows as well), a few different browsers, the Gnu graphics editor (which is pretty cool to begin with) tons of mp3, music, video progs - there is just so much stuff in there to play with.....

Before I forget I wanted to post the System utilities that I mentioned to Justin in here:

originally posted by robyrob

When I read the user reviews on it, it made me a little nervous, it seems like it doesnt really do much more than you can do with existing XP utilities and freeware. Get TweakUI (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp) from Microsoft, and try out
Xteq System's X-Setup (http://www.xteq.com/products/xset/), jv16 PowerTools (http://download.com.com/3000-2094-10196668.html?tag=lst-0-1), and PC Magazine's Registry Robot which the only place I found that you can still download for free is here (http://helpdesk.oneonta.edu/resnet/training/training2-12.htm#robot), - I have used them (carefully mind you!!!) on my systems with no problems.

Originally posted by robyrob
Yeah, there are a LOT of rip-offs of SpyBot and AdAware going around, some of them have even been busted using hacked versions of Spybot, or their threat files (they put falsies in there for just that reason) - I really havent seen anything that compares to those 2 - Steve Gibson (of www.GRC.com) used to maintain a spyware checker/remover, but as soon as Spybot came out he discontinued his & started recommending Spybot.


As far as I know, SpySweeper Isn't a hacked version of each... It was recommened by PCMag Actully, BPS Spyware Remover and Spyware Nuker we know are ripoffs though...

Originally posted by robyrob
Before I forget I wanted to post the System utilities that I mentioned to Justin in here:


That reminds me, I finally got TWeak UI to work...


Have you tried WindowBlinds?








Heres a little thing anyone reading this thread (Is there anyone else besides us two reading this?) Can fill out...






Which do you use for each of these different tasks....





Video Player -
Audio Player -
Utilities Program -
Virus Scanner -
Firewall -
Browser -
ISP -
Spyware Remover-
Image Prog -
File Sharing Prog -
IM Prog -
Operating System -
CD Burning Program -

My Answers..



Video Player - QuickTime, Windows Media Player

Audio Player - Winamp(Usually), Windows Media Player, Realplayer

Utilities Program - Tuneup Utilities till the trial ends then I dunno, I really wanna try Systemworks by Symantec

Virus Scanner - Norton Anti Virus 2002
Firewall - Zonealarm (I miss Sygate)
Browser - AOL/IE
ISP - Comcast/AOL
Spyware Remover- Spybot, Ad-aware
Image Prog - PSP till Trial Ends then imma try Photoshop Elements
File Sharing Prog - Used to use Winmx, now use Music Service
IM Prog - AOL/AIM, Sometimes mIRC (Though Ive tried Trillian and the others)
Operating System - XP
CD Burning Program - Roxio Easy CD Creator Basic





Some of those on Trials I wish I could buy but im not even 16 and don't have a job lol

Originally posted by robyrob
the cool part is you cant mess up your system doing it - because the whole thing runs off the cd, and it doesnt have permission to write to your hard drive (you can manually allow it - i set aside a separate partition so I can download/save stuff) it CANT screw anything up!!!

Another cool thing is how much stuff they cram into the cd - it comes with OpenOffice.Org (which I now use exclusively in Windows as well), a few different browsers, the Gnu graphics editor (which is pretty cool to begin with) tons of mp3, music, video progs - there is just so much stuff in there to play with.....



Im thinking about trying it... Im not positive on knowing what to do though, I learned about booting into other OS some in this online college class that I just finished (Which didnt even offer credits, damn) But I think I know how to do this lol

Aight imma probably try it, Ill be a little nervous on it, I always am on new programs that I don't know a lot about and fear that Ill do somethin wrong thatll be a security risk (Like when I first went on IRC) LOL

Ok Its downloading, Wish It was downloading at over the 200kb a sec mark but ill survive lol, be done in bout an hour

Now its about 200kb a sec, there we go...

Originally posted by AAOT
Aight imma probably try it, Ill be a little nervous on it, I always am on new programs that I don't know a lot about and fear that Ill do somethin wrong thatll be a security risk (Like when I first went on IRC) LOL big hard part is just making sure you burn it directly onto the cd as an ISO - there's a ton of info on it online though...

basically when its done just keep the cd in the drive and reboot, if it doesnt automatically boot to the cd, you'll have to go into the BIOS setup to tell it to boot from the cd first

I had to play around with it a bit and to get it to load properly i have to use the start options:

boot: knoppix lang=us wheelmouse noscsi nopcmcia xvrefresh=60 screen=1024x768 alsa

most of those arent necessary, but improve it overall - it loads without the "alsa" for example... but there's no sound

Originally posted by robyrob
big hard part is just making sure you burn it directly onto the cd as an ISO - there's a ton of info on it online though...

basically when its done just keep the cd in the drive and reboot, if it doesnt automatically boot to the cd, you'll have to go into the BIOS setup to tell it to boot from the cd first

I had to play around with it a bit and to get it to load properly i have to use the start options:

boot: knoppix lang=us wheelmouse noscsi nopcmcia xvrefresh=60 screen=1024x768 alsa

most of those arent necessary, but improve it overall - it loads without the "alsa" for example... but there's no sound

Wouldn't boot to it hmm, even went into the boot options and picked CD-ROM and it didn't, *shrugs*

Originally posted by AAOT
My Answers..



Video Player - Windows Media Player

Audio Player - Windows Media Player

Utilities Program - Registry Robot, X-Setup, Partion Magic, mostly use built-in XP stuff - I used to use Systemworks by Symantec, but dropped it because you really dont need most of it...

Virus Scanner - Norton Internet Security
Firewall - Norton Firewall and Linksys BEFSX41 Firewall/Router
Browser - IE 6.0, Mozilla Firebird 0.6.1
ISP - Shaw Cable
Spyware Remover- Spybot, Ad-aware, HiJackThis!
Image Prog - PSP7, PSP8, procreate PainterClassic, Irfanview(free - mostly for browsing), Photoshop Elements
File Sharing Prog - Used to use Winmx, now use Music Service
IM Prog - MS Messenger, Trillian - but I want to try the Firebird Messenger extension !!! (compatible with MSN Messenger)
Operating System - XP Home
CD Burning Program - Nero Burning ROM

and you didn't mention it, but for productivity software I use the OpenOffice.Org -its free and does almost everything MS Office does
and for Web page creation I use the original FrontPage express that came with Win98 - don't remember how the heck I got it to work in XP tho....

Originally posted by AAOT
Wouldn't boot to it hmm, even went into the boot options and picked CD-ROM and it didn't, *shrugs* what happens when you put in the cd when you are in windows (autorun)?

Originally posted by robyrob
what happens when you put in the cd when you are in windows (autorun)?



it Just opens up the Drive and shows the files...

Originally posted by AAOT
it Just opens up the Drive and shows the files... it should be about 699MB - i havent used Roxio in a while, but i know that it should have an option to burn the downloaded file to cd as an ISO image....

what happens when you try to boot to it?

Originally posted by robyrob
it should be about 699MB - i havent used Roxio in a while, but i know that it should have an option to burn the downloaded file to cd as an ISO image....

what happens when you try to boot to it?





The CD holds like 700mb I think, It does list it as an EASY CD Creator Image File....






When I try to boot it, it just boots to XP

Originally posted by AAOT
The CD holds like 700mb I think, It does list it as an EASY CD Creator Image File....

When I try to boot it, it just boots to XP but does it show 699MB on the disk as used?

there is a way to test the disk, but i cant find it... yet...

Originally posted by robyrob
but does it show 699MB on the disk as used?

there is a way to test the disk, but i cant find it... yet...


Says 694

it should've been the KNOPPIX_V3.2-2003-07-26-EN.ISO file (may be different date in there) - but it should be a bootable cd - i have to get back to work, but i can look into it later or you could take a look at the forums at Knoppix.net

how old is the cd drive - does it support bootable cd's? (it should if the system is within 4-5 years old)

Originally posted by robyrob
it should've been the KNOPPIX_V3.2-2003-07-26-EN.ISO file (may be different date in there) - but it should be a bootable cd - i have to get back to work, but i can look into it later or you could take a look at the forums at Knoppix.net

how old is the cd drive - does it support bootable cd's? (it should if the system is within 4-5 years old)



Yep thats the file, This Cd Rom Drive is about 2 months old.. Ok take care, thanks....

Originally posted by AAOT
Says 694 hmm, should be ok if it was burned with the ISO option, may need to try it again - take a look at the FAQ (http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/FaqDownloading)

I have to git but I should be able to come back tonight or tomorrow morning...
bye for now :wave:

Originally posted by robyrob
hmm, should be ok if it was burned with the ISO option, may need to try it again - take a look at the FAQ (http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/FaqDownloading)

I have to git but I should be able to come back tonight or tomorrow morning...
bye for now :wave:


It under properties says the file is set to open with Easy CD Creator.... Ok Talk to you later, thanks...

OK i tried my cd - and if I let it just boot with the cd in the drive it just goes to a blank screen

what I have to do is, as soon as the BIOS loads, it says something like: " booting from cdrom..."

as soon as the screen changes, it goes to a DOS-like screen with "knoppix" at the top - as soon as I see that I press F2 function key and it goes to a setup screen with a bunch of "cheat codes"

at the bottom of the screen it says:

boot:

right after this i type in MY cheat codes: "knoppix lang=us wheelmouse noscsi nopcmcia xvrefresh=60 screen=1024x768 alsa" and hit enter, these may not be the same for you, I had to experiment to get it to work, but those are pretty common ones - i have to use the xvrefresh because I have an older monitor and i get a blank screen without it, without the noscsi and nopcmcia, the LOader gets stuck, because it tries to find things that arent there...

it then goes to a black screen with the Linux Penguin at the top and starts finding all the devices and loading drivers for them - you should be hearing plenty of activity from the cdrom drive

after a minute or so, depending on how fast your machine is, it brings you to the Knoppix Desktop and opens up the Start page on the cd....

Originally posted by AAOT
It under properties says the file is set to open with Easy CD Creator.... Ok Talk to you later, thanks... i wonder if it just copied the ISO onto the cd, or if it wrote it as an ISO image??? I havent used Easy CD Creator since it was still Adaptec about 5 yrs ago, maybe try look through the documentation there to see if it can shed any light on it....

Originally posted by robyrob
i wonder if it just copied the ISO onto the cd, or if it wrote it as an ISO image??? I havent used Easy CD Creator since it was still Adaptec about 5 yrs ago, maybe try look through the documentation there to see if it can shed any light on it....



Well I was looking at the forums some at the site and some were mentioning it wasn't working on there toshiba comp, this is a toshiba laptop... id try it on the desktop but I need to get a new cd-rom drive for it cause the other won't work...

Originally posted by AAOT
Well I was looking at the forums some at the site and some were mentioning it wasn't working on there toshiba comp, this is a toshiba laptop... id try it on the desktop but I need to get a new cd-rom drive for it cause the other won't work... hmmm the more specialized the hardware is, the more of those "cheats" you'll need to throw in to get it too work

how far does it get when you try to boot to it?

It just doesn't boot to it at all... it just goes straight to XP, Not any different then how I normally turn on the computer and it loads XP...

Originally posted by AAOT
It just doesn't boot to it at all... it just goes straight to XP, Not any different then how I normally turn on the computer and it loads XP... can you boot to the XP cd? - it should be a bootable cd....

im gonna say if id doesnt boot to XP, its to do with the boot settings, if it does then it must be a problem with the cd....

Originally posted by robyrob
can you boot to the XP cd? - it should be a bootable cd....

im gonna say if id doesnt boot to XP, its to do with the boot settings, if it does then it must be a problem with the cd....


If i tried to boot to the XP CD, then how would I know if it does or not? Cause either way it just goes to XP...

Originally posted by AAOT
If i tried to boot to the XP CD, then how would I know if it does or not? Cause either way it just goes to XP... no, it should give you an advanced options menu - it asks you if you want to repair your system (say no - better yet go to the command prompt then just remove the cd and restart)

Originally posted by robyrob
no, it should give you an advanced options menu - it asks you if you want to repair your system (say no - better yet go to the command prompt then just remove the cd and restart)



Aight.. Imma try that tomorrow probably since i dont feel like rebooting plus i gotta figure out which CD it is since theres a million differnet cds here... lol

Yuck, This morning Ad-aware found some spyware that it just started detecting in the latest REF File Released today... ewww

I found what I think was the right CD, It was a Windows XP CD, didn't boot to it or anything, just started up XP like normal...

Originally posted by AAOT
I found what I think was the right CD, It was a Windows XP CD, didn't boot to it or anything, just started up XP like normal... it must be something in the BIOS settings then - can you boot to a DOS boot floppy?

Originally posted by robyrob
it must be something in the BIOS settings then - can you boot to a DOS boot floppy?



I dunno if I have a Boot Floppy, I have a startup disk though...

Originally posted by AAOT
I dunno if I have a Boot Floppy, I have a startup disk though... same thing - of course if its a DOS disk it wont read an XP ntfs partition, but all we care is if it will boot to it....

I'm thinkin that somehow EasyCD creator just copied the ISO file onto the cd instead of writing it as a proper disk image.... i'd have to look it up to figure out how to do it in Roxio, but usually it is different than just copying files to a cd....

Originally posted by robyrob
same thing - of course if its a DOS disk it wont read an XP ntfs partition, but all we care is if it will boot to it....

I'm thinkin that somehow EasyCD creator just copied the ISO file onto the cd instead of writing it as a proper disk image.... i'd have to look it up to figure out how to do it in Roxio, but usually it is different than just copying files to a cd....





That could be, beacuse I picked for it to just make a data CD then added the file...

Originally posted by AAOT
That could be, beacuse I picked for it to just make a data CD then added the file... OK I found instructions on How to successfully burn an ISO image (http://members.home.nl/lsnoek/iso.htm)

Roxio /Adaptec EZ CD Creator
Version 4.x/5.x/6.x

Method 1:

1. Launch Easy CD Creator
2. Choose File, Create CD from CD Image... and you'll be presented with a dialog box.
3. Click on the "Files of type:" dropdown box and select "ISO Image Files (*.ISO)"
4. Select the .ISO file you downloaded then press Open.
5. At the CD Creation Setup dialog box, make sure the Write Method is set to Disc-At-Once and Close CD.
6. Select the desired write speed and create options, if necessary, then press OK to begin recording.

Note: In EZCD Creator you must change the drop down to reflect *.ISO rather than the default to see the file.

Method 2:

1. Navigate in Explorer to the .ISO file you have downloaded, and double click on it.
2. Choose the write speed you want to use.
3. You will have three Create options:

Test
Test & Create CD
Create CD
You can use Create CD or Test and Create CD
4. At the CD Creation Setup dialog box, make sure the Write Method is set to Disc-At-Once and Close CD
5. Select the desired write speed and create options, if necessary, then press OK to begin recording.


that way it copies all the cd geometry information onto the cd, so it can ber recognized as a bootable cd properly...

Ok imma try that, Im runnin outta CD-R's lol, I gotta stop buying em in packs of 5 and instead in packs of like 50 LOL

Ok burned it, after like 3 reboots it finally was able to read it after goin into the boot options (CD Rom Drive has lately had problems reading certain brands of CD-R's)










It went to that screen u mentioned, with the F2 for help, then it went to the screen where it said it was loading the stuff like vid card and such, then it said it was searching for hard drive partitions or somethin along those lines... then well nothing happened, didn't hear any cd rom drive activity and it just stayed there with a blinking box like im supposed to type something... I finally had to turn comp off, back on, remove CD, and went back to XP.... any ideas? Ill go ahead and check for help on there site

Why do CD-Rom Drives hate me...

When Will I ever stop getting pinged to death from that F'n Virus...

My Trial to Tuneup Utilities is ending soon grr

Originally posted by AAOT
Ok imma try that, Im runnin outta CD-R's lol, I gotta stop buying em in packs of 5 and instead in packs of like 50 LOL yeah I wait til the 100 packs are on sale!!!

Originally posted by AAOT
Ok burned it, after like 3 reboots it finally was able to read it after goin into the boot options (CD Rom Drive has lately had problems reading certain brands of CD-R's)

yeah they can be weird, try set the write speed a little slower, and if you find a brand that works stick with it!!!

It went to that screen u mentioned, with the F2 for help, then it went to the screen where it said it was loading the stuff like vid card and such, then it said it was searching for hard drive partitions or somethin along those lines... then well nothing happened, didn't hear any cd rom drive activity and it just stayed there with a blinking box like im supposed to type something... I finally had to turn comp off, back on, remove CD, and went back to XP.... any ideas? Ill go ahead and check for help on there site you need to figure out which of the "cheat codes" you need to get it to work...
Originally posted by robyrob
OK i tried my cd -
what I have to do is, right after the BIOS loads, it says something like: " booting from cdrom..."
as soon as the screen changes, it goes to a DOS-like screen with "knoppix" at the top - as soon as I see that I press F2 function key and it goes to a setup screen with a bunch of "cheat codes"

at the bottom of the screen it says:

boot:

right after this i type in MY cheat codes: "knoppix lang=us wheelmouse noscsi nopcmcia xvrefresh=60 screen=1024x768 alsa" and hit enter, these may not be the same for you, I had to experiment to get it to work, but those are pretty common ones - i have to use the xvrefresh because I have an older monitor and i get a blank screen without it, without the noscsi and nopcmcia, the LOader gets stuck, because it tries to find things that arent there...

it then goes to a black screen with the Linux Penguin at the top and starts finding all the devices and loading drivers for them - you should be hearing plenty of activity from the cdrom drive

after a minute or so, depending on how fast your machine is, it brings you to the Knoppix Desktop and opens up the Start page on the cd.... try the same codes i used - they are pretty common....

Ok I will try that when i get the chance, if CD Rom Drive will even read the stuff.... How you doin bro?

Originally posted by AAOT
When Will I ever stop getting pinged to death from that F'n Virus... and that is exactly why i have a hardware firewall - i never got a single ping - it throws out all unrequested packets, making it look as if your machine isnt there...

Originally posted by robyrob
and that is exactly why i have a hardware firewall - i never got a single ping - it throws out all unrequested packets, making it look as if your machine isnt there...


Don't you miss reading though what it blocks? ;)



Nothin like finding out Zonealarm Blocked an attempt to see if subseven is on your system ;)

Originally posted by AAOT
Ok I will try that when i get the chance, if CD Rom Drive will even read the stuff.... How you doin bro? not bad... just checkin out whats goin on here...

Originally posted by robyrob
not bad... just checkin out whats goin on here...


I wish you had an AIM name lol :lol:

Originally posted by AAOT
Don't you miss reading though what it blocks? ;)



Nothin like finding out Zonealarm Blocked an attempt to see if subseven is on your system ;) the hardware firewall blocks all the incoming attempts, the software firewall (Norton in my case) still detects any outgoing traffic; basically anything you ask for is allowed through the hw firewall....

I GTG Ill be back in like an hour or 90 mins, perhaps youll still be on then, later bro...

Originally posted by AAOT
I wish you had an AIM name lol :lol: i had an ICQ, but i doubt id find it again, i only used it with trillian, and I'm on my wife's machine - she has MSNMessenger and Yahoo on it, but my MS logon isnt setup on it...,

Originally posted by AAOT
I GTG Ill be back in like an hour or 90 mins, perhaps youll still be on then, later bro... - i have to get to bed - work tomorrow...

but i'll check back here tomorrow morning...

Originally posted by robyrob
i had an ICQ, but i doubt id find it again, i only used it with trillian, and I'm on my wife's machine - she has MSNMessenger and Yahoo on it, but my MS logon isnt setup on it...,



Ah,

Originally posted by AAOT
Ah, that and i get bothered by all the spam im's n stuff, I do use the MS messenger though - do you have that one?

OK AMD or INTEL ?

my money's on the Athlon - cant beat it for the price

Originally posted by robyrob
that and i get bothered by all the spam im's n stuff, I do use the MS messenger though - do you have that one?



MS Messenger I think works with MSN but no I don't though I still have the trillian installer somewhere...

Originally posted by robyrob
OK AMD or INTEL ?



Dont think ive tried an AMD, I remember i used to see commercials for it back in like 2001 those 30 minute infomercials though

Originally posted by AAOT
Don't you miss reading though what it blocks? ;)



Nothin like finding out Zonealarm Blocked an attempt to see if subseven is on your system ;) reading that again, I realize what you were getting at - i guess its the same as when you first install Zone Alarm; its neat when it pops up a warning everytime something scans yer ports or tells you something bad is going on (or trying to) - but it gets intrusive and annoying REAL quick

I've also found that I love the ad-blocking in Norton Internet Security - i dont know how I ever got by without it, and really notice the difference when I surf without it....

Originally posted by AAOT
Dont think ive tried an AMD, I remember i used to see commercials for it back in like 2001 those 30 minute infomercials though I love AMD, but I dont know if I coulda watched a half-hour commercial for it though... somewhere i have saved the "banned" AMD commercial - i dont even remember what the deal was with that....

oh, i wanted to mention that i'm not trying to "beat you to the punch" by posting the RIAA news topic - I just thought it was important to get it up there quickly.... did you see the "I wanna post the Happy Birthdays First" fight thread? goofy man

Originally posted by AAOT
Dont think ive tried an AMD, I remember i used to see commercials for it back in like 2001 those 30 minute infomercials though I''ve had lessee here....


Intel Pentium 100
IntelPentium II - 333
IntelPentium II - 450
IntelCeleron 700
AMD Duron 1100
AMD Athlon XP 2400


and I dont think I'd go back to Intel, unless they did somethiing really spectacular, at an amazing price...:D

Have you heard about the story with Microsoft closing down its chatrooms? They are saying its to stop pedophiles, but come on - its to get rid of the non-paying kids using it and slowing down their servers!!!

http://washingtontimes.com/business/20030924-095331-8245r.htm

Originally posted by robyrob
reading that again, I realize what you were getting at - i guess its the same as when you first install Zone Alarm; its neat when it pops up a warning everytime something scans yer ports or tells you something bad is going on (or trying to) - but it gets intrusive and annoying REAL quick



I turned those off real quickly... lol that would suck if you couldn't

Originally posted by robyrob
I've also found that I love the ad-blocking in Norton Internet Security - i dont know how I ever got by without it, and really notice the difference when I surf without it....



I tried Norton's Firewall once but didn't really like it, AD Blocking must be nice though...

Originally posted by robyrob
oh, i wanted to mention that i'm not trying to "beat you to the punch" by posting the RIAA news topic - I just thought it was important to get it up there quickly.... did you see the "I wanna post the Happy Birthdays First" fight thread? goofy man




No, i don't care if you do at all... Go right ahead :), Im still not happy with Kazaa arg... Yea I saw the birthday one lol

Originally posted by robyrob
Have you heard about the story with Microsoft closing down its chatrooms? They are saying its to stop pedophiles, but come on - its to get rid of the non-paying kids using it and slowing down their servers!!!



Interesting... Well.. GO AOL! Down with MSN :)

What can I say, MSN made it personal when they attacked aol in there MSN8 Ads...

Originally posted by AAOT
What can I say, MSN made it personal when they attacked aol in there MSN8 Ads... OMG those ads were bad!!! i just wanted to see someone "accidentally" bump into that butterfly and watch him get smooshed by a bus!!!! :D

Originally posted by AAOT
I tried Norton's Firewall once but didn't really like it, AD Blocking must be nice though... the part I like about Nortons is that it is soo configurable - you can set it up pretty much any way you want....

AdBlocking rocks!!!! the free way to get it is through the mozilla browser and a free plug-in, its not quite as good, but the browser does come with built-in pop-up blocking

I like building computers, but I wanna start "modding" them, I wanna do a Happy Days-inspired jukebox PC, I've got some cool ideas, but I need to find some parts that will help.... those jukebox numbered selection buttons for starters !!!

Originally posted by robyrob
I like building computers, but I wanna start "modding" them, I wanna do a Happy Days-inspired jukebox PC, I've got some cool ideas, but I need to find some parts that will help.... those jukebox numbered selection buttons for starters !!!



Oh thats cool, Ive seen some of those cool looking ones on ScreenSavers before...

Do you like video games?

What do you think I should do with a couple of these CD Rom Drives? The one in this has problems at times reading CD Rom's its only like a couple months old, itll just keep tryin to read em then say theres no CD Rom in there...
is it just a reader, or is it a cdrw drive? and what type of disks are you trying to read? factory disks/ cdr's/ cdrw's ? is it always the same disks that have problems, or is it randomly any disks that you try to use? have you tried to clean the disks

Perhaps It needs to be cleaned? I have a CD Cleaner, but Back when I took a college class on fixing computers they mentioned CD Cleaners don't work with all or can mess up the laser or something like that so I dunno... i would say that it is probably the LAST thing i would expect or suggest, I would try to boot to a cd though, just to make sure its not a software problem (if it hasn't booted into windows yet - it CANT be software)


And in our desktop the CD Rom Drive won't open at all lol no matter what, It works like the light comes on but it just wont open, paperclip in hole wont work either...
if you try to boot and go directly into the BIOS setup, try and use the paperclip, will it work? also when still in the BIOS, press and hold the eject button for several seconds, some drives will "cycle" the latch mechanism, it may release if it's stuck, if it wont open when your in the BIOS it is a hardware problem, and you'll need to take it in or replace it...

Originally posted by AAOT
Do you like video games? I really SUCK at video games - other than Spider Solitaire, i play the Sims and RollerCoaster Tycoon... and thats it

Originally posted by robyrob
is it just a reader, or is it a cdrw drive? and what type of disks are you trying to read? factory disks/ cdr's/ cdrw's ? is it always the same disks that have problems, or is it randomly any disks that you try to use? have you tried to clean the disks
i would say that it is probably the LAST thing i would expect or suggest, I would try to boot to a cd though, just to make sure its not a software problem (if it hasn't booted into windows yet - it CANT be software)

if you try to boot and go directly into the BIOS setup, try and use the paperclip, will it work? also when still in the BIOS, press and hold the eject button for several seconds, some drives will "cycle" the latch mechanism, it may release if it's stuck, if it wont open when your in the BIOS it is a hardware problem, and you'll need to take it in or replace it...


CD-RW Drive, I was trying to read some CD-R's when it first started, (Was ripping a bunch of CD's actully), Now I have problems sometimes with audio CD's or software CD's, In a way it seems to be the same discs that have the problem but if i keep trying I can usually get it to work evantully... But I cant afford to keep trying it until it works evantully when burning CD's lol...



Back when I tried out that linux type OS, after a few tries I got it to boot to that OS so yes ive been able to boot to CD...




As far as the desktop, Ill try going into BIOS then holdin EJECT or tryin the paperclip when in BIOS, If we have one around here lol

As far as doing the eject thing, that didn't work... I hear it try to open but then i can hear it stop and then the light blinks, like if you hit eject and hold ur hand in front of it, it tries to open then thinks ur trying to close it and closes back up...






Can't find a paperclip right now, sorry

Originally posted by AAOT
As far as doing the eject thing, that didn't work... I hear it try to open but then i can hear it stop and then the light blinks, like if you hit eject and hold ur hand in front of it, it tries to open then thinks ur trying to close it and closes back up...


Can't find a paperclip right now, sorry yeah, if the clip thing doesnt work, its a problem with the latching mechanism :( not too much you can do about that...

Originally posted by robyrob
yeah, if the clip thing doesnt work, its a problem with the latching mechanism :( not too much you can do about that...

Aight TY

Originally posted by AAOT
[B]CD-RW Drive, I was trying to read some CD-R's when it first started, (Was ripping a bunch of CD's actully), Now I have problems sometimes with audio CD's or software CD's, In a way it seems to be the same discs that have the problem but if i keep trying I can usually get it to work evantully... But I cant afford to keep trying it until it works evantully when burning CD's lol...
[b]
it sounds like its a problem with the discs (?!?) try clean them and look for scratches... does it do it ONLY when you are trying to copy the disks? maybe it has temp files stuck in the cdwriting cache? you could try to reinstall the cdwriting software, but i would choose that as a LAST resort, I beleive Roxio has an option to copy the files or disk image onto your hard drive first and then write to cd - that way if it has problems when reading, you wont waste a cdr...

[b]
Back when I tried out that linux type OS, after a few tries I got it to boot to that OS so yes ive been able to boot to CD...
[b]
well, thats a good sign, but if it has problems booting it has to be a hardware problem: disks, laser, or drive... i would check and see what the drive manufacturer says about cdlaser cleaners - MOST of them say NOT to use them

BTW I wanted to ask if you knew of any programs that like record everything that happens with your computer... Like when you install stuff, what all it changes with your computer and stuff... basically every single change... are there such programs or is that even possible?

Originally posted by robyrob
it sounds like its a problem with the discs (?!?) try clean them and look for scratches... does it do it ONLY when you are trying to copy the disks? maybe it has temp files stuck in the cdwriting cache? you could try to reinstall the cdwriting software, but i would choose that as a LAST resort, I beleive Roxio has an option to copy the files or disk image onto your hard drive first and then write to cd - that way if it has problems when reading, you wont waste a cdr...


well, thats a good sign, but if it has problems booting it has to be a hardware problem: disks, laser, or drive... i would check and see what the drive manufacturer says about cdlaser cleaners - MOST of them say NOT to use them



It does it when just even trying to read them under my computer D Drive, , I cleaned temp files just recently, Ill look for more info about the CD cleaners with this Drive, thanks bro :)

Originally posted by AAOT
BTW I wanted to ask if you knew of any programs that like record everything that happens with your computer... Like when you install stuff, what all it changes with your computer and stuff... basically every single change... are there such programs or is that even possible? ummm, yeah, there are a few - XP's system restore does a pretty good job, but can be quirky and doesnt let you backup the save points, or tell you what files were changed,
Roxio's GoBack (which is now part of Norton System Works) does almost the same thing, with a few extra features, but from what I've heard it can be quirky too....

Norton's CleanSweep does exactly what you are talking about, it will keep track of every file added, removed, changed or modified, and give you a report,
and I believe McAfee has a similar tool in its utility suite (I think that its called Undelete, but I haven't used it)

I'm trying to remember if "registry robot lets you do registry "Snapshots".... they can be very handy, but it doesnt tell you everything that gets changed....

To be honest, the best thing to do, is partition your drive so all your data and programs are on separate partitions from your OS, and then use an imaging prog like Ghost or Drive Image to backup the entire partitions

Originally posted by AAOT
It does it when just even trying to read them under my computer D Drive, , I cleaned temp files just recently, Ill look for more info about the CD cleaners with this Drive, thanks bro :) one other suggestion - look in the device manager for the secondary ide controller and make sure that it is using the DMA mode - XP is funny; when it gets 5(?) DMA errors it will DISABLE DMA support for the ide controller and force it to use PIO mode - which makes it work a lot slower when it's under heavy loads - like when yer trying to burn....

Originally posted by robyrob
one other suggestion - look in the device manager for the secondary ide controller and make sure that it is using the DMA mode - XP is funny; when it gets 5(?) DMA errors it will DISABLE DMA support for the ide controller and force it to use PIO mode - which makes it work a lot slower when it's under heavy loads - like when yer trying to burn....
I'm getting a fuzzy memory about it, but i think all you need to do is reload the driver for it if it doesnt let you just check the DMA box, oh and it might be worth checking it out in safemode to see if there are any errors in the device manager there....

not like a system restore type thing but I mean like a thing that just records to a log file everything that happens to your system any changes so that you can look at later.. like if you run a program and suddenly it cant find a file, you look in the log of everything thats been done with ur system from programs and look for things that have been done with that file such as it being deleted or somethin... get what im saying?



BTW ill try out the suggestion you gave me for the CD Rom Drive, Thanks..

Yup Its set to "DMA Mode if Available"

Originally posted by AAOT
not like a system restore type thing but I mean like a thing that just records to a log file everything that happens to your system any changes so that you can look at later.. like if you run a program and suddenly it cant find a file, you look in the log of everything thats been done with ur system from programs and look for things that have been done with that file such as it being deleted or somethin... get what im saying?



BTW ill try out the suggestion you gave me for the CD Rom Drive, Thanks.. yeah, the Clean Sweep will give you a log of ALL changes made to your system, and it does give you ridiculously detailed reports, it aint free though - and i cant think of anything else that is...

Originally posted by robyrob
yeah, the Clean Sweep will give you a log of ALL changes made to your system, and it does give you ridiculously detailed reports, it aint free though - and i cant think of anything else that is...



Oh oK Thanks Ill look into that :)

Norton CleanSweep comes with Systemworks?





Ive thought about buying Systemworks, I don't have any money right now though have to ask mom lol...

Originally posted by AAOT
Norton CleanSweep comes with Systemworks?





Ive thought about buying Systemworks, I don't have any money right now though have to ask mom lol... yeah, you can get it either as a standalone, in Norton Utilities, or in Systemworks, best deal is to either get last years version in the cheap bin, or go for the brand new version with the rebate.

I believe they should be knockin down the 2003 prices soon, cuz the 2004 stuff comes out anyday now (Norton Antivirus 2004 is out NOW)

my new fav site is : http:\\www.homestarrunner.com
it is so funny it is ********!!!!

y'know i havent figued out if my advice in the "please help" thread on the main chitchat page helped or not :confused:

Originally posted by robyrob
y'know i havent figued out if my advice in the "please help" thread on the main chitchat page helped or not :confused: i'm a little bit nervous about it though - i mean this isnt really the place for it, i mean i will gladly try to help anyone who asks, but will it tick off TJ ?

Originally posted by robyrob
y'know i havent figued out if my advice in the "please help" thread on the main chitchat page helped or not :confused: actually I'd appreciate it if you added any comments you have to it justin.... second opinion and all :)

Originally posted by robyrob
actually I'd appreciate it if you added any comments you have to it justin.... second opinion and all :)



Ha ha Sorry can't help there, I don't know a whole lot about hardware related stuff, I guess im more of a software person, The only time I had to deal with drivers was a couple weeks back when I installed a new one for the Vid Card off Windows Update then had to rollback to the previous one cause it caused problems lol...

I can't believe all these years I thought 1,000KB was A MB and no one corrected me lol,

I wish there was a trial for systemworks...

Originally posted by AAOT
I can't believe all these years I thought 1,000KB was A MB and no one corrected me lol, Hey thats what all the Hard drive Manufacturers want us to believe - and its the reason for the class acition lawsuit being filed against them:

when a hard drive says that its HDD is 10 Gigabytes the HD company means that it is 10 x a billion bites, instead of what a Gigabyte is which would be 1024 x 1024 x 1024 bytes or 1,073,741,824 bytes, so they rip us off for 70 Megabytes, I doesnt mean much but the thing is it is intentionally deceptive....

Originally posted by AAOT
I wish there was a trial for systemworks... see if you can find an independent computer store with a discount bin - you may get lucky - there's a place in my town where they sell old oem copies of that stuff (no box or manual, just the disc and license) for pretty good deals

Maybe Ill Check Costco...

Wow I just checked there site, they have it for 34.99 after a 20 dollar rebate... (IF I order online)

at Costco? or Norton? - either way its a pretty good deal... prolly because the 2004 version comes out in ...3.... 2.... 1...

Costco

Check this out:

Second Arrest Made in Computer Worm Attack
By Gene Johnson, Associated Press Writer
September 27, 2003
SEATTLE (AP)—Investigators have made a second arrest in connection with the "Blaster" computer worm, and the latest suspect is another juvenile accused of creating a variant of the worm.
Prosecutors refused to release any information about the suspect, not even the youth's gender or home state. They cited confidentiality rules protecting juveniles accused of crimes.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said in a statement that the youth was arrested as a juvenile for intentionally causing damage to protected computers.

The variant the juvenile allegedly created was known as "RPCSDBOT." Prosecutors did not say how many computers they believe were infected.

Detectives have yet to determine who created the main version.

Collectively, different versions of the virus-like worm, alternately called "LovSan" or "Blaster," snarled corporate networks worldwide, inundating 1.2 million computers, said Oliver Friedrichs, a senior manager with Symantec Corp., a leading maker of antivirus software.

Friedrichs said Symantec had not determined how many computers the "RPCSDBOT" variant infected. Its chief difference from the original worm was that it used a "Trojan horse" that allowed the attacker to retain control of infected systems, he said.

Earlier this month, Jeffrey Lee Parson, a high school senior from a Minneapolis suburb, pleaded innocent in Seattle to federal charges he crippled more than 7,000 computers by modifying a version of the "Blaster" worm. The charges carry up to 10 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors in Seattle are handling the cases because the worms directed infected computers to bombard Redmond-based Microsoft Corp. Web sites with e-mails.

Earlier this month, police in Romania said they were investigating Dan Dumitru Ciobanu, a 24-year-old former student suspected of modifying the worm to attack computers at a university he attended. A Bucharest computer security company said Ciobanu had been arrested, but police denied that.

eWeek story (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1302426,00.asp)

and News on the AMD - 64-bit processor from ExtremeTech (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1276955,00.asp)

No major vendor has announced systems with the base-level Athlon64 3200+ , but the tech mavens at ExtremTech.com managed to get a system board featuring one and benchmarked it against the FX Series 51 and Intel's new Pentium 4 Extreme. The ET gurus also have compiled tons of test data on both the FX 51 and 3200+. The even ran some tests with a beta version of the Windows XP 64-bit beta. It's an early (I'd say very) build, but these guys are willing to try anything to get to the heart of the technology.

Originally posted by robyrob
Check this out:

Second Arrest Made in Computer Worm Attack
By Gene Johnson, Associated Press Writer
September 27, 2003
SEATTLE (AP)—Investigators have made a second arrest in connection with the "Blaster" computer worm, and the latest suspect is another juvenile accused of creating a variant of the worm.
Prosecutors refused to release any information about the suspect, not even the youth's gender or home state. They cited confidentiality rules protecting juveniles accused of crimes.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said in a statement that the youth was arrested as a juvenile for intentionally causing damage to protected computers.

The variant the juvenile allegedly created was known as "RPCSDBOT." Prosecutors did not say how many computers they believe were infected.

Detectives have yet to determine who created the main version.

Collectively, different versions of the virus-like worm, alternately called "LovSan" or "Blaster," snarled corporate networks worldwide, inundating 1.2 million computers, said Oliver Friedrichs, a senior manager with Symantec Corp., a leading maker of antivirus software.

Friedrichs said Symantec had not determined how many computers the "RPCSDBOT" variant infected. Its chief difference from the original worm was that it used a "Trojan horse" that allowed the attacker to retain control of infected systems, he said.

Earlier this month, Jeffrey Lee Parson, a high school senior from a Minneapolis suburb, pleaded innocent in Seattle to federal charges he crippled more than 7,000 computers by modifying a version of the "Blaster" worm. The charges carry up to 10 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors in Seattle are handling the cases because the worms directed infected computers to bombard Redmond-based Microsoft Corp. Web sites with e-mails.

Earlier this month, police in Romania said they were investigating Dan Dumitru Ciobanu, a 24-year-old former student suspected of modifying the worm to attack computers at a university he attended. A Bucharest computer security company said Ciobanu had been arrested, but police denied that.

eWeek story (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1302426,00.asp)




Damn Right here in Seattle...

You hear about Xupiter going outta business?

Originally posted by AAOT
Damn Right here in Seattle... yup, and how much did you wanna bet that the GRC link i posted about turning off RPC - NO-ONE followed through on? no home user needs that unless they work from home or ? dont even know what - it is just a wide open door for worms

Originally posted by AAOT
You hear about Xupiter going outta business? nope, but it doesnt surprise me, i helped quite a few people try to get rid of it when it first came out - that thing was NASTY ....

Originally posted by robyrob
nope, but it doesnt surprise me, i helped quite a few people try to get rid of it when it first came out - that thing was NASTY ....




Yep same, It was talked about in a spywareinfo newsletter a few weeks back, I even had a minor infection of it myself back in janurary

did you see thisarticle in there:
Voyeur Cop Won't Be Disciplined (http://www.mikehealan.com/articles/spycams/tuscaloosa.php)
Mike Healan
September 21, 2003

A State Trooper who was caught misusing a public surveillance camera to zoom in on the breasts and backsides of young women won't be disciplined according to a spokesman for the Alabama State Police. The Alabama State Police also will not identify the officer misusing the equipment. Neither will the State Police admit that the misuse even occurred, despite the fact that the video feed was observed by the public on a local cable television station.

The surveillance camera was installed to watch for traffic infractions at an intersection near a row of bars. Sometime around 4am on September 12th, an unidentified officer in a local state trooper office diverted the camera to the sidewalk and began zooming in on the breasts and backsides of young women as they walked by. Three people were arrested for lewdness, disorderly conduct, and public intoxication after coming within view of the redirected camera.

Joe Robinson, director of the Tuscaloosa Transportation Department, was outraged over the State Trooper's abuse of public equipment for which he is responsible. Following this incident, State Troopers no longer have the ability to control any of the thirty-one surveillance cameras placed at intersections around the city.

"This certainly is not what our cameras were intended for," Robinson said. "We have worked long and hard to get this program up and going and get it to the public for information purposes."

What is most disturbing about the whole incident is that the Alabama State Police will not discipline the officer who redirected the camera. Surveillance cameras intended for monitoring of public spaces are controversial enough on their own. The existence of these cameras horrify privacy rights activists.

It is arguable whether or not the existence of surveillance cameras deter crime in public areas. Several cities recently have stopped using cameras, claiming that they are ineffective. What is not arguable is that cameras can be abused by those watching through them.

One popular theory is that the best way to control abuse of public surveillance cameras is to have the video feed available to the public. One person watching the footage alone, with no one else to see what they are doing, is much more likely to abuse the camera. However, if the same footage is being monitored further by a large number of people, the theory is that abuse is much less likely.

The theory makes a certain amount of sense. Which is more embarrassing, to be spied upon in your bedroom or to be caught spying into someone else's bedroom?

Unfortunately, in the case of the Tuscaloosa Peeping Tom, he was caught, but his superiors won't do anything about it. The camera feed was available to the public over a local cable channel. The public watched as an officer of the Alabama State Police used the camera to zoom in on the breasts and rear ends of pretty young women, but his superiors refuse to take any action to sanction him.

The State Police spokesman wouldn't even admit that the abuse occurred, despite the fact that it was witnessed on public television and despite the fact that State Troopers have been blocked from further access to the controls of the cameras.

I have always been undecided about public surveillance cameras. If it deters crime, then that is a good thing. If these cameras can force drug dealers off their corners, then I'm all for them. However, I cannot support these cameras unless those watching through them are held accountable for their actions.

Tuscaloosa has a good system. The cameras watch the public, but the public also watches the police. Unfortunately, the Alabama State Police have decided that the public will not hold them accountable. The public caught them abusing their authority; and the police have decided that they don't care. They will not even admit that what their officer did was wrong.

I am absolutely disgusted by this. The Alabama State Police will allow any pervert to use public-owned equipment to follow young women down the sidewalk. Some of those women may be your sister, your girlfriend, or your teenage daughter.

The Alabama State Police don't seem to care that the public is outraged at the behavior of one of their officers. The Alabama State Police believe they should not be accountable to the public. The Alabama State Police think that they are above the law. I say they are wrong.

Police are granted the authority to enforce the law, with the use of deadly force if necessary. When police abuse that authority for their own gratification, they should be sanctioned. There is no middle ground there. Police abuse cannot be tolerated unless we're willing to live in a police state because that is where it will lead.

Do you live in Alabama? Do you want State Troopers leering at your daughter's backside -or your own- through a camera as she walks down the sidewalk? If not, then I suggest you contact your state senators and state representative and demand that some action be taken against this peeping tom cop that the State Police are protecting. You might also contact your US Representatives and bring the matter to their attention as well.

Oh God... :eek:

Originally posted by AAOT
Oh God... :eek: too messed up.... this is why redneck cops scare da hell outta me!!!!

Have you heard (or seen first hand) about this?

ICANN tells VERISIGN to lose the SiteFinder,
E-Week (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1309478,00.asp) story, ICANN has demanded that Verigsign, the company that manages the assignment of domain names and registration for ICANN, stop the hijacking of the "404 - Page Not Found" and replacing it with the "SiteFinder Search Page"

This interferes with many programs, causes confusion and basically Verisign has no RIGHT to do this at all....

ExtremeTech review of the Shuttle XPC mini-PC's (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1212718,00.asp)

I want one of these sooo bad :)

Originally posted by robyrob
Have you heard (or seen first hand) about this?

ICANN tells VERISIGN to lose the SiteFinder,
E-Week (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1309478,00.asp) story, ICANN has demanded that Verigsign, the company that manages the assignment of domain names and registration for ICANN, stop the hijacking of the "404 - Page Not Found" and replacing it with the "SiteFinder Search Page"

This interferes with many programs, causes confusion and basically Verisign has no RIGHT to do this at all....




Yea I had saw something about that at ZDNet... It looks like Verisign has temporarily suspended it too... Ive noticed lately it hasn't been redirecting and ZDnet mentioned it as well...

Are we on again?

Originally posted by robyrob
Are we on again? ifso i would like to post the pm response for the possessed computer thing here:
hard to say - but check and see if you have the ctfmon.exe process running and if you do, follow the steps to disable it

if you still have the same thing happening after that... it could be a virus... but i really doubt it

even if you dont have a mic it could still be doing it - it is really strange that way, and Microsoft hasnt really given an explanation for it, and YES it does come up with some pretty indecipherable things to put in there :)

http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/31858.html

Instant Messaging Falls Prey To Hackers
By Dinah Greek
October 15, 2003
By grabbing a user's buddy list rather than scanning for vulnerable IP addresses, these worms have the potential to be more virulent than predecessors like Code Red, Slammer or Blaster, which spread over the internet rather than over IM networks, warned Neal Hindocha of Symantec Security

the story goes on to list a number of active worms attacking MSN messenger and AIM ....