******** This thread now closed. Please see Volume 38 ********
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=28453
In this thread you may ask any computer related question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
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There is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.
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PLEASE NOTE:
When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.
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Hi
I'm currently running Windows 95 on my backup PC. This is constructed from an old AMD-K6 166MHz.
Unfortunately this system is very unstable. I've had to add a PCI IDE card to support a larger HDD and this conflicts with the BIOS which wants to rip it of all it's IRQ resources. I can't set IRQs manually as this just freezes the system at POST, so have instead told the BIOS that the NIC is infact an IDE card, and set manual resources for that. Pretty rubbishy I know! In Windows 95 I am met with constant errors and system freezes and hardware conflict.
So, I was wondering....
What with the cost of PC components being so low, I am thinking of upgrading it to an Athlon, therefore elimiating the need for an IDE card. Would this cause any problems for Windows 95? Apart from it's inability to recognise USB, and I don't need that anyway!
Thanks for all your help.
Mike Farrow
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Do you mean just the processor on it's own?
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Adam
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No sorry, motherboard, processor and memory.
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It's ok. I was going to be incredibly patronising and say the board wouldn't take a new chip.
Can't help you for sure with your actualy problem though.
Sorry!
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Adam
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It *should* be OK, but ideally you would do a new install (over the top of youre old one if necessary) to get drivers as close as possible to your new hardware. If you didn't go that far, you would almost definitely need the original CD to ensure the new hardware works OK.
However I'm sure ChrisR will be along shortly to suggest Linux - and if you are buying certain bits of hardware (motherboards included) you can get XP Home for a bit over £50 (legitimately!)
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However I'm sure ChrisR will be along shortly to suggest Linux
Yet not in the way you were thinking. This machine is obsolete. You won't easily upgrade it and Win 95 is about all that will run on it (actually there are Linux distros that will run, but with only a basic desktop). Get a new one.
But it is still useful as a hardware firewall/router to sit between a broadband modem and your home network. This Linux distro runs from the CD only, so your hard disk problem is not relevant, and offers a fully configurable firewall/router system in a matter of minutes:
www.devil-linux.org/home/index.php
System requirements are:
Processor PC 486 DX2/66-class or better
Memory 32MB RAM
Other bootable ATAPI or SCSI CD-ROM drive or USB Device
1.44" floppy disk drive or USB Device
any network interfaces like 10 and/or 100MBps network interface cards or external analog/ISDN-Modem
Since most home routers (Netgear, Linksys etc) run Linux anyway, this looks like a cheap (free) and easy option. Fun, isn't it?
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In my local paper an amd xp2000 system seems to go for about £200 (no monitor). Why bother trying to upgrade what is a very old system with lots of problems when you can get a replacement so cheaply ?
Add a 17" tft monitor which are now under £200 all in and sell the old system for £100 or so ?
W95 has all sorts of problems with modern hardware and it isnt going to get any better.
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Sorry, just to make the point that your old power supply will probably not support a new motherboard (power requirements are higher these days should have 350w as a basic system)
Also if your old system is not ATX (are your mouse and keyboard the ps/2 style rather than the kb being a din ) then it wont fit the case either.
XP home OEM is about 50, XP Pro OEM is about 95.
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Hi
Sorry, I should have made the description of the system a bit clearer. Basically it's a bodged job made up of lots of really old parts that I can't find any other use for (except ebay!).
I'm using the term "backup" PC as this is all it is used for: to copy files to that I wouldn't like loosing in the event of my main machine or laptop going up in smoke and mostly won't fit onto a CD-RW (i.e. MP3s). Specs include:
- 166MHz AMD-K6 and M/B
- Promise IDE controller, needed for the...
- ...20GB HDD
- Trident SVGA graphics
- 4x CD-ROM
- ATX case, power supply 250W
- 9" monochrome monitor
I think there's too many problems with the PC at the moment so am considering an upgrade to an Athlon with bits from ebay to resolve many hardware issues. Although this would be an expense, it is still cheaper than any tape drive solution, or a barrel load of CD-RWs. As the PC is only going to be turned on once a week/month/whenever, I don't want to spend additional money on operating systems, i.e. XP. All I need to know is will Win95 have any serious issues when I install it. Beside which I doubt it could have any more issues that it has at the moment!
ChrisR, would Linux fulfill it's role better in the new system than Win95? I have absolutely no experience of Linux, which is a good start!
Thanks for your help.
Mike Farrow
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If it's literally a backup machine consider buying an external hard drive instead (so long as your main machine will support USB properly!). Takes less space and is vastly more portable than a whole machine!
A 40Gb external drive is £62 at www.cclcomputers.com
Good point above re power connectors - you may (almost definitely) will need a new PSU (or case incl PSU) to provide correct power termianls for new motherboard.
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Not really much point working on such an old system and 95 to boot. You'd also have problems locating an AMD CPU that your mobo could handle.
Staples has an discontinued Acer Aspire T130 desktop for £350 (advertised at £550), plus a well equipped Pentium 4 from Medion for £250.
Or if you go to www.bigpockets.co.uk and have a look at the BareBones systems:
www.bigpockets.co.uk/cat.php?search=Base+Units&ses...9
you probably won't spend as much as you would upgrading your current system yourself; there's also an offer of refurbished 17in monitors for £35 and all prices include VAT.
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Oh well, you asked for it.
> would Linux fulfill it's role better in the new system than Win95?
Most certainly. Modern Linux distributions are equivalent in functionality to Windows XP at least, and in many ways they do the job better. I happen to think they are nicer to use and they are certainly less prone currently (read "not at all prone") to spyware, viruses, or other nonsense. The "consumer" distributions (known as "distros") are extremely easy to install and configure. A basic install takes less than an hour and requires minimal human intervention and just one reboot, but they include everything you need as well as the operating system, so there is always a tool for the job right there on the machine. And the desktop itself is completely customisable, so with a bit of experimentation you can get it exactly how you want it.
There are a vast number of distros, which are basically collections of software that come along with the Linux kernel, and they all vary according to their design philosophy. This website lists them all:
www.distrowatch.com
However a good place to start would be this book, which comes with a complete Linux desktop system (Mepis) on a cd--the cd will also run as a live disk, so no installation needed to try it--and was on sale at Borders over the holidays:
www.pointandclicklinux.com/
Mepis is very good, and a good thing to play with while you learn, but in my opinion (and I've been around the block a few times on this) the best Linux distro for new ex-Windows users who just want to get down to work is Xandros: www.xandros.com The new deluxe version will even run Windows applications like Word, Photoshop, and even iTunes apparently. My wife uses an older version of this on an ancient old clunker of a machine and it works very well indeed.
The main thing to remember is that Linux is different, and though no harder to use than Windows--no command line needed these days--it will take some time to get used to it. I knew nothing about Linux two years ago, but I use nothing else now, to the point where I find Windows unpleasant to work with.
Having said all that if I was buying a new PC now, for value for money and all the Linux virtues I'd buy a Mac, moreso if I was after a laptop.
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Thanks ChrisR
I'm currently downloading Xandros version 2 using BitTorrent very s-l-l-o-w-w-l-l-y-y-y as I type.
Quick question before I start, will it install on a FAT32 partition or does it use its own file system?
Thanks again
Mike Farrow
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It will use its own file system--I think Xandros uses ReiserFS by default--but will be able to read and write to the FAT32 partition where Windows lives (assuming this is going on the Win95 machine for now). It will be very slow on that old thing though.
Xandros will automatically repartition the drive to house Windows and itself together, so as long as Windows is installed first it should be fine. Defragment the Windows install first though. It gives the option to take over the whole disk if that's what you want.
BitTorrent usually takes a while to get going, then goes wild.
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Thanks ChrisR. My main concern was the files already backed up onto the PC. I use xcopy, so I would have to reset the archive attribute (not a difficult thing I know), but then back-up all the files again would take awhile. As long as I know it'll create it's own partition, that's OK :-)
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I would be very careful doing any kind of repartitioning if your files are not backed up, but in my experience so far it's been safe--VERY important to defragment at this stage though. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Just follow the installer's instructions, but it will struggle with only 166Mhz--are you putting this on the backup PC?
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Yes, but still I'm thinking about the upgrade route to maybe a K6-2 400Mhz or similar spec. I really just need a motherboard that will support a 20GB HDD, instead of all the BIOS conflicts the PCI IDE card's getting.
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I have read with interest ChrisR's various posts on the benefits of Linux, and have in the past considered giving it a go as I have never been a great fan of Microsoft.
My question is, how complicated or otherwise would it be to install on the same HD as XP? Is it just a question of installing it and letting it find it's own empty space on the drive, or does it need some fiddling about with partitions first?
I have a forty gig HD of which thirty four gig is still free space, and XP programmes are not likely to ever want more room, as I have everything I really need on the machine by now.
What about my broadband modem, would that work with whichever system I happened to be running or would there be problems in switching between the two?
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I had a mess around with Linux Red Hat 9.0 Tom some time ago and can report to you the following.
You need a partition on your hard drive.
This being said, it's quite easy to install on a parition - does it all itself to be honest.
Be prepared for a bit of a shock if you're expecting the compatibility of Microsoft products. Don't get me wrong - I'm no Microsoft fan either but I'm certainly not as much as an advocate of Linux as Chris is.
Switching between the two OS's on boot up is pretty easy. It will ask you which one you want to load and will load one by default if you wish unless told userwise.
If it's anything like me, you will have an absolute nightmare installing your modem - along with other "strange" devices. I wasn't in the happiest of moods when installing my sound card.
It's certainly a different system than Windows. I wouldn't say I lost interest as such, more like I got seduced by being able to run pretty much anything on a Microsof platform....
....and it's not everyday you hear everyone say that is it?!
Hope that is of some use. No doubt Chris will be able to provide a more informed opinion - they is just my observations.
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Adam
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>>and it's not everyday you hear everyone say that is it
But will agree its been a nuisance..Have stuck to MS for this reason..
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Steve
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Tom
In most cases a Linux distribution will give you the option of installing next to Windows, doing a custom partitioning job, or taking over the whole disk. If you just let it do its thing it will likely be fine. But you should be aware that some recent kernels have caused problems with XP, so check the message boards of your chosen distribution to make sure. Most should be ok by now anyway.
To do a full install of the OS and all the software that comes with it you need about 4Gig, but obviously you should leave space for your own files too, so say 10Gig to give yourself breathing space.
Your broadband modem is likely to work fine, though again you should check first. Each system would be independent so once it was set up it wouldn't make any difference which you were using. You choose the system you want to run from a menu at boot-up time, so switching is no problem.
A good idea before you install anything though is to get hold of a live cd distro, such as Mepis or Knoppix. These run entirely from the cd and though they are a little slow as a result you do get a fully working system in a few minutes. It's then very easy to test your hardware without doing anything to your existing installation.
It's really important to remember in all this that homework pays off.
Chris
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Thanks for reply, Chris. In between our posts I had found Mepis on the web, and at only £3 for the live CD I think it is well worth a try so I have ordered it.
If I get on with it ok I may well install a second drive and run it from that.
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That's a good plan, Tom. I started with Linux desperate to get rid of Windows ME and had lots of frustrations, mostly caused by my own unfamiliarity with it, but also because two years ago Linux desktop software was much less mature. Being able to play and learn while still having a working system is much better.
You'll find that once it's installed you have access to a huge range (16,000 packages I think) of free extra software through the "Kpackage" package manager, which takes packages from trusted repositories. The software to allow you to play encoded DVDs, genuine HP drivers and other proprietary stuff is all available there and will install with a couple of clicks.
Do use the Mepis forums if you have trouble; they are very good and friendly and most things can be resolved easily when you know how. I (and others) can answer some queries here, but you'll get a quicker response from Mepis.
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Thinking about one of those USB2 TV Cards. A question seemingly beyond the wit of staff in a shop I visited today. Do you need to have the card connected to a DVB Freeview type box or will it work on a bog standard analogue co-ax. connection ?
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Pugugly,
The TV card I have fitted (Medion - an Aldi special) just has an standard 75 ohm TV aerial pluged into it and gets the 4 main stations (and a Video) fine. USB ones should work OK.
PS. 4 stations as I live in an area not covered by Chan 5, we are on a repeater not the main transmitter. (Oh, how retro, how last centuary...)
Regards,
John R @ Home
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The Medion TV card, whether the individual product or the one fitted to a recent Aldi/Medion system offer, has mainly proved useless at bringing in Freeview channels, whether TV or radio according to the tales of woe on various websites.
A recent patch for the driver has helped but you can read about it at:
adslweb.co.uk/medion/toast.asp?sub=show&action=pos...8
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I have both a Pioneer Freeview set top box (from ON/ITVDigital days) and a PCI TwinHan VisionPlusDTV ter Freeview/HDTV TV card.
The TwinHan, just over £50 including delivery from www.vadim.co.uk, brings in all the 74 TV and radio channels from Winter Hill and the sound and picture quality is superb (the picture is true digital quality as it doesn't have to be converted back to analogue as is the case with the Pioneer or similar STB); Nicam sound is digital in any case.
The TV card's signal is provided by a 60ft co-axial cable running under the floorboards and attached to the card with a standard co-axial plug - the actual signal is modestly amplified as the original aerial input also serves the main TV set.
The TwinHan only requires a CPU of 500MHz upwards, has a preview facility for stations on the same transponder and a full EPG.
I originally acquired it as my WinTV card was only terrestial TV and mono sound and meant radio had to be listed via the Internet (such as Radio2), thus robbing my dialup connection of some bandwidth. A later external USB version is known as the TwinHan Magic Box.
Review of the TwinHan PCI card at: www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/visionplus_dtv_pci_revi...m
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"the picture is true digital quality as it doesn't have to be converted back to analogue as is the case with the Pioneer or similar STB)"
Only if you are using a Flat Panel monitor connected via DVI. Other wise it gets converted to analogue to drive the monitor.
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You are right, of course, but the actual display is just like watching computer generated films at the cinema - quite stunning, incredible detail and leaves a TV set for dead...:-)
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I have seen on test Digital High Definition TV on a flat panel (not plasma) TV.
Its so sharp as to be almost unnatural. Watch a DVD on a large (30") digitally connected flat panel monitor and you will see what I mean.
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Its so sharp as to be almost unnatural. Watch a DVD on a large (30") digitally connected flat panel monitor and you will see what I mean.
Makes you wonder then why they're bothering bringing out high definition DVD formats!
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>Makes you wonder then why they're bothering bringing out high definition DVD formats!
Because current NTSC pictures are low quality, low resolution and need all the help they can get.
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I know exactly what you mean RF - I watched a Grand Prix last year on a friend's 42" plasma and I constantly felt like I was watching one of the F1 computer sims. It just didn't look real.
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Not ranting about pop ups at all - they're great, fund the site - blah blah blah but I am having a problem.
I am a recent convert to Firefox from Opera and love it. However, that Nissan "Pop-Up" cleverly embedded into the page pops up every time I go on a page. Discussion - comes up. Topic - comes up. Reply to message - Comes up. My problem is. More often than not, it will not close thus closing off the drop down menu (Discussion, Technical Matters etc), the most recent topics and I've stopped posting 4 messages today because when it's up, the cursor appears in the actual pop up and so, I can't type.
Any ideas please?
Many thanks.
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Adam
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Bit odd that, Adam. I've had plenty of Nissan today, as you describe, but not had any problem navigating round/through it on Firefox + W98.
Assume you've tried the top right close box?
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Use it up : Wear it out : Make do : Do without
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Adam,
I too have recently switchded from Opera to Firefox but haven't experienced the probem you describe. In fact, I've not seen the Nissan popup when using at home with Firefox. I've just checked in Tools>Options>Web features and see that the Block Popups box is checked.
Why do you prefer Firefox cf. Opera? My only reason is that i cannot login to this site using Opera for some reason. Are there some fancy features as I am missing since they both look similsr to me.
Robin
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Thanks for your replies guys. Oddly enough, Opera completely blocks it all times but Firefox doesn't. I have selected "Block all pop-ups" but I presumed it never closed because it's not strictly a pop up...more of a drop down in the browser. I've noticed it "crashing" more on the car by car breakdown section but it does does it on the Back Room every day.
Robin, to be honest, I dont' prefer one over the other. I like trying new things out just to be different! I've stuck with Firefox because a) I'm lazy and b) It seems to fit more on the page than Opara - no super duper features. If this Nissan thing keeps up I'll revert back to Opera.
Thanks for both of your comments. At least I have a solution should things all go wrong.
Thanks again,
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Adam
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I'm on Firefox too and the Nissan thing started about a week ago. It is a real pain, every time I click it comes up. And I'm blocking everything....
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Standard pop-ups are small browser windows. The Nissan ad is a Flash animation, which won't be stopped by conventional pop-up blockers. I haven't had any problems closing it using the X.
Perhaps those who don't see it don't have Flash installed.
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It always closes with the X, and as it scrolls with the main screen it isn't a huge roblem. The problem lies with the fact that it opens almost every time I open up a thread, or go Back to the list of threads. I can live with it though...
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I wasn't complaining about the pop up as I know they fund the site but it did it again this morning. (Wouldn't let me close it).
Moved back to Opera, no pop-up - no problem.
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Adam
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I agree the nissan ad is very irritating because it pops up on almost every page. It is invoked by javascript so you can stop it in firefox by tools -> Options -> Web Features and unclick javascript.
Mark
Firefox and Opera
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I agree the nissan ad is very irritating because it pops up on almost every page. It is invoked by javascript so you can stop it in firefox by tools -> Options -> Web Features and unclick javascript.
Just eagerly followed this advice but it also stops you using the Discussion / Technical etc. dropdown.
Doh!
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I found that too Frostbite and it stopped me on some other sites too. I'm back with Opera so no complaints although quite how this blocks it and Firefox doesn't is anyone's guess.
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Adam
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What nissan pop up?
Ie explorer 6 with no pop up blocking & flash enabled.
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Just tried IE and it wanted me to install Flash 7. I declined and there is no pop up. Still sticking with Opera/Firefox though.
You're not missing out on anything RF.
Thanks for that as well Mark.
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Adam
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Blimey - Just started getting the Nissan pop up!
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I really don't understand the mentality behind this (especiall having had to close x4 just to get here).
If someone stuffed their leaflet through my letterbox every time I binned the last one, they would go on my purchase blacklist forever.
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Hi, sounds like an infestation!! There are companies out there that "infect" computers with little bits of code, not viruses
as such, that redirect popups of there product to your computer.
Download "Spybot s&d" or "Ad-Aware" and run them. They will find and remove these anoying bits of software.
You may be suprised what else is lurking on your computer!!
Clive.
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Hi, sounds like an infestation!! There are companies out there that "infect" computers with little bits of code...
This isn't one of these. It's a legitimate advert.
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Now that I've got the 2nd hard drive fitted (300gb), I ought to be using it for the purpose I intended.
What's the best back-up software available? I was going to use WinXP's own one, but noticed it's not there. A quick search reveals that if I want to install it, I have to do so from the install CD.
Also I've been told it's not the best either. What I want is some software that knows what I've already backed up, and only backs up stuff that I haven't already. I take it that is possible within the configuration of the software?
On a similar subject, but a separate question, what should I be backing up?
I currently back up my emails, favourite urls, address book, and downloaded software such as Zonealarm, Nero updates and the like to CDR, but what else of importance should I also consider?
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The Registry (sometimes called the System State). But as it's in use while the system is running you will need something that can "unlock" it while you back it up - most backup products can do this.
I can't recommend specific software - I don't know enough about the market - but you want something with a scheduler so that you can leave your PC on overnight and the backup will kick in at a convenient time. Remember to check the logs to ensure it has happened though.
You also need to think through your backup strategy. If your backup takes, say, 4 hours to complete, why bother with incremental backups? Just back up everything every time. Maybe one night to one place, the next night to an alternative place and once a week to somewhere else.
I don't bother backing up downloaded software - I can easily download it again. My backup covers favourites, the registry, and My Documents, which includes all my photos and documents etc. My Music is significantly large and doesn't get fully backed up too often - that's where an incremental is useful.
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The Windows Backup (installed by default in XP Pro but which needs to be installed from the OS disk otherwise (NTBACKUP.MSI, which can be found from Browse tab> and /valueadd/msft/ntbackup - double click on the file to install it) is OK, but there are better such as Norton Ghost.
However, if you key in Freeware Backup Utilities or similar into Google you will get plenty of free backup programs from which to choose.
Smokie's backup suggestions are sensible, particularly for My Documents, but you should also keep separate CD-R backups of files such as digital photo collections.
I use CD-Rs in multisession form using NeroBurningRom and keep adding files until the disk is full. Make sure, if you do the same, to keep an accurate record of what is on the CD-R..:-)
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The back slashes in the valueaddmsftnback mentioned above have been deleted when posting - they go before value and after "add" and "msft".
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Did I correct it correctly ?
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>>Did I correct it correctly ?>>
No, but it's entirely my fault. Should have read forward slashes...:-(
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>>Should have read forward slashes.>>
I'm getting well and truly confused now...:-))
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...and Stuart has reminded me about Ghost. Not sure what function you were thinking of, Stuart, but DD - if you have a MUCH larger D drvie than C drive, simply take a complete image of the C drive every so often as well. You can compress it, depending on the content it will compress between 0% and 50%+. Ghost has moved on a bit, but you shold be able to set up a boot floppy with all the files to run it, then simply clone the disk to an image. In the event of a catastophe you simply replace C drive and create Disk from Image.
IIRC older Ghost didn't like NTFS but I think that's OK now. Also I'm not sure it recognised SATA drivesm if that's what you have. However, this would be alongside your regular backup strategy, as you cannot extract single files or folders from a Ghost image.
Also...seeing as Stuart mentioned it, my Nero has Nero BackItUp. Not a clue how good it is, but worth investigating if you have it. (Some Nero bolt ons are free downloads from tehir site)
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Nero BackItUp.>>
Avoid...:-))
It is far from being straightforward from what I gather.
OS = Operating System such as Windows ME or XP.
I use Ghost to backup files such as My Documents to a second partition, R for Restore, on my hard disk in the manner mentioned by smokie.
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Right,
Well the current (master) drive is 200gb. I've partitioned the new (slave) drive 200gb/100gb. Both drives are in NTFS format.
As already mentioned I already back up emails, photos and the like to CDR. Only 2 or 3 of these kicking around, so not a problem.
I do have a DVD writer, but to have umpteen DVDR's kicking around with all my backed up data on, I think is impractable - especially when I have over 100gb of data on my master drive. That was the main reason for the 2nd drive, so that I can contain all the data in one place.
I could simply drag and drop all my files across each time I wanted to backup, but much rather have a program that automatically ran overnight and only back up data that hadn't previously been backed up - if there is such a program.
I'll go search google again. I would prefer freeware to do the job for me rather than paying for Norton Ghost.
Edited by DD 9/1/05.
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Dave,
As others have said, Ghost is very good although as you say, it doesn't detect what you have already backed up. It's always worked for me but I've backed up my C partition so that when it all goes wrong (as frequently happens) I restore it.
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Adam
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DD
I think the thing you need is somehing like second copy 2000. This only replicates changes to the destination drive and can do it without intervention.
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It is always nice when you can simplify a task. .With envelope printing I print my most used addresses to a folder. .Then I can easily print an envelope, without using a word processor, simply by picking up the appropriate address file and dropping it on a batch file that sends it to the printer.
The batch file sends (the file code) to the parallel port and has the simple instruction line, 'copy myfile /B PRN', or to LPT1, if you prefer, that most DOS users will recognise.
Question: What is/are the instruction line/s needed in the batch file to print a file to a USB printer?
And, is there a program that will do it if the file is dropped on it?
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OS?
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No I mean what OS is buzbee running>> OS?
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98 SE (sorry, thought about it earlier and then forgot)
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Ah good.
In that case you can load up a third party USB device driver and redirect your LPT to the device
start here.
www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm
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I think the short answer is - you can't. I've tried the same in XP, but it seems the old PRN is fixed to parallel and serial port setup.
Personally, I use PrintFile. It is shareware from www.lerup.com/printfile/ . Once installed, you could setup printer files to open in PrnFile32.exe. You'll then just have to click OK, after selecting the right printer :-)
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Thanks RF & M...W. That gives me something to have a look at. I was a bit concerned that even if I did manage to send a file to a USB it might turn out not be the one I was plugged into! But if it is installed as a printer of the program, that should take care of it -- hopefully.
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mfarrow
Just tried your suggested prnfile32 with one of my files. .Dragged and dropped it, having put an envelope in printer, and *job done*. It also re-did the icons on my PRN files for easier recognition. Great little utility. Thanks for that.
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Not really a question I know, but I have four gmail invitations available if any one wants one! (FREE)
email me and I'll send one to the first four mails received.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Emailed you!
--
Lee
Having a Fabialous time.
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On its way. You may find hotmail puts replies from gmail into "junk". Check this if not in your normal inbox
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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There is now an update (6.1.05). Seems to have been a busy period for Tracking Cookies.
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Search and Destroy updates are comparatively rare - not in the same league as AVG (for obvious reasons) and, to a lesser extent, Ad-Aware...:-)
As for SpywareBlaster, once in a month of Sundays...
PS
If you install Firefox and Thunderbird, most of these spyware utilities will become redundant to a very great extent.
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If you install Firefox and Thunderbird, most of these spyware utilities will become redundant to a very great extent.
>>
reply not addressed to stuartli, but for others who may find it useful:
strictly speaking, you need to install and run these to the exclusion of microsoft products.
however, be aware that firefox and mozilla are not immune either and should not become complacent. see www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/07/mozilla_flaws/
" Mozilla and Firefox users were warned of a number of potentially troublesome security vulnerabilities this week. . .researchers have found that temporary files are stored by the popular packages in a format that makes it possible for snoops to read the content of downloads and attachments ... . "
also note that microsoft has now launched its own free anti-spyware product for use with win-xp and win-2k, with free automatic daily updates.
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software...x
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incidentally, note that microsoft has coined a new term for spyware - potentially unwanted software, i.e. pus !
also, re. the frequency of updates of spybot s&d: these can be every 7 or 14 days - check history here
www.spybot.info/en/updatehistory/index.html
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>>Mozilla and Firefox users were warned of a number of potentially troublesome security vulnerabilities this week. . .researchers have found that temporary files are stored by the popular packages in a format that makes it possible for snoops to read the content of downloads and attachments ... . ">>
This only applies to earlier versions and security warnings are detailed on the Mozilla website.
I do use Firefox and Thunderbird exclusively but retain IE and OE just in case they may be required on occasion - Firefox and Thunderbird are set as the default browser and e-mail program.
Since I installed Firefox the day version 1.0 was launched several weeks ago, Ad-Aware Personal SE and Search and Destroy 1.3 have not found any unwanted items; both are updated as and when updates become available.
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stuartli - i did say that my reply was not addressed to you as i know you would be practising what you preach.
you say "This only applies to earlier versions and security warnings are detailed on the Mozilla website" .
i take your word for this although i note that the register article says:
"The vulnerability has been confirmed in Mozilla 1.7.3 for Linux, Mozilla 1.7.5 for Windows, and Mozilla Firefox 1.0. Other versions may also be affected, Secunia warns. It advises Firefox users to avoid download links from untrusted sources pending the availability of patches from the Mozilla project" .
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Apologies - I didn't scroll down The Register's page and missed the relevant paragraph commencing "The vulnerability..."
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>I do use Firefox and Thunderbird exclusively but retain IE and OE just in case
Have you tried deleting IE? ;-)
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I have downloaded and am now running Microsoft's anti spyware "beta" . Apart from scanning on demand there is also a resident checking engine running in the background should you so desire.
There is quite a bit of other information regarding running processes, home page hijack (IE only!!) and so on. It looks to be quite a useful extra layer of protection, although it does seem to lack trojan detection capabilities as far as I can make out.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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I'm also trialling an evaluation version of TrojanHunter, which does a similar job, but specifically for - would you believe - trojans!
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Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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I'm running the beta too, it seems very good. Installed a free webcam thing today and the spyware spotted it and warned me it was trying to get up to no good, then the windows firewall warned me that it was trying to get onto the Internet.
Pretty good stuff, I thought - the way my computer should be running and it's reassuring that MS are addressing these things.
Interesthing that it expires in July though. Thought it may be because it's a beta but more likely I suspect a subscription service when it comes out properly.
Looks a lot like Counterspy though....
--
Lee
Having a Fabialous time.
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Deleting IE? I believe it just may be possible, but only by registry editing - am I correct?
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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To all intents and purposes it can't be done; for one thing you'd lose the ability to use Windows Update, but other things would break as well, such as the file manager I suspect. Doesn't Outlook Express depend on it too?
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Doesn't Outlook Express depend on it too?
It does but I don't think you can uninstall that either.
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>>in the late 1970s>>
I did point out that I retain IE and OE in case they are ever needed in future.
You can uninstall IE by unchecking it in Windows Add/Remove Conponents or visiting this link (however it's installed by default in XP):
support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q...7
Here's a link to an Uninstaller utility that's supposed to be a vast improvement on Windows Add/Remove Programs:
www.tweakxp.com/tweak123744.aspx
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>You can uninstall IE by unchecking it in Windows Add/Remove Conponents
Stuart
This is a common misconception; MS added this feature to get past the antitrust ruling a few years back. But in fact all it does is remove the icons from the userspace. You'll still find Explorer buried but functioning in the Programs folder because Windows depends on it for all kind of things.
Chris
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I have recently installed the above as it said that v6 was no longer going to be supported. However it seems impossible to get the frequent updates downloaded as the download speed quickly reduces to 4 B/sec !
Does anybody else have this problem or is it just overload on their site ?
Thanks
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AVG updates are compressed and even on my dialup system only take a few seconds to download.
What you are probably experiencing is the difficulty getting downloads in the first place, probably due to sheer demand on the servers.
If you leave the update panel in situ and carry on with other things you'll find the download(s) eventually arrive a few minutes later.
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Hmmm, just tried clicking on the manual update option and this downloaded perfectly - so problem sort of solved. (The auto option wanted approx 21 hours.) Thanks anyway
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Pezzer,
You have e mail - nothing sinistar;)
Hugo - BR Moderator
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I tried AVG free for a while. It updated perfectly for me, but its main problem was its refusal to let some outgoing emails through! I kept on getting "delivery to non local recipients not allowed" etc. etc.
I have changed to NOD 32 -excellent & light on resources. (I tried Kaspersky trial - it refused to update at all, even when newly installed).
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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I have been looking at the last seven junk emails I received. .The last two days worth ( yes I know I am doing rather well to get only 7).
Their addresses were: 61.173.2.38, 61.173.15.174, 61.173.19.244,
61.173.3.252, 61.173.4.80, 61.173.1.13, 218.81.201.178
These trace back to:
.CHINANET Shanghai province network
who own addresses 61.172.0.0 - 61.173.255.255 and 218.78.0.0 - 218.83.255.255
I see that one US site, at least, is refusing emails from ISPs that do not have a spam filter and has refused those from the UK ISP that sent me these. .More power to their elbow, I say. .How many of us would mind if ALL the above addresses were blocked?
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Hi, I routinely (?) block all e-mails from the far east and eastern europe in the "my blacklist" in Mailwasher. I don't bounce them back because I found that they were working out that the bounce was from mailwasher and confirmed the e-mail address as working.
Clive.
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Hi, I routinely block all e-mails from the far east and eastern europe
Clive,
is this the free version of MW? and if so, are you saying you can block these regions en-masse? How?
Plagued by Spam.
Andy
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When I contacted ParcelForce by e-mail recently and several messages were bounced back, I eventually found out that the company is one of a number that refuses to accept e-mails sent out by Tiscali.
As Tiscali has a poor record with spam it was hardly surprising, although somewhat annoying.
Unfortunately I no longer have the name of the organisation that carries the blacklist of ISPs involved.
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There is need for filters into which you can insert these four-number addresses for blocking. (It is a waste of time trying to use the spam false email return addresses). .I don't think Mailwasher can use them (?).
One of my accounts is tiscali and they have on-site, personal, filter facilities that can do a little with your email before you would normally get it, 'if subject contain *this* do *that*'.
Unfortunately, because the filter can not make use of such numbers it is pretty useless. I use it only to block one of my addresses that had become unusable with spam. Sort of 'if subject does not contain flybywire bounce it'. Because I could not get them to delete just that one address.
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A lot of spammers spoof the IP address as well.!
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Hi- just updated the drivers on my Conexant AccessRunner ADSL PCI modem, and appear to have lost the ability to change its settings. That is, in the AccessRunner control panel window, I now only get the 'General' tab, and not the one(s) which allow settings to be altered.
I've tried going back to previous drivers, including those on the installation disk, but no joy. Anyone with this device know what I'm doing wrong?
Cheers
John (XP Pro)
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Sorry- managed to find the bloke that sold me the modem, who reminded me that you need to press Alt-P to get at the settings.
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