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651.

Solve : Apple continues to deceive users?

Answer»

I spent almost 20 minutes trying to find a way to do that and still have some context in the discussion. In fact- I was trying to make it look like a COMPLETE accident. That would be the funniest instance.Heh, I've given up long ago.

I guess I'll go blend into the environment....QUOTE

In fact- I was trying to make it look like a complete accident. That would be the funniest instance.

It's quite all right -- we've simply let drm's avatar at the keyboard, and it's not yet produced the Shakespeare for which we've been waiting, that's all... Quote from: Carbon Dudeoxide on September 27, 2008, 10:21:21 AM
Heh, I've given up long ago.

given up on what?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqeTpbV9nt0I just had another thought (I hate to go on-topic) but-

Apple is always preaching how Windows MACHINES crash and don't work, and so forth-

and yet, 80% of the problems of windows machines seem to be caused by Apple software!

Apple is trying to bring down our machines!!!Quote from: Aegis on September 27, 2008, 04:58:22 PM
It's quite all right -- we've simply let drm's avatar at the keyboard, and it's not yet produced the Shakespeare for which we've been waiting, that's all...

We're gettin' there:
Quote from: drmsucks on September 27, 2008, 09:53:28 PM
We're gettin' there:

Hmm, let's see what we have so far that the chimps have produced:

"MacBanana" the story of how a man killed the alpha MALE of the group to claim his BANANA hoard. Three Wicked Gibbons appear throughout.

"Hamlet" produced in Gangster Rap.

Incomplete transcriptions of Encyclopedic "Banana" Articles

a Tutorial on how to search for files in windows 3.1 File manager. 'and now type "BANANA.*"'


it's just a matter of time- just gotta work the bugs, or should I say, Bananas, out.You forgot "Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp" -- an early 1970's television show during the height of the James Bond / cold war / spy craze. Definitely a spoof of the genre.

For your edification: one of many LINKS (no pun intended ) about the show.

No need to thank me... Quote from: Aegis on September 27, 2008, 11:57:02 PM

No need to thank me...

Alright. Thanks drmsucks!
Discussion
652.

Solve : Vista Desert Version?

Answer»

Quote from: Dead_Reckon on SEPTEMBER 18, 2008, 04:42:39 PM

Read my specs man,
You've got so many fans listed that the popup box extends so far that I can't see the RAM on the first system.

Quote from: Dead_Reckon on September 18, 2008, 04:42:39 PM
An OS shouldn't NEED even 256MB of RAM to run, any more than 512 and its bloatware, more than a gig and its just gonna sink to the bottom.
Use Win 95 or Win 98. I think that you'll be pleased.I've ran XP on systems with a 450MHz PII, 128MB of RAM, and a 8GB ATA66 hard drive without a HITCH other than a two or three minute boot time. As for the specs, I trimmed them up for those running in 1024x768 for whatever unknown reason. As for your love for Vista, I'm starting a pole to see how much people like Vista.

Consider this: Each game caches about 600MB worth of crap, I have 2GB of RAM, and it won't purge the cache unless it gets to like, 80%, in which case, the game crashes because the crap it just put on the RAM is suddenly GONE. That's one of MANY problems I had, I admit, the 8600M GT isn't the greatest GPU. But with vista, its about as useful as a GeForce MX series. As for Steam, I run Counter Strike: Source with it, Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2, Half Life 2 EP1 & 2, and several other games. So, yeah, lets see YOU game on it worth a crap with the system I have. Vista is bloatware, plain and simple, it eats too much of the system and is too much like a *censored* macintosh!

Vista needs to be sent to mars with all those that support it to start a new race of people who like nice looking useless software that isn't even good for the web browsers because you have to go through fifty thousand menu's just to browse the web!Quote
I don't game, have 2 GB RAM and have no (0) problems with Vista Home.
Same here.

Quote
I got two gigs of DDR2 667, was STILL eating half of that.
This is how operating system works. No matter, if you have 1gig, 2gig, or 3gig, the RAM usage will always stay at the similar level, and it's quiet logical.
More RAM, less VM usage.
More RAM = more speed. More speed comes from the usage of more RAM.
Quote
An OS shouldn't NEED even 256MB of RAM to run, any more than 512 and its bloatware, more than a gig and its just gonna sink to the bottom.
Just nonsense. All I can say.
Read up on how Vista was designed to utilise RAM...your comparisons mean you are living in the past or it's not understood fully...
Percentage wise if you have Vista running with 2G of Ram and another machine running Vista with 4G of RAM under similar tasks both machines will read very close numbers no matter what....why because it's a more efficient design.

In other words if it's there...Vista is going to use it.Quote
I've ran XP on systems with a 450MHz PII, 128MB of RAM, and a 8GB ATA66 hard drive without a hitch
I pay for shipping. Send it to me. I WANT to see.I would record it working with some screen capture software, but I don't think the CPU supports video encoding,. That might slow things down a bit.. It doesn't like YOUTUBE or other video sites to much, but it handles them. Its mostly the hardware not having the proper codecs, on a newer 667MHz celeron w/ 128MB RAM and the MX400 though, it might work, I dunno. Point is, if you turn off what you don't need/use in the OS, it runs better, you can't do this in vista. XP's true requirements:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sysreqs/pro.mspx

Trust me, you want slow? Try installing Win98 SE on a 90MHz Pentium MMX in a gateway laptop that has 8MB SIMM memory, and a 2GB hard drive. It doesn't have an optical drive that works, so its installing from the win98in directory in the root of the drive. That is the definition of a SLOW computer, you want slower? Try UPDATING it, or installing drivers. Slow to me is when a computer doesn't perform to its maximum capacity, vista prevents this in near any machine running less than eight gigs of RAM. As I said, Vista = Bloatware, its an unneeded leap t'wards the land of Linux/Mac GUI, if I wanted eye candy by Tupperware, I'd go to Linux.http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sysreqs/pro.mspx
Please, don't get me going. The above is:
1. Ridiculous
2. False advertisement (some lesser companies got sued for this).
3. A wish for my worst enemy.

What are you trying to prove here?
An average human can survive without water for THREE days. Does it mean, we should drink water every three days?

Quote
As I said, Vista = Bloatware
You can repeat that until you turn blue, but it won't make it true."Why would anyone need more [memory] than 640KB?" - Supposedly said by Bill Gates in the 1980's

At the risk of repeating myself....

Quote from: patio on September 18, 2008, 05:38:41 PM
Read up on how Vista was designed to utilise RAM...your comparisons mean you are living in the past or it's not understood fully...
Percentage wise if you have Vista running with 2G of Ram and another machine running Vista with 4G of RAM under similar tasks both machines will read very close numbers no matter what....why because it's a more efficient design.

In other words if it's there...Vista is going to use it.
Why try to understand it when it's so much easier to just rip it to shreds Quote from: evilfantasy on September 19, 2008, 05:46:59 PM
Why try to understand it when it's so much easier to just rip it to shreds

Good point.Quote from: patio on September 19, 2008, 05:31:01 PM
At the risk of repeating myself....

Quote from: patio on September 18, 2008, 05:38:41 PM
Read up on how Vista was designed to utilise RAM...your comparisons mean you are living in the past or it's not understood fully...
Percentage wise if you have Vista running with 2G of Ram and another machine running Vista with 4G of RAM under similar tasks both machines will read very close numbers no matter what....why because it's a more efficient design.

In other words if it's there...Vista is going to use it.
That was meant to be humorous Quote from: drmsucks on September 18, 2008, 11:13:54 PM
"Why would anyone need more [memory] than 640KB?" - Supposedly said by Bill Gates in the 1980's
WHOOPS - THIS was meant to be humorous Quote from: Dead_Reckon on September 18, 2008, 05:12:02 PM
I've ran XP on systems with a 450MHz PII, 128MB of RAM, and a 8GB ATA66 hard drive without a hitch other than a two or three minute boot time. As for the specs, I trimmed them up for those running in 1024x768 for whatever unknown reason. As for your love for Vista, I'm starting a pole to see how much people like Vista.

Consider this: Each game caches about 600MB worth of crap, I have 2GB of RAM, and it won't purge the cache unless it gets to like, 80%, in which case, the game crashes because the crap it just put on the RAM is suddenly GONE. That's one of MANY problems I had, I admit, the 8600M GT isn't the greatest GPU. But with vista, its about as useful as a GeForce MX series. As for Steam, I run Counter Strike: Source with it, Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2, Half Life 2 EP1 & 2, and several other games. So, yeah, lets see YOU game on it worth a crap with the system I have. Vista is bloatware, plain and simple, it eats too much of the system and is too much like a F*****g macintosh!

Vista needs to be sent to mars with all those that support it to start a new race of people who like nice looking useless software that isn't even good for the web browsers because you have to go through fifty thousand menu's just to browse the web!

You should obviously never use a computer and play all of your games on XBox.Thanks to all for your insights.
Discussion
653.

Solve : More info about Windows 7 is out?

Answer» Windows 7 alpha is scheduled to be released to developers on October 27th

http://windowssecrets.com/2008/09/25/03-Dont-go-from-XP-to-Vista-unless-you-go-64-bit

Early indications are that Windows 7 won't be a major upgrade from Vista.

But the real choice isn't between Vista and Windows 7; it's between moving to a 64-bit version of Windows now or later.

The bottom line is that if you're using XP, there's no point in upgrading to 32-bit Vista. It doesn't make sense to upgrade your operating system without upgrading to 64-bit hardware and software in order to get the most out of both. Allow me to explain.

Despite Microsoft's best attempts to keep a lid on the next version of Windows — code-named Windows 7 — details about the new OS's features are slipping out. The early word is that the successor to Vista, which is due to ship in early 2010, won't be much different from Vista Service Pack 1.

To date, Microsoft has said only that the next version of Windows will launch within three years after the consumer release of Vista, which debuted officially in January 2007. A recent report by InternetNews.com pegs Microsoft's current schedule as having the OS ready for PC manufacturers in June 2009, substantially earlier than advertised.

Microsoft executives have kept mum not only about the when of Windows 7 but also the what: specifically, what features will and won't be in the next release. Significantly more information regarding Windows 7 will be available in late October at the company's Professional Developers Conference (PDC) and in early November at its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. Late word is that PDC attendees will receive a pre-beta of Windows 7 on a 160GB external USB hard drive.

Early testers of the new release indicated RECENTLY to All About Microsoft blogger Mary Jo Foley that a public beta of Windows 7 is due around mid-December 2008. Microsoft has said it will sign up beta testers via its Connect site.

That would be the right TIME frame for Microsoft to get the final release to PC makers in time for the 2009 Christmas sales season — a critical mistake Microsoft MADE with Vista in 2006, say analysts.

Windows 7 EMPHASIZES performance, stability

Testers of early preview releases indicate that Windows 7 will provide greater stability, reliability, and performance than Vista. The most recent of the three prebeta releases reportedly delivered all three of the promised benefits.

One of the three biggest complaints about Vista — or more specifically, the 32-bit version of Vista — is performance. (The other two big Vista problems, application incompatibilities and the lack of device drivers, have been solved over the past year and a half, with a few noteworthy exceptions.)

The 32-bit edition of Vista supports only 3GB of memory, a limitation that the 64-bit edition doesn't have. How much memory can 64-bit Vista address? The range is from 8GB for Vista Home Basic to 128GB for the Ultimate, Enterprise, and Business editions.

All 32-bit operating systems, not just Vista, have greater memory restrictions than their 64-bit versions. At this point, if you're considering buying new systems, you should be looking at setups that use 64-bit hardware and software. After all, what good are all those lightning-fast processor cores if the system runs low on memory to support them?

While there will be a 32-bit edition of Windows 7, the writing is on the wall: the future of desktop computing is 64-bit.

"The 64-bit editions support more than 3GB of RAM, which removes the headroom limit that 32-bit editions have," principal anaylst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group told Windows Secrets.

Some users echo that sentiment.

"I installed a full 64-bit copy of Vista six months after release and it runs great," said a user who goes by the screen name Darkest Daze on one user forum.

"I love my Vista 64. I would never go back to XP," said a posting by another user who goes by the screen name Ike_Skelton.

While there is a 64-bit release of XP, Microsoft plans to end free support for XP on April 14, 2009, although the company will continue to issue critical bug fixes. After that date, you'll have to pay per incident for support from Microsoft.

One big reason why Microsoft should have no problem meeting its shipping deadlines for Windows 7 is that the OS will not be much different from Vista Service Pack 1, which shipped last spring. For instance, screen shots of the latest pre-beta that were briefly posted to the Web last week (until Microsoft's legal department got involved) showed a user interface that is suspiciously like Vista's aero look.

Windows components are moving to the cloud

As part of Microsoft's broad initiative to evolve its product offerings to embrace its emerging software-plus-services vision, some features and programs that had previously been included with the operating system will become Windows Live services, residing in the cloud while remaining tightly integrated with Windows 7, the company confirmed this week.

"Starting with the next release of Windows, Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, Windows Contacts, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker will no longer be available in the Windows operating system," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement e-mailed to Windows Secrets.

Instead, those capabilities will be provided via Windows Live services, the statement continued. Moving those features out of Windows 7 may also help improve performance.

"The whole idea is to have Windows Live be a piece on top of the Windows 7 platform," Kip Kniskern, staff writer for Windows Live enthusiast site LiveSide.net, told Windows Secrets. Beyond that, however, he too views Windows 7 as a relatively minor release.

"I don't think Windows 7 is much more than Vista SP2," Kniskern added. "The code base isn't much different."

One feature that will be new in Windows 7 is support for multi-touch displays, which Microsoft's Surface computer pioneered. Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer demonstrated Windows 7's support for that feature at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference in May.

As COOL as this feature may appear, it's unlikely to be reason enough for the millions of XP users in the world to postpone their next system upgrade for more than a year. When you're ready for a 64-bit desktop PC, it's ready for you.
Some (supposed) Windows 7 screenshots: http://windows7news.com/2008/09/20/windows-7-m3-screenshots-galore/
The above page may take a while to load.Argh......More big change....But... those screenshots look like Windows Vista to me...
Discussion
654.

Solve : Integrated circuit is 50 years old?

Answer»

Randomly came across this.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10041107-64.html


I like the picture of the first integrated circuit. Imagine running your computer with that.

LOL Reminds me SOMEWHAT of my early days with thermionic valves (not much under 50 years ago )

Much lower voltages tho!

I also well remember my first multi-*CENSORED* with 2 germanium trannies ... OC71's if I remember right .... OH the thrill of seeing my first square wave from solid state! Quote from: ChrisXPPro on September 13, 2008, 03:46:06 PM

Reminds me somewhat of my early days with thermionic valves (not much under 50 years ago )

Much lower voltages tho!

I also well remember my first multi-*censored* with 2 germanium trannies ... OC71's if I remember right .... oh the thrill of seeing my first square wave from solid state!

One word (or phrase): LOL Quote from: ChrisXPPro on September 13, 2008, 03:46:06 PM
Reminds me somewhat of my early days with thermionic valves (not much under 50 years ago )

Much lower voltages tho!

I also well remember my first multi-*censored* with 2 germanium trannies ... OC71's if I remember right .... oh the thrill of seeing my first square wave from solid state!


trannies and vibrators. Hmmm. Somehow I THINK your confusing what happened then to what happened last weekend

(just kidding, of course)Quote
Somehow I think your confusing what happened then to what happened last weekend

Didn't REALIZE I had an audience!! looks like a piece of un-tanned leather
Discussion
655.

Solve : Are Open Source Violations Lurking in Your Code??

Answer»

IT organizations that feel safe from open source licensing VIOLATIONS might be wise to check their code, as open source components are rapidly seeping into applications by way of offshore and in-house developers taking open source shortcuts, as well as a growing population of open source-savvy grads entering the workforce...

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151196/article.html?tk=nl_baxnwsHeh, nobody is more paranoid about that than good old Microsoft, since under the GNU AGREEMENTS, they'd have to give away their software because it has Open Source code in it, or something like that. I know...

In a few years XP and Vista and all the other OSs will be open source....Quote

In a few years XP and Vista and all the other OSs will be open source....

On what do you base this conjecture?he probably meant to say newer versions of windows...


but he's already stated Microsoft's vigilant lookout for Open Source code getting in, so I think he's already squelched his own argument.


a Little bit off-topic, but if you examine the DLL files and such with DUMPBIN or a similiar tool, one can find where they were originally compiled. I haven't done it in a while, but I remember discovering that Windows 98's system files where originally compiled to an R: drive back in Redmond.Quote
DUMPBIN or a similiar tool, one can find where they were originally compiled. I haven't done it in a while, but I remember discovering that Windows 98's system files where originally compiled to an R: drive back in Redmond.

Very nice!

I'm not as well-informed as some, but I've seen nothing to indicate that Microsoft intends to abandon their "CLOSED source" architecture.

I OBVIOUSLY don't understand their cost structures, but I've often thought that if they wanted to "kill" Linux (or at least seriously hamper it) they should sell their software at really REDUCED prices.
Discussion
656.

Solve : Best Buy + Windows Guru = Apple Store experience??

Answer»

Quote

hahahahaha these PEOPLE shure are influncial

What's so funny? The man did his job. He was influential. I bought an Epson printer and ran about a thousand copies of a three or FOUR page handout for a friend's booth at a medical show in CHICAGO.

I went back and told the Epson rep how many copies I'd run through the printer in less than a WEEK's time, and even he was impressed. He told me they're not RATED to produce so much in so little time.
Discussion
657.

Solve : AT&T ConnecTech: we can out-geek-squad the Geek Squad?

Answer»
"KNOCK knock. AT&T here to set up your computer!"

AT&T has decided to jump into the home computer/TV repair game by launching a NEW service called ConnecTech that will be available for residential customers in all 50 states, whether they're AT&T customers or not. Through ConnecTech, customers will be able to get home theater installation, computer and home network setup, and a slew of TV, computer, and network repairs right from the comfort of their own homes.

LinkAwesome, thanks for the info. MAYBE I can look into getting a job. Heh.Quote from: CBMatt on August 22, 2008, 03:23:33 AM
Awesome, thanks for the info. Maybe I can look into getting a job. Heh.
For sure, I'd imagine they'd definately be looking for computer experts since I'm sure many if not all of the people they currently have are not specialists with computers.

Seeing how the LAST guy i saw had fits with both my router and a cable BOX i'm sure they will "out geek" the geek squad...
Discussion
658.

Solve : ‘Want to Know Who Deleted You on MSN Live?’?

Answer»

Quote

While monitoring countless sites as part of our current Web threat strategy, we have stumbled upon a legitimate-looking prompt from MSN Live MESSENGER… or so it would appear (at first).

As shown from the screen captures below, this prompt bears a close resemblance to the actual prompt being displayed by the MSN Live Messenger instant MESSAGING application (also known as Windows Live Messenger) whenever a friend from the user’s friends LIST logs in.

Read full story here

Yea, I saw that on some website. Didn't click it though, obviously. Quote from: kpac on AUGUST 27, 2008, 03:44:33 AM
Yea, I saw that on some website. Didn't click it though, obviously.
Same here.
Discussion
659.

Solve : Photobucket?

Answer»

What the heck is wrong with their servers ? ?
Page CONSTANTLY reloads with no fix....

2 days now.

The whole website or a certain page?I just accessed my page without problem - 1216 MDT.I got fed up with them and now mostly use Imageshack. I did just access my account with no problems though.It may be a Java update problem...at least that's what i currently have it narrowed down to...I like blaming things on Java

The reason I stopped USING them is because the uploader would ALWAYS resize certain pictures no matter what. My userbar signature just doesn't look right shrunk in half!I see they have a support forum: http://forums.photobucket.com/ That MIGHT be worth a visit.Thanx Soybean !
Discussion
660.

Solve : Industry Roundtable?

Answer» EXPERTS from Sun, Adobe, MICROSOFT and MacAfee DISCUSS how to protect against more numerous and sophisticated attacks by hackers; security professionals call for upgraded technology, along with more attention to human and legal factors

Industry Roundtable: Experts Discuss Improving Online Security: Scientific American

Quote
The Dangerous Human Element
Users themselves can be the Achilles’ heel of security systems because of their propensities for error and their tendency (however unwittingly) to trade data safety for ease of use. As such, it falls to technology to compensate for the potential failings of users.

Just how many resources is this going to cost my PC?I bet there are only like a dozen hackers in the world but the everyone wants to make you believe there are hundreds of them so they can sell you antivirus software. I'd agree with the quote you had that most of the issue is the human factor. I think all companies should work more on the KISS (keep it SIMPLE stupid) principle and also educating the users more before dumping more RESOURCE hog apps on the machine.
Discussion
661.

Solve : ZoneAlarm users warned off latest upgrade?

Answer» http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/224280/zonealarm-users-warned-off-latest-upgrade.html

ZoneAlarm users have been warned off upgrading to the latest version of the software.

ZoneAlarm version 8 was pushed out to customers of the company's Internet Security suite as an automatic update over a week ago, since when there's been hundreds of complaints about the software on the ZoneAlarm users' forum.

Reported problems include laboriously slow shutdown sequences, tardy resume from standby and BOTCHED installations.

The furore has prompted ZoneAlarm's publisher, Check Point, to advise customers to revert to a previous version of the software. "ZoneAlarm is still investigating and COLLECTING data on the slow shutdown, slow coming out of standby and slow logging off user issue," reads a statement PUBLISHED on the user forums by a ZoneAlarm representative.

"The automatic update for 8.0 was turned off on Monday. We recommend that users uninstall 8.0 and reinstall 7.

"When an improved version is ready the automatic update notification will let you know in the client."

In a statement sent to PC Pro Check Point says: "We are working on this issue, and will automatically notify all of our users when the free fix is available. We will keep this inconvenience for users as short-lived as possible.

"Some users in a very specific scenario are experiencing performance issues with shutdown. Anyone who experiences this problem can use an earlier version of ZoneAlarm until it is resolved.

"These issues don't affect PC security: users' PCs remain secured. Also upgrades to the latest versions are always free to current ZoneAlarm users - no one has to pay for an upgrade."

No return

The advice to revert back to version 7 has left ZoneAlarm customers dismayed. "I didn't have quite such a bad experience, but did suffer a sudden reboot mid-install of the update," reports PC Pro blog reader Ian Wood.

"Unfortunately I was in the middle of paying for the upgrade. I got to see my new license key for about a MILLISECOND and then it was gone.

"When I did finally retrieve the key I noticed the 'non-shutdown' problem and then the long pauses in reaction to mouse clicks.

"The forums say roll back to v7 and everything will be OK. I'm sure it will, but I paid good money for v8."

Others are complaining that, even after removing version 8, problems remain. "I managed to remove a half-installed version 8 and go back to version 7 but all my programs in the Add/Remove panel of Windows are corrupted," reports one member of the ZoneAlarm user forum.
"I can't remove anything."Theres a lot of software that has been having problems lately.

One of my games I play online got updated and it came with a virus.Quote from: !~*:.Pink Floyd.:*~! on September 20, 2008, 08:33:57 PM
One of my games I play online got updated and it came with a virus.

Really? What's the game?
Discussion
662.

Solve : Stupid Chrome bug: Why I'm switching back to Firefox?

Answer» GOOGLE UPDATER comes installed with all KIND of Google applications, Google Earth, for instance...
How To How to Remove GoogleUpdate.exe: http://antivirus.about.com/od/windowsbasics/ht/googleupdate.htm
Discussion
663.

Solve : Extraterrestrial (Computer) Virus?

Answer» Has the First Extraterrestrial (Computer) Virus Been Discovered on the Space Station?

Quote
Although this type of virus is not considered a threat to space station operations, it does raise some questions about how the virus got up there and why the station's computers were not protected.

Maybe they should have started here. Keeping Yourself Safe On The Web LOL stupid maleware aliens be a h4cking my WoW account For my epics.

Anyways Are they gonna sue whoever put it up there if they find the person?Probably will be blamed on aliens.

Hey Evilfantasy, you ready to go into Space? They may NEED your help. Hehe, I would like to see that HJT log.

I read that it's a password STEALING trojan usually distributed among popular gaming web sites. The astronauts are up there playing WoW I smell a Road TRIP for Evil and Chris...Our heads may be too big to fit in the forums after that..Maybe, but it'd be one heck of a story.
Discussion
664.

Solve : Microsoft Tweaks Anti-piracy Check for Windows XP?

Answer» HERE

Microsoft has updated software that verifies whether a copy of Windows is genuine in its Windows XP Professional EDITION, making it similar to the notification in Windows Vista and thus more persistently visible to users.

In a blog posting attributed to Alex Kochis, a Microsoft director of product marketing and management, the company said it made the changes to the Windows Genuine Notification (WGA) alerts for XP Pro because it is "the product edition that is most often stolen."

Now when a version of Windows XP Pro is found to be pirated or counterfeit, the next time a user logs on to the system, the desktop screen background will be black, replacing whatever custom desktop may have been set by the user. This will reappear every 60 minutes, even if a user resets the screen's background. Previously, this was not a part of the WGA notification for Windows XP Pro.

Another new feature of the alert system is to put the PC into "persistent desktop notification" mode, with a banner at the bottom of the screen informing the user that the copy of Windows is not genuine. The notification is translucent and users can interact with any objects underneath it; however, it will continue to appear on the screen until a user installs a genuine copy of Windows.

Microsoft said the update to WGA also simplifies the installation of the alert system on Windows XP Pro. In addition, the company has IMPROVED its ability to detect non-genuine copies of Windows.

Users have had mixed reactions to the WGA program, which Microsoft launched two years ago as part of an aggressive program to eliminate counterfeit and pirated versions of Windows. While some think it's a good way for Microsoft to prevent use of non-genuine Windows software, others found the program irksome and an intrusion, particularly when it would peg systems they knew to be genuine as pirated or counterfeit.

The program even at one point was thought to be acting like spyware by sending information from people's computers BACK to Microsoft. However, Microsoft said it only provides information about whether the copy of Windows is genuine, not any other information about the user or the PC.

Microsoft first distributed WGA only to users of Microsoft's download services who wanted to install add-on software, excluding security releases, for Windows XP. Eventually, it became an automatic part of Microsoft's update services and then was built directly into Windows Vista as the company developed that OS.Big Brother is ALIVE and well!Actually, I'm a big fan of this. In fact, I think that MS ought to simply 'turn off' the FUNCTIONALITY of non-licensed software; but, they can't afford very many false positives!It's probably against forum policy for me to tell you about a certain entry in my HOSTS file.
Quote from: Dias de verano on August 30, 2008, 08:43:21 AM
It's probably against forum policy for me to tell you about a certain entry in my HOSTS file.


I know one of them, what's yours? Ok so it just annoys you more? It doesn't actually increase the chance of them figuring out that windows is pirated? hee hee Seems Microsoft can't ever be rich enough. They kicked out bill, now Steve is going to go on a bullying spree, they should adopt the slogan "Buy or Die!". Seems fitting too there ultimate goal.Quote from: Dead_Reckon on September 02, 2008, 01:44:45 PM
Seems Microsoft can't ever be rich enough. They kicked out bill, now Steve is going to go on a bullying spree, they should adopt the slogan "Buy or Die!". Seems fitting too there ultimate goal.
Quote from: Dead_Reckon on September 02, 2008, 01:44:45 PM
They kicked out bill.

weird, I could have sworn he resigned voluntarily.



Quote from: Dead_Reckon on September 02, 2008, 01:44:45 PM
Seems fitting too there ultimate goal.

which just so happens to be a fairly common goal among companies- to increase their bottom line. The means for providing that goal is to get more people purchasing their product. In Order to do that, they employ their tertiary goal, which would be improving their software.
Discussion
665.

Solve : Mozilla drops new EULA?

Answer»

From TechSpot:

Quote

Mozilla to abandon Firefox EULA
By Justin Mann, TechSpot.com
Published: September 18, 2008, 11:32 AM EST

A quick end has been brought to the controversy surrounding Mozilla and the EULA they include with Firefox. In a recent BLOG update, Mitchell Baker of Mozilla has announced that rather than re-writing the EULA as they'd ORIGINALLY planned, they will be abandoning it altogether. Instead, all that will ship with the browser is a notice about the license it comes with – the one it has had for some time.

This should certainly appease those who found the concept of a EULA inside free, open source software to be distasteful. That's where this issue began, largely due to the negative connotations that come with a term like EULA. I am glad to see that Mozilla has sided with user opinion in this matter.
Nice job on Mozilla's PART. My belief on this is that not only are they doing this because of the open source backlash but ALSO because of all the recent controversy with Google's EULA.Which proves that backlash can be a good thing...
Check Here ...
I'd like to hear your feedback on this as well.
I don't think software vendors should be able to do this at will.
Discussion
666.

Solve : Mozilla adds privacy mode to Firefox 3.1 plans?

Answer»
Mozilla Corp. will respond to rivals Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. with a private-browsing mode in Firefox, according to notes posted on its Web SITE, and is on track to deliver one in 3.1, the version that will LIKELY go beta next month.

Link

Woah, you're getting a lot of news!

Is it LIKE a proxy?It sounds more like the FEATURE in Google Chrome that allows you to surf the web Incognito mode. (no temp files, history or cookies are saved)Firefox already has stealther add-on which has same capabilities of google chrome's incognito window function.

However, if you have many add-ons already installed, then I'd think that using firefox's built in feature and one less add-on would reduce some memory usage.
Discussion
667.

Solve : Almost 1 Out of Every 3 People Buy Stuff from Spam?

Answer»

I just wanted to compare...how much did you get? Quote from: Broni on September 03, 2008, 05:45:44 PM

I just wanted to compare...how much did you get?
$20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.00 and I only had to send $1,000,000.00 back. I hope the check is good because I just got an email for a GREAT DEAL on *CENSORED*; oh, and I was going to buy you a NEW Porsche I got the same AMOUNT, but no email from *censored* (disppointed!!).lol nothing is for pills or anything like that for some reason....SAY again?...LOLi didnt get any spam for *censored* or anything awwwThat's because you didn't participate in great Nigerian offer.
You don't play, you don't win....even pills....LOLCome and get it...free money...Nigerian prince wants to help you...

At LEAST, drmsucks got *censored*...
Discussion
668.

Solve : Coming Next: Gigabite Wi-Fi?

Answer» http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151040/coming_next_gigabit_wifi.html

The IEEE working group that is putting the FINISHING touches on the 802.11n 100Mbps wireless LAN standard is about to launch a new project, for a 1Gbps WLAN standard....Gigabit Wi-Fi? Good Luck!Don't believe it?It will take some time to develop, and to switch over.

I believe it is possible....Just not for quite some time....Quote from: CARBON Dudeoxide on September 14, 2008, 10:12:34 AM
It will take some time to develop, and to switch over.

I believe it is possible....Just not for quite some time....

But we've MADE such advancements in TECHNOLOGY! I mean, we have TOASTERS with FOUR SLOTS! THat is TWICE the originally thought limits! If we can do that- imagine what else we could do!Quote from: BC_Programmer on September 14, 2008, 10:25:09 AM
But we've made such advancements in technology! I mean, we have TOASTERS with FOUR SLOTS! THat is TWICE the originally thought limits! If we can do that- imagine what else we could do!

LOL you like rubbing it in, don't you? Quote from: kpac on September 14, 2008, 10:29:12 AM
Quote from: BC_Programmer on September 14, 2008, 10:25:09 AM
But we've made such advancements in technology! I mean, we have TOASTERS with FOUR SLOTS! THat is TWICE the originally thought limits! If we can do that- imagine what else we could do!

LOL you like rubbing it in, don't you?

hey, that was a good one.


Besides, throw enough bodies at a problem, and your solve the problem. Unless of course the problem is a pile of bodies.I still have STUPID 54 mbps Quote from: Soviet Genius on September 14, 2008, 12:57:06 PM
I still have stupid 54 mbps

Stupid? Wanna swap?
I'll give you my 120kbps USB modem....
Discussion
669.

Solve : iTunes 8 takes down Vista with 'blue screen of death'?

Answer» http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9114468

Users report crashes after updating iTunes; some say unplugging HP printers helps

Apple Inc.'s latest VERSION of iTunes crashes Windows Vista when an iPod or iPhone is connected to the PC, scores of users have reported on Apple's support forum.

As soon as an iPod or iPhone is plugged into the PC, Vista crashes and shows the "blue screen of death" (BSOD), the critical error screen on a blue background that requires a reboot to recover, users said. The errors began showing up immediately after updating iTunes to Version 8.0, which Apple released Tuesday as part of its iPod refresh.

"I just installed iTunes 8 over my iTunes 7 on Vista [and] now whenever I plug in my iPod, I get a blue screen death. Three times so far. Even if it is plugged in on boot, I get a blue screen," said a user identified as "sambeckett" on the support forum about 90 minutes after Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrapped up the iPod launch.

The thread, which as of early Thursday had been viewed nearly 10,000 times and sported almost 300 messages, also quickly accumulated theories about the cause. The Vista error message, for example, fingered an Apple-provided USB driver, several users said.

"I think it's safe to say then that either Apple's USB driver shipped with iTunes 8 is broken on Vista, or it's causing a PROBLEM with some other common Vista driver," speculated a user named "Mike de Awesome."

Numerous users reported that they were able to avoid the BSOD by unplugging peripherals from their PCs' USB ports, particularly Hewlett-Packard Co. printers and scanners, and in some cases, keyboards, mice and cameras made by Logitech INTERNATIONAL SA.

Others, however, disputed that fix. "I tried another clean install last night, same BSoD problem," said "bryankaras" early Thursday morning. "I have no HP drivers, no HP printer, no Logitech drivers or peripherals."

"I disconnected all of my USB devices except for the mouse and keyboard, and also disconnected [my] Belken USB hub," echoed "CobraBob" on the same thread. "BSOD. I then disconnected the HP LaserJet parallel cable. BSOD. So my conclusion is that this issue is not solely applicable to HP printers with a USB interface. If this is a USB issue then I'm stumped because with all of my devices unplugged, including the LaserJet parallel printer, I still get the BSOD."

One message on the thread purported to come from an Apple employee, who asked users to report their findings to him via an Apple e-mail account. "Look in the Programs and Feature Control Panel. Do you have Logitech Setpoint software installed?" asked "RoyB" Tuesday afternoon. "Does the issue go away if you remove the Logitech software and reboot the computer?"

Not surprisingly, users vented.

"Funny how iTunes 7 worked flawlessly before I downloaded iTunes 8," said "GogoGadget69" Tuesday. "It couldn't be iTunes 8 could it? And by the way the entire WORLD is getting fantastic 3G reception on the iPhone 3G. And MobileMe has always worked fantastic!!! I love how Apple owns up to problems... IT'S NOT US! IT MUST BE YOU! OR MICROSOFT! OR YOUR MOUSE! OR YOUR CHAIR!"

"This is UNBELIEVABLE. Who beta tests this software? Oh wait...obviously no one," said "davestoltz" on the thread. "Microsoft would get raked over the coals if they put out this kind of garbage."

iTunes has generated BSOD errors before, most recently after Windows Vista users updated to Version 7.7 in July. A support document spelled out the problem, which was limited to 64-bit editions of the Microsoft Corp. operating system. "Attempting to connect an iPhone or iPod touch, which has been updated with the latest iPhone 2.0 software, to iTunes 7.7 on a 64-bit Microsoft Vista platform may cause the system to unexpectedly quit and display a blue error message screen," the document read.

At the time, Apple recommended that users update to Vista Service Pack 1.

This week's problem, however, was not limited to 64-bit Vista, according to the user reports.

Apple and HP officials were not available for comment.Update...

Apple fixes iTunes 8, sort of

Apple has just released a new version of iTunes 8 intended to fix the horrific problems I reported earlier this week, including STOP errors (AKA the Blue Screen of Death) for some Windows Vista users.

This doesn’t appear to be a permanent fix, however. As I note at ZDNet, the new version replaces Apple’s problematic USB driver with an older version.

If you experienced problems with iTunes 8, you should uninstall the current version and replace it with this one. If you’re not experiencing any problems, I recommend leaving well enough alone.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=543Woah, crap. Good thing I didn't use iTunes lately, and it has been asking me to update. Same here.
Discussion
670.

Solve : Recalls?

Answer»
About 73,000 VAIO VAIO VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000 series notebook computers, MANUFACTURED in JAPAN and United States by Sony Electronics Inc., because of a possibility the computers could short circuit and overheat. The COMPANY has received 15 reports of overheating, including one report of a minor burn. The notebooks were sold online and by SonyStyle stores, authorized electronics retailers and authorized business-to-business dealers around the country between July 2007 and August 2008. Details: by PHONE at 888-526-6219; by Web at http://www.sony.com/support or http://www.cpsc.gov.

Link
Discussion
671.

Solve : Microsoft: Expect four bulletins on Patch Tuesday?

Answer»
On Thursday, Microsoft announced four SECURITY BULLETINS for Tuesday. The ANNOUNCEMENT is intended as a heads-up for IT departments before Patch Tuesday. All four are CONSIDERED critical, the most serious ranking offered by the software giant.

Among the critical patches, two affect Windows Media Player, one affects Windows, while the other affects Microsoft OFFICE. All could enable remote code execution if exploited.

Link
Discussion
672.

Solve : Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Available Now: Windows XP $399, Ubuntu $349?

Answer»
The way Dell introduced the Inspiron Mini 9 was pretty inspired, so it's almost been depressing watching the steady stream of leaks deflate it into a now familiar device, even though it's only being released today. As leaked, INSIDE is an Intel ATOM Diamondville processor and it has a 1024x600 LED-backlit screen with 4, 8 and 16GB SSD options (plus you get 2GB free online storage at Box.Net) and about three hours of BATTERY life. Only the Windows XP version is available now for $399, in black or white—the $349 Ubuntu flavor, along with the rest of the six-color rainbow are a few weeks away. Update: You can pick one up for $99 if you BUY another Dell.

Link
Discussion
673.

Solve : An inside look at Apple’s sneaky iTunes 8 upgrade?

Answer» http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=536

I’m reading lots of complaints about the new iTunes 8 update causing horrific problems on Windows machines, including widespread reports of STOP errors, aka the Blue Screen of Death. My colleague Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has ASKED readers for reports and Gizmodo has a sketchy post as well. How can this be happening? Assuming that the underlying hardware is working correctly, STOP errors can only be caused by kernel-level drivers or system services. A poorly written program can crash itself but not the entire system. So how can a supposedly simple software update cause a fatal crash?

Maybe because this isn’t a simple software update. Once again, Apple is using its automatic update process to deliver massive amounts of new software to users, including a device driver that has a LONG and checkered history of causing the Blue Screen Of Death to APPEAR. And it’s delivering this massive payload without even a pretense of proper disclosure and without asking consent from its users.

I was able to reproduce a crash using an iPod and iTunes 8 and fixed it by removing the suspicious driver. I’ve dissected the process and put together a GALLERY that shows how extensive the infiltration is and where you can FIND the likely culprit.

Read more at the above linkHuh, that's pretty concerning. The conspirator in me wants to think that maybe this is a ploy on Apple's part to get more Windows users to convert over to their system.

I knew, it had to be a reason, my son switched to Apple last year...LOOL
Discussion
674.

Solve : HP Breaks the 24-Hour Notebook Battery Life Barrier?

Answer»
HOLY moly, talk about being charged up! HP claims its new EliteBook 6930p can deliver up to 24 hours of battery runtime, or 5 hours longer than Dell's Latitude E6400, provided it comes equipped with an optional ultra-capacity battery.

“All-day computing has been the holy grail of notebook computing,” said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, HP. “With the HP EliteBook 6930p, customers no longer have to worry about their notebook battery running out before their work day is over.”.

Link

Nice!

I didn't know they made 1-day batteries.
Quote
5 hours longer than Dell's Latitude E6400
very nice but I WONDER how long they take to charge Quote from: apple266 on September 11, 2008, 05:48:13 PM
very nice but I wonder how long they take to charge

Heh man good question! I'd guess (hope) that it'd be able to charge while you sleep. But I'd FIND it hard to believe that charging for 8 hours would allow for a 24 hour use.
Discussion
675.

Solve : It Looks Like Yahoo Dislikes Internet Explorer Too?

Answer»
Even though the drama surrounding Microsoft’s Yahoo ACQUISITION has subsided, it looks like there’s still some bad blood.

A tipster yesterday sent US a screen shot of Yahoo’s front page running on Internet Explorer with a Firefox recommendation sitting atop the page. “Yahoo recommends upgrading to the NEW safer, faster Firefox 3,” the ad says.

Link

Hah! GO Firefox!Good one of course, one doesn't need internet explorer anyway. Just get IE tab ADDON for firefox and you have IE on hand in the rare cases that firefox fails on a website!
Discussion
676.

Solve : Google: Happy Tenth Anniversary--Now What??

Answer»
Ten years ago, when there were far fewer websites than there are today, a couple of guys living in STANFORD's Escondido Village GOT the idea to create an easy-to-use, searchable directory so friends and family could EASILY find the net's newest, coolest destinations.

Link

*Check the link out, has a lot of pictures I've never seen covering the development of Google.Page not found?Hmm apparently cnbc's having issues with their site.. alternate site with similar article and pictures.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/378032_google06.htmlInteresting..... Google Garage --> Google HQThey celebrated pretty WELL.....with Chrome Quote from: Broni on September 06, 2008, 11:57:22 AM
They celebrated pretty well.....with Chrome

Google: Happy Tenth Anniversary--Now What?
They want more == bank account information

Just from this board, they got plenty....LOL
Discussion
677.

Solve : Comcast Sets Monthly Bandwidth Limit for Customers?

Answer»
Comcast, the largest provider of cable-based broadband service in the U.S., will limit residential customers to 250 gigabytes of bandwidth a month beginning Oct. 1, the company announced late Thursday.

Link
At approx 8 Gb a day I could live with that - altho any limitation can seem unwelcome.

My satellite (Hughes net with Earthlink) - can go silly beyond about 300MB - or at least used to!!!Rumor has it the FCC is about to pounce on both cable and ISP providers...mainly for unfair business practises.
Can't happen soon enough.I hope, they're gonna get busted...Well this is better than my ISP, who claim that my bandwidth is unlimited until I go over 60 GB and a 60 GB limit magically appears...Quote
Comcast will contact customers who go above the 250G byte limit and ask them to curtail their use, Comcast said. If a customer goes over the monthly limit again during the following SIX months, Comcast will suspend service for a year.

WOW. Pretty harsh penalty!

And if you are wondering (I was)

Quote
An average Comcast customer uses two to three gigabytes of bandwidth a month, Comcast said. To reach the 250G-byte limit, a customer would have to do one of the following: send 50 million e-mails, download 62,500 songs or download 125 standard-definition movies, the company said in its announcement.

Quote
The new bandwidth cap will affect less than 1 percent of Comcast customers,

That is an enormous amount of usage for a home computer. The limit (if they're really gonna do it) is pretty high, I must say, but it's more about a principle.
When I signed up for Comcast, they didn't tell me about any limits, it was supposed to be UNLIMITED.Quote
When I signed up for Comcast, they didn't tell me about any limits, it was supposed to be UNLIMITED.

Looking at it like that, they should just be able to add this new restriction to new accounts.

I see petitions and class action law suits in the future....Maybe, it was some clause about changing rules, but reading 150 pages of a fine print was probably too much for me...LOLI admit that limitations suck, but it's a pretty fair amount, I think. And I'm sure there's probably something in their fine print that allows them to do this. The penalty is quite ridiculous, though.I'll throw my vote in as well as the penalty being ridiculous. I'm still opposed to the 250 limit even if it seems fair mainly because I can see them just continuously chopping away at it until we're all stuck with a 50 gb limit unless we pay more.Quote
because I can see them just continuously chopping away at it until we're all stuck with a 50 gb limit unless we pay more.
An excellent point!Broni, check your contract on your ISP service if you have it. Most state that there will NEVER be a limit, and the company cannot render that contract void. VERIZON, my fathers ISP, has tried to impose false charges and increase the amount he is paying. He SETTLED that with a few legal threats due too the FACT that he has a hardcopy of his ISP contract. They CANNOT change the amount charged and they CANNOT impose fee's unless it is a service he legally subscribed too, even then, that service would be SEPARATE from the contract.

I'd advise some studying for Comcast customers. Get your contract out and figure out if you, or they are going to be the ones screwed by the limit. The contract is there for a reason you know.. Thanks, Dead_Reckon
It looks like some digging through old papers is due...
Comcast should just limit data in/out by speed. Peak times, speed slower a bit, non peak times, speed faster. Not excessively limited but people will conserve bandwidth knowing that if they download something big, it may take longer at a certain time?
Discussion
678.

Solve : ASUS' ROM boot chip?

Answer»

Have you seen this?

The ASUS SNEAK attack. The most interesting story the media is downplaying is the ASUS announcement that it will have a ROM boot chip on all its motherboards, which will boot Linux instantly on start-up. When you flick the SWITCH the machine is instantly on. (It's about time.) Of course, you will have to press another button for the machine to load Windows.

This development is important, since 90 percent of the time all a user wants to do is surf the Web. Often when leaving for a trip, I forget to check the weather. To do so, I would have to start up my computer, wait forever for it to boot, then go online. This way, I just flip it on, and boom—I get a browser and the info and I'm done.


More Here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2325779,00.aspAn absolutely great IDEA and one that should have been done long AGO...Boot Linux Instantly to check something......I like this.
Discussion
679.

Solve : Microsoft reveals IE8 Beta 2?

Answer»

ie8 has a special pr0n mode...Quote

I installed it today It wont open.
You screwed up your main COMPUTER?
If so, "look carefully"......Quote from: computeruler on August 30, 2008, 11:01:37 AM
ie8 has a special pr0n mode...

Omg sweet!!!

I got It working now It keeps

Giving me this error report.More news...

Microsoft: No more Windows Live Mail crashes with IE8 Beta 2

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9113900&intsrc=hm_list

But preview browser is still hinky with Hotmail, Netflix, Skype and other programs

Microsoft Corp. today said that it made a mistake when it tagged one of its own programs as incompatible with Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, the browser preview it unveiled Wednesday.

In the release notes that accompanied IE8 Beta 2, Microsoft initially listed Windows Live Mail as problematic on PCs running the new browser. "If you install Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, Windows Live Mail will crash when you create or reply to an e-mail message," Microsoft warned in the release notes.

Windows Live Mail, formerly Windows Live Desktop, is the desktop mail client meant to replace Outlook Express and Windows Mail. It is different from the similarly named Windows Live Hotmail, which is the nameplate for Microsoft's Web-based e-mail SERVICE.

"This was actually an inaccuracy on our end that has since been fixed," said a Microsoft spokeswoman today via e-mail. "Live Mail will work just fine for IE8 Beta 2 users."

The release notes have since been modified to read: "Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is compatible with Windows Live Mail."

Computerworld confirmed that Windows Live Mail did not crash when it runs on a Windows XP system equipped with IE8 Beta 2.

The other incompatibility warnings in the release notes are, however, correct, said the spokeswoman. Among the PROBLEMS:

* Hotmail, Microsoft's online e-mail service. Apparently, IE8 Beta 2 will not always completely log off Hotmail after the user clicks the "Sign out" button, leaving the account active and making it possible for others using that computer to view the account's messages and use it to send mail. "To make sure that Internet Explorer logs off Hotmail, click the Hotmail Sign-In link after you log off Hotmail," Microsoft recommended in the release notes.

* Netflix, the DVD subscription mail service. Users with IE8 Beta 2 cannot view Netflix's "On Demand" movies.

* Skype, the popular voice-over-IP application. "IE8 Beta 2 displays a compatibility warning when certain versions of the Skype add-in are installed," said Microsoft. "When you disable this add-in, the main functionality of the Skype product is unaffected." Version 2.2.0.193 and later of the Skype add-in are compatible.

Microsoft has also warned potential IE8 Beta 2 users running Windows XP Service Pack 3 that they won't be able to uninstall either the service pack or IE8 under some circumstances.

"hinky"?
This is a straight copy, so you tell me what it means, since E is my SL. Quote from: Broni on August 30, 2008, 11:58:38 AM
This is a straight copy, so you tell me what it means, since E is my SL.

I believe that it is US English slang for "strange, unusual; weird; nonstandard".
Quote from: Dias de verano on August 30, 2008, 12:09:02 PM
Quote from: Broni on August 30, 2008, 11:58:38 AM
This is a straight copy, so you tell me what it means, since E is my SL.

I believe that it is US English slang for "strange, unusual; weird; nonstandard".

...but, we're talking Microsoft here; hinky = strange, unusual; weird; nonstandard = normal; as in 'Press Start' to shut down; as in "No, you can't remove this program even if it is a beta." It's not "hinky," it's a feature microsoft browser is adding good features, it's just their browser (as of the beta 2) looks ugly. Apple's browser also looks ugly but I'd take IE's ugliness firstQuote
Microsoft: No more Windows Live Mail crashes with IE8 Beta 2

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9113900&intsrc=hm_list

But preview browser is still hinky with Hotmail, Netflix, Skype and other programs

Of course...it's WIERD how microsoft's own services doesn't work correctly with it's own programs. But then again, all programs more or less have bugs that needs to be figured out in beta stages.Quote
it's wierd how microsoft's own services doesn't work correctly with it's own programs.
It's normal...Anyone here hear of this: http://internetexplorer8.net/ I just went quickly through it, and I found one thing, which is not true:
Quote
One thing Chrome has done is simplified the traditional combination of address bar and search bar. Instead, you use the same box to type URLs and search criteria; if it's the latter, Chrome comes up with some helpful suggestions. IE8 does the same but keeps a separate search box just in case, while Firefox sticks with URLs and previously visited pages in the address bar and search suggestions in the search bar.
Firefox can be easily set to use address bar as a search bar at the same time. That's how I have it set up. I don't have search bar at all.
...and one statement, which is very doubtful:
Quote
Fighting evil
WINNER: IE8. NO, REALLY
Since IE uses ActiveX, it can't be a winner. Period.Quote from: Broni on September 08, 2008, 11:22:35 AM

Firefox can be easily set to use address bar as a search bar at the same time. That's how I have it set up. I don't have search bar at all.

Yea, I like that about FF.
It's like a GOOGLE "I'm feeling lucky" search. If it finds a match, it automatically redirects you to the page.
Discussion
680.

Solve : Nvidia 55nm gpus defective?

Answer»

ok well i herd this from some one who was talking to SOMEONE fron nvidia at nvision and i dont think you can find this on the interent anywhere but scnece the 8800 gpu MOBILE THING they have higher QUALITY control standereds and all of the new 55nm gtx 200s didnt pass! none!!and that means they are defective how?idk they just didnt pass qcQuote from: computeruler on September 06, 2008, 07:26:58 PM

idk they just didnt pass qc

they didn't pass the more rigid testing. that doesn't necessarily mean they are defective.
Discussion
681.

Solve : Toshiba, Samsung in race to ship 256GB solid-state drives?

Answer»

Do you think the HDD will give way to the SSD/MRAM/PRAM with in 5 years?

As you may know Intel and Asus are already are making laptops with SSD/SD cards.

Will MRAM shorten the SSD's shelf life due MRAM's data reliability?

ThanksNo,


Yes.For a desktop computer, a solid state HD is probably not such a big deal.

But, for the laptop/notebook industry, it just makes sense for SO MANY reasons.

It's probably faster than a notebook HD, can withstand much higher G'forces and produces less heat. The life expectancy should ALSO be GREATER than a mechanical HD.

I'm all for it. I've been wondering why it's taking so long to get on the market.

In the last 44 years, I've watched electronics take over for mechanics in SO MANY types of office equipment. The OLD 250# iron cash register is gone FOREVER. Thank God!
I nearly BROKE my back carrying those things around.

Cheers Mates!
The Shadow
Discussion
682.

Solve : Google turns 10!?

Answer»

On a search page, I NOTICED the text "Google is turning 10. See how we are celebrating"...

Here is the link:

HTTP://www.google.ie/tenthbirthday/yay google!! happy BIRTHDAY!!Hmmmm.....Backrub.....10 yrs!wow google is a kid!!Quote from: Ivy on September 30, 2008, 01:09:00 AM

wow google is a kid!!

A pretty big kid. I wish I had that much MONEY when I was 10.I had

socrates how does HEMLOCK taste?
Discussion
683.

Solve : China running out of IP addresses.?

Answer»

From Neowin:

Quote

Chinese OFFICIALS are calling for a mass migration to IPv6 after disclosing that they have only 830 days' worth of IPv4 resources left.

The disclosure was made by Li Kai, director of IP of the China Internet Network Information Center.

Li EXPLAINED at a conference that, without a rapid changeover to IPv6, internet users in China will start having problems getting online.

"We held seminars almost everywhere to tell operators to apply for the remaining IP addresses as soon as possible, and to prepare the new IP addresses from IPv6 for internet users," he said, according to state media.

Around 80 per cent of China's IPv4 resources have now been taken up. The country's IP allocation recently exceeded Japan's, making it the second largest in the world behind the US.
Yeah, I heard about that.

Good thing I won't be affected, where I live. I always wondered if it was possible to use up all possible combinations of IP address. Now I know. Not sure if China would really be allowed to use all possible combinations- save some for others, after all.

Even so- IPv4 has 4,294,967,296 (256^4, if my combinatorics skills are still any good)- that's a lot of addresses, but we're definitely approaching that limit.And how many for IPv6 may i ask ? ?

Nice calculations but off a little... Quote from: patio on September 28, 2008, 12:43:25 PM
And how many for IPv6 may i ask ? ?

Nice calculations but off a little...

IPv6, I ASSUME uses 6 sets of 3 numbers each (just a random assumption..) so I'd imagine the total number of combinations would be 256^6...

for ipv4- I don't understand how my calc is off? ipv4 is 4 sets of 3 numbers each-

each number has 256 possible values, 0 to 255...

if you can state my flaws there, I'm all ears ipconfig shows my IPv6 address as "Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::2140:8680:7898:f619%9" so can't there be way more IP addresses if there are letters and symbols int it?

From Wiki:
Quote
The very large IPv6 address space supports 2^128 (about 3.4×10^38) addresses, or approximately 5×10^28 (roughly 2^95) addresses for each of the roughly 6.5 billion (6.5×10^9) people alive TODAY.[1] In a different perspective, this is 2^52 addresses for every observable star in the known universe[2] – more than ten billion billion billion times as many addresses as IPv4 (2^32) supported.
indeed soviet genius- you are correct. I know very little about ipv6 really, so I just assumed it was the same as ipv4, but with 6 entries.

ipv4 has 2^32

256=2^8

8*3 = 32...

So my MATH for ipv4 was correct there- just a different expression.Quote from: BC_Programmer on September 28, 2008, 09:36:24 PM
indeed soviet genius- you are correct. I know very little about ipv6 really, so I just assumed it was the same as ipv4, but with 6 entries.

ipv4 has 2^32

256=2^8

8*3 = 32...

So my math for ipv4 was correct there- just a different expression.

I believe the eye roll was meant to indicate he was simply joking. I could be wrong though
Discussion
684.

Solve : Wal-Mart DRM Take Away?

Answer»

No REASON to BUY a CD -> Amazon most likely has the single that you want.

First single that I ever bought was Little Darlin' by the Diamonds in 1957...on a 45...88¢. Of course, it wasn't a "single" it was a "dual"...but, I don't remember what was on the other side

88¢ in 1957 is ≈ $10.00 today; so, 99¢/song at Amazon doesn't sound too bad. And, like that 45 rpm record, you can play it on anything that can play it what format does Amazon DISTRIBUTE said singles?Quote from: BC_Programmer on SEPTEMBER 30, 2008, 12:35:17 PM

what format does Amazon distribute said singles?

MP3 - 256 kbps.

http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b/ref=sa_menu_dmusic1/104-9447949-5588712?_encoding=UTF8&node=163856011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-nav-1&pf_rd_r=1S65569B5ZFEMM97A5AK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=328655101&pf_rd_i=507846
Discussion
685.

Solve : Microsoft, Washington State Sue Scareware Purveyors?

Answer»

About time..


Microsoft Corp. and the STATE of Washington this week filed lawsuits against a slew of "scareware" purveyors, scam ARTISTS who use FAKE security alerts to frighten consumers into PAYING for worthless computer security software.

Link

I'm pretty sure it's also Washington who has been handing out big sentences to spammers. Good for them!!This should have happened long ago.

If I had a nickel for every time I've seen that Registry Cleaner XP pop-up...This is a bitter sweet moment for anyone in PC repair, good because the threats will be gone. Bad because the people won't come into the shop asking to remove the thing that keeps telling them to buy something. Though I'm sure this won't completely rid the web of the scareware, It'll put a dent in it. Which is, as I've SAID, a bittersweet moment for anyone in computer repair. The field which, I'll soon be entering.
Discussion
686.

Solve : Google Chrome & Java?

Answer»

If you are trying the Chrome browser and use any Java applications/web sits you need to install Sun Java Runtime Environment 6 Update 10 Beta

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Sun_Java_Runtime_Environment_d4648.htmlA Beta for a Beta.....How cool!

I'm going to WAIT until Chrome gets out of Beta before I do anything with it.

Anyways, nice find. Gmail, Google Docs and MANY more are still beta. You will have a very long wait.Quote from: evilfantasy on September 30, 2008, 09:17:50 AM

Gmail, Google Docs and many more are still beta. You will have a very long wait.

I will manage with my Chrome Skins many google stuff in my opinion or good to go, not beta. I have a feeling google wants to keep them under beta heading so that people won't complain too much about bugs on new features. Quote from: mcxeb52! on October 01, 2008, 07:28:10 PM
many google stuff in my opinion or good to go, not beta. I have a feeling google wants to keep them under beta heading so that people won't complain too much about bugs on new features.

Now yer catchin on...Quote from: patio on October 02, 2008, 04:48:54 PM
Quote from: mcxeb52! on October 01, 2008, 07:28:10 PM
many google stuff in my opinion or good to go, not beta. I have a feeling google wants to keep them under beta heading so that people won't complain too much about bugs on new features.

Now yer catchin on...

Heh, NEVER thought of it that WAY. I have just discovered that some software does not recognize Java 10 yet so youo have to have Java 7 installed also.
Discussion
687.

Solve : BitTorrent Tracker Admin Jailed for 18 Months?

Answer»
The fallout from the FBI raid on EliteTorrents in 2005 continues. Today, 26 year-old DANIEL Dove has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for the work he put in on the private BitTorrent tracker Elitetorrents.

Linkinteresting... why 3 years after it happend?? it seems like their punishment should be worse alsoBittorrent TRACKERS aren't doing anything illegal. Their servers simply contain pointers to active sharers, and no actual copyright data passes through the servers themselves.

Of course, it's obviously a intentional use of a legal loophole to perform something illegal, but how does the PROSECUTION work it's way around it?why do they catch them if people don't MIND??
Discussion
688.

Solve : ‘Obama Survey’ Offers $500 Gas Gift Cards?

Answer»

Thats right. Too good to be true usually is.

http://blog.trendmicro.com/obama-survey-offers-500-gas-gift-cards/

Quote

As the U.S. PRESIDENTIAL elections near, online scammers are taking advantage of the CANDIDATES’ popularity. Trend Micro CONTENT Security team’s spam filters recently caught the following email message, which asks recipients to participate in a survey for the Democratic Party nominee in exchange for $500 worth of gas gift cards:
thats terrible very very terrible i think EVERONE needs to be educated on interent spam because some people accually fall for itIt's amazing that someone would think they would get $500 worth in free gas cards by participating in a survey. It's sad that common sense is an endangered art.wow!! who falls for that!!Quote from: Ivy on October 04, 2008, 01:17:42 PM
wow!! who falls for that!!

People with inner-ear problems?are you one of them? Do you mean the people who would believe the survey, or people with inner-ear problems? In both cases, I'm not one. Why do you ask?
Discussion
689.

Solve : ‘Clickjacking’ Web Attack?

Answer» http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/A_Look_at_the__Clickjacking__Web_Attack_and_Why_You_Should_Worry


A Look at the ‘Clickjacking’ Web Attack and Why You Should Worry
By Scott Gilbertson October 1, 2008 Categories: Web Basics

There’s a nasty new SECURITY threat making waves on the web. Actually, clickjacking, as this attack is known, isn’t entirely new, but because no one has yet come up with an effective solution, it remains a serious threat. And clickjacking is the worst sort of security risk — it’s transparent to the unwitting user, simple to implement and difficult to stop.

The basic idea is that an attacker loads the content of an external site into the site you’re visiting, sets the external content to be invisible and then overlays the page you’re looking at. When you click a link you see on the current page, you are in fact clicking on the externally loaded page and about to load pretty much whatever the attacker wants.

To complicate matters, clickjacking is also a really cool, potentially effective user design tool. For an example of a benign case of clickjacking, consider the NoScript website, which uses the technique for positive ends.

NoScript is a Firefox plugin that stops JavaScript from running in your browser. The plugin is available through the Firefox add-ons site or through developer Giorgio Maone’s dedicated site. Now, as Firefox users know, when you try to load an add-on through a third-party site, the browser will block the attempt and show you a warning.

In the case of Maone’s site, it means an extra step is required for users to install the NoScript plugin. So Maone simply loads the Firefox add-on page in an iFrame, sets the content of the iFrame to visible:0 and then positions the frame over his own download button. The result is that while the user thinks they are clicking the download button on the current page, they are in fact clicking the download button from the Firefox add-ons page.

Because the Firefox add-ons page is a trusted source, Firefox doesn’t block the download, and users are able to get the plugin installed in a single click. While you could argue that this is still somewhat sneaky, it does make for a better UI experience on Maone’s site.

However, it isn’t hard to see how this could be used for much more nefarious ends. And it’s worth pointing out that an iFrame isn’t the only means of attack, clickjacking can work by loading Flash files, Silverlight, Java and more. To make matters worse, using JavaScript, an attacker could make the invisible target constantly follow the mouse pointer, intercepting a user’s first click no matter where it happens on the current page.

Developer Mark Pilgrim, who has been blogging over at the WHATWG blog, recently posted about clickjacking and outlines a number of possible solutions, none of which is ideal. One OPTION would be to add a cross-domain permissions setup similar to what Flash uses, but even that model has problems. As Pilgrim writes:

This last approach moves us down a slippery slope towards site security policies for IFRAMEs and embedded content, similar to the Flash security model that allows trusted sites to access cross-domain resources. In practice, Flash crossdomain.xml files have a number of problems, and such an approach would still only cover a fraction of the possible use cases.

In the end, there doesn’t appear to be a an easy, or even complete, solution to the issue. As we typically point out when it comes to injection threats, using Firefox with NoScript is one of the best solutions (though in this case, even that isn’t 100 percent). For those using other browsers, Maone recently posted some suggestions for protecting against clickjacking, but unfortunately the usability consequences are pretty severe.

It will require some changes on the part of browser manufacturers to defeat clickjacking, but so far there’s no consensus on how to solve the problem. We’ll be sure to keep you posted.what!!!! omg!!! so i could go to a trusted site and click on something and it will be another THING! omg!
Discussion
690.

Solve : The software awards scam?

Answer»

Full article, a MUST read. The software awards scam

This guy made a "software program" that was really nothing more than a text file with an EXE extension and was given software “awards” by multiple download sites. It pays to know where you are downloading from just as much as it does to know what you're downloading.

Quote

I put out a new product a couple of weeks ago. This new product has so far won 16 different awards and recommendations from software download sites. Some of them even emailed me messages of encouragement such as “Great job, we’re really impressed!”. I should be delighted at this recognition of the quality of my software, except that the ’software’ doesn’t even run. This is hardly surprising when you consider that it is just a text file with the words “this program does nothing at all” repeated a few times and then renamed as an .exe. The PAD file that described the software contains the DESCRIPTION “This program does nothing at all”. The screenshot I submitted (below) was similarly blunt and to the point:
Do these PHONY files do anything?Nope. It describes exactly what it does. Nothing, proving they never even tested it. They are just after traffic. When launched you got this message.

Heh, interesting..........Hmm...what ? weird world!I've never used any of those sites. I never use shareware sites anyway. I'd like to think my sites are pretty trustworthy.Go Snapfiles! Never had a problem with them.Bah...If MajorGeeks or FileHippo doesn't have it I don't need it

Any site that hosts a bunch of screensavers is suspect IMHO!! Those almost always pack some sort of extra baggage Lot's of cool stuff on Snapfiles!

I think I'll upload some of my software there when it's complete if they will allow.

Screensavers- I never Download those. If it isn't interesting enough for me to write myself, it's not worth having. Hey I know where you can get some cool 5 Star Awards for your efforts LMAO.almost everywhere?

The only PLACE I've so far uploaded any of my programs to was www.vbcode.com. I never got any awards there- it did get a lot of HITS though.

But who knows- maybe these places actually attach spyware and/or malware to uploaded programs?
Discussion
691.

Solve : Microsoft grants Windows XP yet another reprieve?

Answer» http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9116201&intsrc=news_ts_head

Microsoft has extended the availability of Windows XP on new PCs by six months, the company confirmed today.

Computer makers that "downgrade" machines from Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate to Windows XP Professional will be able to obtain media for the latter through the end of July 2009, a Microsoft spokeswoman said Friday.

The new date is a change in policy. Previously, Microsoft had planned to halt XP Professional media shipments to major computer makers after Jan. 31, 2009.

"As more customers make the move to Windows Vista, we want to make sure that they are making that transition with confidence and that it is as smooth as possible. Providing downgrade media for a few more months is part of that commitment," the spokeswoman said in an e-mail.

The Jan. 31 date is ALSO the LAST day when smaller companies, dubbed "system builders," will be allowed to purchase Windows XP licenses to install on the machines they assemble. The system-builder deadline has not changed, the spokeswoman added. It remains Jan. 31.

To CONFUSE matters, some PC makers have long claimed that they would provide XP downgrades on new computers past the Jan. 31 deadline. Last June, for example, Hewlett-Packard Co. talked of a July 2009 CUTOFF. "HP...will continue to offer this option on its business systems through at least July 30, 2009," a company spokesman said almost four months ago.

The Microsoft spokeswoman clarified the situation. "The [downgrade] rights don't go away," she said via instant messaging in response to follow-up questions. "It's all about having the media on hand. It's always been OK to use what you've got."

Microsoft sent Windows XP into semiretirement last June when it stopped selling the aged operating system at retail, withdrew Windows XP Home from use on new PCs and allowed XP Professional to be installed as a Vista downgrade.

The latter tactic takes advantage of Vista's end-user licensing agreement, which allows users -- and in their stead, computer makers -- to install Windows XP Professional while also providing media for Vista for a possible upgrade later. More than a third of all new PCs are being downgraded to Windows XP, according to data from a Florida company that operates a community-based performance testing network.

It's also possible that XP will be widely available long after July 31, 2009. "Downgrade rights do not expire," Microsoft's spokeswoman said Friday.

The longer availability puts Microsoft in an unusual position; the new time line will make it possible for users to purchase XP-powered PCs through next July, just months before Microsoft plans to roll out Windows 7, the successor to Vista.Hmm... Vista fail?It's all your fault...heheheWhy?
Discussion
692.

Solve : New Nintendo DS - DSi?

Answer»

Very nice. Is there a minimum number of words or letters for the assignment?Quote from: BC_Programmer on OCTOBER 02, 2008, 08:41:05 PM

Quote from: patio on October 02, 2008, 08:24:44 PM
But with 6 slices at least one will be good...

Unfortunately there is a multinational conspiracy to prevent the development of the complex technology required to
create toasters with the ability to toast 6 slices simultaneously.

The fact is, they believe that having the ability to toast 6 slices of bread, or bagle,s or what have you, all at once, might cause people to eat more grains. This will place a strain on the grain industry (while simultaneously reducing those peoples strain in the bathroom). This extra strain will mean that farmers REQUIRE more gasoline to run their tractors and so forth, which puts additional load on the gasoline supply. Prices for gas will skyrocket, people will stop going to the store, and demand for grain will plummet, as will the use of tractors.

Essentially, creating a 6-slice toaster will put the country into a roller-coaster of gasoline and bread prices, which is why their is a huge conspiracy to prevent the development of such technology, however useful it may be at a glance.

I'm glad at least 2 of us are up on this thing...it has World-Wide ramifications if you THINK about it.
Problem is it's being swept under the rug by the mainstream media as usual...Still on about toast?

Quote from: typhoeus on October 06, 2008, 03:38:00 PM
Very nice. Is there a minimum number of words or letters for the assignment?
Nope, well I don't think so. Quote from: Carbon Dudeoxide on October 06, 2008, 09:50:47 PM
Still on about toast?


Carbon, this isn't about toast. it's about the government's FDA lies. "you can't make a 6 slice toaster". they say the reason is because it's stupid. I think the reason is quite plain. They know what will happen once a 6-slice toaster GOES mainstream. The only question I can ask is WHY the coverup? why not just say "yeah, we think this'll happen if we make 6-slice toasters", but no. a huge national cover-up takes place.

So the question remains- why the cover-up? Well theories are quite plentiful on this, but mine is simple: The toaster was invented by aliens.


in the early 50's, aliens landed on earth and left blueprints for a prototype toaster. This prototype toaster only toasted one slice of bread at one time, because the aliens had not yet perfected their multi-slot design. Toaster magnate Wilford Brimley then got a hold of this toaster schematic, and set his men to work creating it.

It was a huge hit. People loved it. but they complained, "I want a toasted sandwich, but by the time I toast the second slice, the first one is cold". So he took the incomplete alien diagram of the multi-slot toaster, perfected it, and released it.

This of course happened over time- we are now approaching the limit described right on the diagram- a 6 slice toaster has the potential to destroy entire economies. the Aliens had seen it, they tried to warn us. but Brimley wouldn't listen.

So the cover-up? Simple- it's there so that people don't research the origin of the toaster and discover that it was actually invented by aliens.So yeah......Toast. I'm certain the FDA lies, and I'm certain they do many SECRET things. About the toasters, I'm not sure.

Quote from: BC_Programmer on October 07, 2008, 12:35:12 AM
So the question remains- why the cover-up? Well theories are quite plentiful on this, but mine is simple: The toaster was invented by aliens.


in the early 50's, aliens landed on earth and left blueprints for a prototype toaster. This prototype toaster only toasted one slice of bread at one time, because the aliens had not yet perfected their multi-slot design. Toaster magnate Wilford Brimley then got a hold of this toaster schematic, and set his men to work creating it.

Don't be hating on Wilford, now. Aliens, hmm? Yes, that's certainly a simple answer, isn't it? So simple that there's no evidence.Hollywood themselves are complicit as Wilford's silence on this issue was not to come at a small price.
He knew the ramifications of a World-Wide grain shortage and went to Capitol Hill with the info.
Not knowing how to diffuse the issue if he went public they instead enlisted their Hollywood moguls to create an acting carreer for Brimley who couldn't resist the attraction and the thought of being guaranteed roles in both Movies and TV on a perpetual basis for the rest of his life...he acquiesed.

There have been occasional manufacturer's that have discovered thru patent searches the blueprints for 6 slice machines and have actually gone into production with working models...they never last more than 6 or 8 months and are usually bought out by larger conglomerates and disappear into the economic twilight.
Last example being the Keneshaw Manuf. Co. which now produces strictly hand-held cheese graters.

The other impact that is often overlooked is the impact on the Fertiliser industry. Even with the stock market careening out of control Stocks in Fertiliser concerns remain strong and probably will continue to do so.

I for one would like the real answers for once...not the party line that gets jammed down our throats.
Discussion
693.

Solve : SOB Comcast did it to me!!!?

Answer»

Perhaps, Admin - but, for what it's worth, I'm certain that they do not want the customer to know.Perhaps. ALTHOUGH I'd prefer customers knowing over a lawsuit if I were Comcast. Quote from: Broni on September 28, 2008, 02:56:01 PM

Quote
you can check your BANDWIDTH usage from the Comcast servvice
How?

I TYPED it wrong. I meant to say. You can check your bandwidth usage FOR the Comcast service but Comcast ain't helping you do it so you have to find the solution yourself.I hate to say, "I told you", but...

http://www.pcworld.com/article/151589/article.html?tk=nl_cxanws
Quote
A usage cap can be applied poorly, too. Time Warner Cable, for instance, is testing a system in Beaumont, Texas, that applies caps and overage charges--its Internet access plans look a lot like cell phone plans. Time Warner customers choose plans that range from $30 per month for 5GB and a 5-mbps connection to $55 per month for 40GB and a 15-mbps connection. Considering that nifty but high-bandwidth online services such as Mozy backups and Netflix movie streaming could easily push someone over 40GB in a month, let alone 5GB, I REALLY don't like Time Warner Cable's idea, to put it mildly. To my dismay, Comcast says it's "very interested" in seeing how the Beaumont trials turn out, and that it might move toward such a model in the future.
Discussion
694.

Solve : Sarah Palins Email... the "Hacker's" Interview?

Answer» SOCIAL engineering

Quote
All social engineering techniques are based on specific attributes of human decision-making known as COGNITIVE biases.[2] These biases, sometimes called "BUGS in the human hardware," are exploited in various combinations to create CRIMINAL attack techniques, some of which are LISTED here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_(security)
Discussion
695.

Solve : OpenOffice.org overwhelmed by demand for version 3.0?

Answer» http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/13/openoffice_org_download_website_dead/

Update OpenOffice.org organisers have blamed “unprecedented demand” for their site going offline as it delivered the long-awaited update of their open SOURCE office apps suite.

Organisers apologised on Monday for the massive outage saying their technical teams are “trying to come up with a resolution” while the main site's remnants pointed people to download sites across the world.

Eager beavers were clearly keen to GET their hands on version 3.0 of OpenOffice.org - the free, open source-flavored suite of office apps - Monday morning.

The OpenOffice.org site buckled, though, under the strain at around midday GMT, and at time of writing it’s still out of action spitting out its new message.

El Reg had no trouble downloading the software at around 11am UK time today. Since then we’ve heard from plenty of openistas who have grumbled that they can’t access the site.

When attempting to get on to OpenOffice.org many users have been greeted with a message that reads: “The requested URL could not be retrieved. The following ERROR was encountered: Connection Failed. The remote host or network may be down. Please try the request again.”

PRESUMABLY early risers in the States will have scurried to OpenOffice.org to download the outfit’s latest office apps and thereby contributed to halting the overloaded website.

Version 3.0, which has been available via several major mirror sites since Saturday evening, supports the OpenDocument Format 1.2 standard, and can also open files (“docx”) created with Microsoft’s Office 2007 and Office 2008 for Mac OS X. It also features a new Start Centre, icons and zoom control in the status bar.

Pretty nifty stuff, and it's free - well, that is when you can get on the site and successfully download it. ®
I downloaded it earlier today with no problems.Just grabbed it and it flew...i LOVE it when they open all those pipes to fix server issues.


I got it from Betanews couple of days ago.When I download OpenOffice or anything large like that I torrent it . . . faster and usually less prone to server outages, especially after new releases.
I haven't tried v3 yet though, waiting for a review on CH first.
Discussion
696.

Solve : Top 10 worst uses for Windows.?

Answer»

I was going to Post this as Humor until i read the full story...

Kudos go to Temmu at SNF Forums.

Full Story Here.


Scary.I've seen examples of this, and I AGREE that Windows is not a good solution for many applications, a smaller OS designed for the task at hand, probably a distribution of LINUX, would be much BETTER and of course cheaper.Too many "overqualified" decision makers not properly schooled on core competencies. Too many use a "one-size-fits-all" solution.
Discussion
697.

Solve : Applications Compatible with Windows Vista as of 7/31/08?

Answer» http://itsvista.com/2008/10/applications-compatible-with-windows-vista-as-of-73108/That is a big list, and some of them i will be HAPPY about!!! YAH Audacity doesn't APPEAR to be on the list..... Audacity works fine for me.... Quote from: Carbon Dudeoxide on October 11, 2008, 12:26:02 AM
Audacity doesn't appear to be on the list.....

There are quite a few OPEN SOURCE apps missing from the list...It may be pretty good IDEA to post them here, so this thread will keep the list updated.
Discussion
698.

Solve : Ballmer: Microsoft Will Soon Release 'Windows Cloud' OS?

Answer»
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed a few details on Wednesday of a forthcoming operating system that will help developers write Internet-based applications.

Within a month, Microsoft will unveil what Ballmer called "Windows Cloud." The OS, which will likely have a different name, is intended for developers writing cloud-computing applications, said Ballmer, speaking in London to an auditorium of IT managers at a Microsoft-sponsored conference.

Cloud computing is a term often applied to programs that are presented in a Web browser, but the actual computing is performed at a distant data center.

Ballmer was short on details, saying more information would spoil the announcement. Windows Cloud is a separate project from Windows 7, the OS Microsoft is developing to succeed Windows Vista.

Link

Perfect name for vaporware.... Heh, wow never thought of that. Good point sure plenty of jokes are going to be made of that. Hope they don't name the NEXT release of Windows, Windows Cloud or they're really going to get it.I'm just saying they've announced going down roads like this before and nothing ever came of it...Ohh, yes that's true they've talked about doing this in the past although this time I think it'll go through this time with the increased popularity of cloud computing.Quote
Cloud computing is a term often applied to programs that are presented in a Web browser, but the actual computing is performed at a distant data center.

What the blink's so "revolutionary" about this concept? Terminals and mainframes have been hundreds or thousands of miles APART for decades? Besides half my BRAIN, what am I missing, here?
Discussion
699.

Solve : Windows XP SP3 Issues and Fixes?

Answer» HERE

By now everyone is aware of the problems associated with installing Windows XP SP3. The amount of time and money wasted with this demon is immeasurable. The public’s lack of acceptance of Windows Vista has only added to the feeling of being blindsided by an old friend.

For Free XP SP3 Help and Support, visit this link:
Help and Support or call: 866-234-6020.

I am outlining the problems and providing information to fix the issues found to date. Above all I’m telling you to avoid the problems. Don’t be one the unfortunates that is rear-ended while slowing to view the carnage. Stay far away from this Update. I am not telling you to take preventative measures and then install. I'm telling you to wait, "Do not install SP3."

DO NOT INSTALL WINDOWS XP SP3.

Only for testing, I installed this viper three times. I also removed it three times. A seemingly simple and straightforward installation with no obvious problems does not mean there are no problems. All of my experiences are anecdotal, like Microsoft Word not working after SP3 installation. The problem ceasing with SP3 removal proves nothing, but when it happens twice, I must attribute it to the service pack. Rather than continuing to coupe the fallen victim, lets get on with it.

1. Registry Corruption After Installing Windows XP SP3. Starting one day after the May 6th release, users were reporting problems with their network connections. Reports of vanishing connections and missing network cards were pouring in. Bewildered users on the Microsoft support site noted the link between Symantec Corps, Norton Internet Security, and the huge number of broken registry entries all beginning with “$%&”.

Users were quick to point fingers but Symantec responded that there was no cause and effect found between their software and this problem. Even so, Symantec’s Senior Director, David Cole was quoted by Gregg Keizer of ComputerWorld as saying “Once we’ve figured out how may customers this affects, [an automated tool] is absolutely possible. If there is something we can do to address the problem, we’ll do it.”

True to his word, on May 23rd David Cole identified the problem as a particular Microsoft file named “fixccs.exe. This .exe file is a part of both SP2 and SP3, which explains why similar problems were seen with the XP SP2 release. "We finally got to the bottom of this last night," said Dave Cole, Symantec's senior director of product management for consumer software. "All of these problems are related to the same thing, a Microsoft file that created all the garbage entries [in the registry]."
Check out our XP SP3 Survey

The long and short of it is that Symantec has done the work for Microsoft, who has still not responded. The smart user will refrain from installing Windows XP SP3.

1. FIX
If you are one of the “rear-ended”, there is now a fix. Our own Doug Bender spent many hours reproducing this problem and trying various fixes. There are some needed conditions but he did come up with an acceptable fix.

Reboot your computer and enter SafeMode. You can reach SafeMode by tapping the F8 or F5 key during the boot process. After entering SafeMode you will need to run as Administrator and restore your system to a time before SP3 was installed: Start/Help and Support/System Restore/Restore to an earlier time. Without entering SafeMode and running as Administrator you will not be able to restore or remove the offending service pack. Upon rebooting SP3 will no longer show up in the Add/Remove programs list and you will no longer find the multitude of $%& registry entries.

2. XP SP3 removes previous restore points from System Restore. One of the first things I noticed after installing SP 3 was that my one and only restore point was missing. I keep my allotted System Restore space to a minimum and make sure I have at least one up to date restore. Normally, when you install an update, Windows will create a new restore point for the update. Because this is such a large update, the 1035 MB of space I had set aside was not enough. Instead of just not installing the new update, SP3 decided to also delete my previous restore point. This left me with no ability to use system restore. Windows Help and Support said I had the option of restoring; there was a “bold” date showing, but no option to restore. To confirm, I repeated this several times and finally was able to prevent the problem by raising my restore space to a whopping 5035 MB. There is no excuse for Microsoft removing my restore point. I consider it a serious intrusion and feel rear-ended.

2. NO FIX
Microsoft should absolutely give a WARNING and advise how much space is needed before allowing the install of SP3. There is no fix for this, meaning that once the restore point is gone there is no getting it back. The only thing that can be done is to raise your allotted restore space before installing SP3. If you have already installed SP3 be sure to check your System Restore settings. Raise your allowed space to 5035 MB and create a restore point. Be sure to do this before being rear-ended by Auto Updates.

3. XP SP3 and Windows Home Server. It’s reported by users of Windows Home Server that SP3 disables terminal Services Active X control in Internet Explorer, by default. This prevents users from accessing their systems remotely.

3. FIX
There is a fix for this problem. You will need to enable Terminal Services ActiveX control in IE 7. To do this, open Internet Explorer and click on Tools/Manage Add-Ons/Enable Add-Ons in IE.

If you do not see “enable the terminal Service ActiveX control in IE7 on XPSP3”, the only work around is to delete the following registry keys:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings\{7390f3d8-0439-4c05-91e3-cf5cb290c3d0} HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings\{4eb89ff4-7f78-4a0f-8b8d-2bf02e94e4b2)

WARNING, PC Pitstop does not suggest making registry deletions. We are only reporting what is suggested on other forums for dealing with this problem. If you do this, it is at your own risk.

4. Branded versions of IE7 crash during installation. For those who have already updated and installed XP SP3, you may have problems installing IE7 offered by your ISP. These “Branded Copies” from Comcast, Qwest and others, tend to crash during the installation. This is because they are older versions of IE 7. Updated IE7 Administration Kits are available to the ISPs from Microsoft’s TechNet site. These are needed to make the necessary changes before offering the IE7 upgrade. Before installing IE7 from your Internet Service Provider at least call to be sure they have made the necessary changes.

4. FIX
My suggestion and Fix is, if you must have IE7, download and install it from the Windows Website.

5. HP/AMD desktop and SP3. Because HP added a command to load a particular driver on their install disks, some of their AMD based desktops are subject to endless reboots or blue screens after installing Windows XP SP3.

We first reported on this problem in our May 15th news letter. At that time we provided information from Jesper's Blog on various preventative measures and fixes. Today I suggest the patch offered by HP to prevent the problem. This is not a fix and the patch must be applied before installing SP3.

5. FIX
If you’ve already been rear-ended and need a fix, the best I can offer is to remove the offending SP3 from your computer. Because “not booting” is the problem, you will need to use the Microsoft Recovery Console. The following Microsoft Help and Support article also outlines using the Add/Remove Programs options and System Restore Options. Steps for restoring your registry can be found on the Microsoft Help and Support site here.

6. SP3 and AMD motherboards (A8N 32SLI Deluxe). After installing SP 3, users receive an error code stating "Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. Your system BIOS is not ACPI compliant." There just hasn’t been much reported on this issue but I can attest to past BIOS issues with the A8N board listed above. In fact I have three of these boards stacked in my closet. There is still no fix, that I found, other than to be sure you have a usb device plugged in so the board will boot. That can be in the form of a USB storage device or even a USB mouse. Checking the Asus site I see the latest bios for this board is dated March 20th 2007 so that tells me that ASUS has done nothing to prevent the problem.

6. FIX
This rather unprofessional fix reminds me of putting electric tape on a leaky radiator hose, but so far that’s all we have. If you have installed SP3 to your AMD/Asus based computer, cannot boot, and feel rear-ended, the fix is to stick a USB device in your machine. How pitiful is that?

7. AutoUpdate. Automatic Updating is a problem unto itself. As outlined earlier in this article you may loose your restore points because of a lack of restore spcae. You an also experience any of the problems outlined above because Automatic Updates installed this mess without your knowledge. The fixes or lack of fixes can vary with each individual situation. Rather than a fix, I suggest avoiding the problem completely.

7. PREVENTION
There are a couple of ways to prevent this problem. The most obvious is to turn off Auto Updates. Start/Control Panel/Security/Turn Off Automatic Updates/. You can also turn it off in Services. Start/Run/type"services.msc" without the quotes/Automatic Updates/Stop/Disable/Apply/OK.

If you WOULD like to continue with updates but avoid Service Pack 3, use this helpful link provided my Drew Mathers. The link and download are from Microsoft's Website. It stops Automatic Updates from downloading service pack 3 for one year. I'm including it here incase you want updates but not service packs. THANKS Drew.

New problems seem to be surfacing almost hourly. Many times in the last 72 hours I’ve stopped writing only to go back and add additional information as it surfaced. Articles and rewrites of articles abound on the Internet but mostly people are getting rear-ended after installing Windows XP SP3. Both the HP/AMD problem and the Norton/SP3 problem, have very similar reports dating back to the SP2 roll out years back. You gotta wonder why Microsoft doesn’t LEARN. Surely Microsoft has employees with more than 4 years tenure. Since it’s been almost four years since the first release of SP2, there has certainly been time to get it right.

Without getting back into to the “Whose To Blame” game, it appears that even in the case of the HP/AMD issue, there is more involved than HP’s added dll instructions. Clearly the responsibility for a clean and problem free Service Pack sits on Microsoft.

Oh, by the way, have you hard anything from Microsoft other than the sound of squeeeeeling tires as you get rear-ended?I guess I've been fortunate. I've had SP3 on my system for two days now with no (apparent) problems.

I did recently switch to an Intel processor/board, so I dodged that bullet with AMD (though I've run more AMD based boards than Intel boards.)Mine was fine, too.Same.Same, all Windows XP BOXES here running with it with no problems.I have had SP3 running since (checks Ghost folder for old system backup date) April 30th with absolutely no problems whatsoever, either during the install or since, on my not-terribly-mainstream Shuttle XPC hardware.
This is rather some confirmation of what I always believed.
If you're computer savvy, keep your computer in shape, in general, you shouldn't have problems with any updates.
Personally, I know only one computer savvy person, my friend, who run into some problems, having AMD mobo.Aha!! Just as I suspected. Microsoft really is trying to pull a fast one on end users. There were so many problems with internet connectivity/wireless functionality and overall operating system PERFORMANCE. I was so disgusted after having done a system restore THREE TIMES that i finally disabled automatic update today.i put it on my computer along time ago and all the disk drives disapeared and reinstalled it later and it was all fine and installed on another computer all working finewhen did u do it? did u do it on a desktop or a laptop?i did it a while ago both on desktopsI'm assuming like many others you have a wireless VPN in your home. Also was the new installation a result of an automatic update prompt from the Windows security center?you mean like an utomatic update? know i installedi t myselfdo u have a wireless VPN? if so how is the new operating system performing w.r.t. surfing the internet?i had wireless on my computer but it broke and on the pc im using now its connected via eathernet they both work fine for the interent
Discussion
700.

Solve : Kaspersky says Web hack 'should not have happened'?

Answer»

Quote from: Carbon Dudeoxide on February 23, 2009, 01:57:19 AM

Quote from: kizza1645 on February 23, 2009, 12:58:37 AM
Even i could hack Norman, But there's no point.....

Somehow, I seriously doubt it.

Quote from: kizza1645 on February 23, 2009, 12:58:37 AM
What could I possible gain?
As said in the article, hundreds of activation codes.

Don't doubt what you don't know.Good luck!Quote from: kizza1645 on February 23, 2009, 02:17:38 AM
Don't doubt what you don't know.

I doubt you could hack a tree stump.


Real hackers don't spend their time advertising gaming clans and crap like that. And those that do spend their time hacking into their grandma's PC from their mother's PC, using the VPN that they setup. Hardly impressive.


I might also add that not knowing something is the very basis in which doubt exists. However in this case I believe your "hacking" abilities don't extend much farther then the ability to read Game config files and change them.You read me like a book
except for the hacking grandmas pc part.....Then you said you could hack because....Quote from: computeruler on February 24, 2009, 05:43:30 AM
Then you said you could hack because....
because i canLolThen what did you mean by "you read me like a book"Dare I quote my essay on the subject:

Quote
After reading a few ridiculous FAQs about stuff programmer’s supposedly care about, I have developed several reasons why anybody who calls themselves a “hacker” is a no nothing loser. (Well, in most cases. It really comes together when you find them using certain misspellings of words).

For example, they will demonstrate their complete lack of respect for any language by constantly misrepresenting words as numeric symbols that look similar. For example, saying the word, “elite”, word become the incomprehensible “31337”. Why? Well, most hackers start their meaningless “hacking” (making TI-BASIC guessing games, in a lot of cases), by using calculators. Either with a calculator as well as with some fonts, the characters “31337” become “ELEET” (of course, the threes are mirrored). Now, the question is, why do they represent words that are easier typed using the generally accepted alphabet? Their idiots. That is why. Well, not particularly, they just entered the programming world on the wrong side of the tracks. Oftentimes they are INTRODUCED to programming via an advanced calculator they might need for school, such as the TI-83. Now, for a while, they are real programmers- they learn about TI-BASIC, etc. almost inevitably, however, they will eventually search for even more information on the TI calc on the net, and eventually fall onto the web-page of a self-proclaimed “37337 HAXOR”, with no programming (or web-design) skills whatsoever. So what, they know a little TASM- and that makes them somehow good, does it? I think not. Unfortunately, this innocent young programmer browses the site, and finds all the cool ASM programs this guy probably stole from reputable people. He starts thinking he is cool, and wants to call himself a 37337 HAXOR too. So he starts his own web-page at a free-web page SERVICE, such as Geocities or the like. Using similarly bad web-design skills (a few IMG tags, MAYBE with centering, a background that is probably animated) he creates his site, and places a few of his TI-83 basic programs on it. He looks at his site, and thinks it’s OK, except there isn’t enough code. So he goes to some other HAXOR (or REAL programmer site, if good web design doesn’t hurt his eyes yet) site and steals the code from there, places it on his site, and claims it as his own! If anybody contests this I won’t listen, I’ve seen an EXACT replica of my very own Visual Basic Project (A very large ActiveX DLL library) on some Goofs site He didn’t even remove the comments, just did a global find/replace with something of my name with his. Not just there, though. After notifying my “new friend” I got an extremely unfriendly response, which just served to obfuscate my anger. This is what I sent him. I wasn’t mad, since I knew how hackers (I refuse to include that terrible misspelling again) worked- they had nothing to their own credit, so they take somebody else’s:

Hi. I just visited your site, and your “BASeParser” library is great. Unfortunately, it isn’t authored by you, as it is my DLL. I have worked many weeks on that program, and it is made out of my sweat and blood. I posted it on my page for the Visual Basic community to share, and explicitly told nobody to claim it as their own, or sell it. Please remove the project from your site, or give me credit for my hard work. Maybe one day you can write more then a page of code and post it on the web, but until that time comes, I’d refrain from stealing other people code, especially if it was written in a language whose compiler/IDE you don’t own, Visual Basic Deluxe

Thank you.

Sure, I may have not a little nippy, but who wouldn’t? At least I didn’t go right ahead and sue the fellow. I figured if I got a evil reply of some kind, I’d call him on his claim to using “Visual Basic Deluxe” (I just hoped he wouldn’t call me on it) When he sent me the following reply, which made my SPELL checker explode:

“Dear Fellow HAK

Your request to remove MY BASeParser from MY site has been denied. Please move along, and stop claiming other code as your own. Have you even looked at the BASeParser code? It is way too complicated to make unless you are a 37337 HAXOR, which I am and you aren’t. And I do have Visual Basic Deluxe, and it wasn’t cheap. So F<expletive deleted> yourself. ‘nuff said. I bet my site ROXOR’s yours but you won’t give me your address cuz you know I’ll use my HAXOR skills to DOS you bad.

<expletive deleted> you.”

What a kind-hearted reply. I laughed when I read this because I knew he expected some kind of flame-war. Unfortunately, he just set himself up for the FINAL blow :

OK. Nice reply. I have looked at my code, and I found it to be much better then anything you could come up with. By the way, if I’m not the original author, why is my name ALL OVER the code? Apparently, you only glanced at the code and did a global find and replace of my name, “Michael Burgwin”, but missed a few parts where I actually spelt my full name, “Michael James Burgwin”, now, if you wrote it, WHY would you have MY full name in YOUR code? Oh, and what the heck is Visual Basic Deluxe? There is no such thing! If you actually read the Comments (Which you can’t, because I used real English and didn’t represent retarded ideals with arbitrary numeric values) I wrote BASeParser in Visual Basic 6.0 Enterprise Edition, Service Pack 6.0 – Now, if you knew anything about Microsoft, you’d know this was made by them, and only ran on the Operating system you can’t afford, Windows. Tell me, if you hate Microsoft so much, why are you writing libraries for their OS?

And another thing, all you have is the SOURCE CODE- maybe you should compile it using your “Visual Basic Deluxe”, program. Until then, only I have the compiled DLL, which contains my name in the VERSION resource. Oh, and my web page is http://www.geocities.com/BC_Programming. Try to perform a DOS attack there.

Smoked him. Apparently I was right about one thing- he can neither write nor understand coherent sentences, and obviously glanced over my reply, trying to extricate those words he did understand:

Visual Basic deluxe is a package for super LINUX not gay Windoze. And I can’t compile because your code is so full of errors it crashes. And I set up some computer with windows so I can DOS you with Command Prompt soon by ping. You better back-up your site or your toast.

I didn’t expect a reply at all and in fact was only watching his site to make sure it was removed. I found this reply to be the most charming, because he obviously bought into the idea that a DOS attack (Denial of Service) was performed from the DOS (Disk Operating System) prompt. What an adorable concept. I decided that I had had enough of this fellow. So I reported him as distributing unlicensed software to Tripod.com. Surprise, before a week was up, HIS site was gone. He wasn’t done yet, though. He left his epitaph in my guestbook:

Your lucky you already had a bunch of stupid windows computer to DOS me before I could DOS you cuz otherwise I’d have the last laugh.

I love these types of “hackers” because they always have some to say that they think makes sense but is completely meaningless given the context.Anyway, during this experience I had a LOT of fun, even if it was at their expense. I also pretty much summed up my idea of what a supposed hacker is. Here is a list on how to tell the difference between a real programmer and a self proclaimed “37337 HAXOR” (barring the obvious giveaways such as their terrible penmanship)

1.Look at their site. As well as their HTML code. If their most advanced use of HTML is a few IMG, CENTER, and P tags, and they call themselves a programmer, it is possible that they are actually a wannabe programmer. Don’t ASSUME though that just because they aren’t good with HTML they aren’t a programmer, since some programmers don’t design for the web.


hmm... it's incomplete... brought back some funny memories from my first version of my expression evaluator though. Quote from: computeruler on February 25, 2009, 05:32:09 AM
Then what did you mean by "you read me like a book"

I just get bored sometimes,

just disregard what ever i say on this forum, unless its a valid point.

Sometimes a i make some worthy posts, and help some people.

But yer, i get bored on this ofurm, though it is a good forum.....
Discussion