Computer Tutorial

Evolution of iPods

2008-11-23T23:58:00.000-08:00

The newest and most popular innovation in iPod technology is, for sure, the iPod video. Still, getting to this innovative device is just the result of a long research through the history of the iPod making.

The appearance of the iPod was owed to an increased marketing request: the lack of quality of the digital music players was noticeable to the interested consumers, as opposed to the growing number of digital devices, such as cameras, camcorders and organizers.

Due to this fact, the Apple industries established a team of qualified engineers in order to develop the mechanism and design of the soon to be first iPod, which resulted in less than a year of technical and practical research. The launching of the new and exiting product was held on the 23rd of October 2001 and soon, the market embraced the new product.

The evolution from the first iPod, which was revealed almost 5 years ago, till the iPod video reveals the intense and permanent research of the specialized engineers. The next significant step in the evolution of this device was the release of the 2 versions iPod, for both Mac and Windows users, which highly increased the sales and the number of potential customers. Actually, the iPod sold at such a high rate, that the permanent improvement of the product, in order to maintain the leading position on the market, was a necessary request (the selling rate recorded over 42 million units since the release of the product)...

In 2005, the new and better iPod was revealed, when celebrating the 4th generation of these devices; the new model introduced, for the first time, the color screen. In the spring of 2006, the Samsung company announced that they were about to provide the media processor for a new iPod model, an improved version of the Apple’s device. Soon after, the 5th generation of iPods introduced the iPod video, meaning it has video playback capacities, video playing and better organization features. The launching was celebrated together with the innovative new models of iPods: the iPod nano, with color screen and the iPod shuffle, which were the best sellers of 2005.

The 5th generation of the iPod was about to reveal many new and exiting features of the small device, all under the slogan One more thing... Basically, the iPod video or the video iPod was available on the market in both 30 GB and 60 GB capacity models, had ability to play both MPEG-4 and H.264and much higher resolution, up to 480/480. Having a 16-bit color screen and being able to display all kinds of videos on a TV set, the new product was a market hit since its appearance.

Regarding the design, the new iPod comes, as the previous iPod (the nano model of the 4th generation) in 2 colors, white and black, but it has a multitude of applications and improved features: World Clock, Stopwatch, and Screen Lock applications, a smaller earphone, a thin slipcase, AC adapter and FireWire cable. Regarding the dimensions, the new iPod is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches for the 30 GB version and 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches for the 60 GB version (which, in the case of the new model, are marketed at the same price).

The screen size was modified to 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) diagonally, 0.5 inches (12.7 mm), meaning that the video iPod screen is larger than the previous one. Even more, the product is thinner than the last model, iPod nano, and the battery life increased from 16 hours to 20 hours. Still, being a video device, watching movies reduces the life of the battery to around 2 to 3 hours.

With an exiting and evolving history, the iPod manages to be one of the most innovative products on the digital devices` market, with millions of customers all around the world and increasing sells.

Video iPod's Advertiser

2008-11-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

IPod video was a surprising new device at its appearance, due to the new and exiting quality that it could offer: playing videos. Besides this, the iPods have known, since their appearance on the market, a constant evolution, which lead to the fact that the public and the potential customers had more and more expectations regarding this product. With a new offer and design, the new product iPod video had a series of new ads, some authentic and some suspicious, because of their fake or less real aspect.

Due to the fact that the product was not yet in stores and people didn’t expect such a product to appear, there were a number of teasing and controversial ads (regarding their authenticity) which appeared and circled on the Internet.

By bringing a new and relevant feature to the device, such as the video feature, the potential customers were surprised by the evolution of the product and so, the ads purpose was established.

One of these ads represents the iPod video in an unreal shape (meaning that the authentic iPod has other optical features and another design). The ad was very short, as it lasted only 15 seconds. The video begins with presenting some corners of the new device, which are revealed in a computerized manner.

This one side of the device turns and the other one presents a screen which played the most recent music video belonging to the band Black-Eyed Peas (Pump it). The music and rhythm were dynamic and fast and so were the characters, who were dancing while driving. Suddenly, the slogan Introducing the new hand held movie theatre appeared and shortly after, the phrase new hand held movie theatre was cut out and the new phrase new iPod appeared on the screen, resulting Introducing the new iPod.

The controversy around this ad is focused on the fact that the actual iPod video doesn’t have the same characteristics as the one in the ad: the actual device looks very similar to the 1st to 4th generation of iPods, meaning the screen is over the buttons, but the one revealed in the ad presented a very large screen, which completed one side of the device.

Still, there are many ads of the new iPod video which are, for sure, authentic. The main idea of these is the fact that music can be seen, as well, besides just being heard.

This is why the Apple company opted for integrating famous artists in the ads for their product: one of the ads featured U2's Original of the Species from the Vertigo - Live From Chicago DVD and another two featured Eminem and Wynton Marsalis. The ads featuring these artist were much longer than the usual ones and they basically played famous songs, but not together with their videos; instead, the producers opted for some more authentic images illustrating performances of these artists, which would look natural and more spontaneous.

The ads for this new product were focused on the video playing capabilities of the device and the producers wanted, at the same time, to symbolize the new range of possibilities that the new model of iPod had to offer.

The main idea of the ads was clear, even though these 3 ads had very different targets. Based on the fact that the clients of the new device come from different backgrounds and are of different ages, the producers and the marketers managed to pick some artists that represent generations and symbolize best their tastes and lifestyle: Eminem stands for teens and hip hop music, Wynton Marsalis is representative for adults who like classical and jazz music and U2 is somewhere in between the other 2 opposite styles.

In parallel, the ads with the dancing silhouettes continued with more specified backgrounds, which were representing the video options. The iPod`s video ads show that the product has definitely evolved, has a more mature image and optimized new features.

iPod video and Target Of Buyer

2008-11-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

Every new release of a product gets the interest of a particular type of people. While men seem more interested in technology and women in beauty products, while teens are fond of games and music and adults more of books, the marketers precisely know, before launching a new product, the main target of their new item. For example, the iPod video is one of the new releases which defiantly have a specific type of buyers.

The target buyers of this new device are, for sure, young people and adults which are trying to buy a great present for their children. In this example, the critics say that in many cases, the adults do not know the features of the new device well and all the things that it can be used for.

So, one of the most important worries that parents should have is the fact that some children might use the iPod to directly download (as this new iPod video allows to do so) some materials from sites destined to adults only.

More precisely, the target customers of the iPod video are somewhere between the ages of 16 and 30, but there are various categories which don’t fit in this group, too. Among these, there are the people above 30 years which want to remain modern and keep focused on the new releases in the technology department.

Even more, there are various customers which own an iPod from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation and simply want to upgrade their item and to be able to watch clips and movies on the device, as well.

On the other hand, the sales so far clearly indicate the fact that the new iPod video is bought more by men then by women. In many cases, the iPod is bought in order to be offered as a gift for various occasions, as it is consistent, original and useful.

Due to the fact that the new iPod video represents quite and investment, there are rare cases in which teens might purchase one of these with their own money. Still, parents seem disposed to pay the necessary amount of money in order to see their children happy. The sales of the iPod video showed the fact that the device sells best before Christmas and before the summer holiday.

Due to the fact that the usage of the new iPod video is one of the most pleasant ways to spend the time, (as it offers both video and audio possibilities), the iPod is intensely used while people are on vacation.

The new iPod video has a lot of fans so far and even more people are interested in the new features that the iPod can provide, thinking of purchasing the item themselves. So far, the sales say that the number of the buyers is increasing and the people become more and more receptive to the device and its capacities.

At the same time, people adapt fast to the new technology, so they expect even more from the next iPod of the Apple Company. Due to this, the team of engineers already works on the next and more optimized iPod, which will bring, besides many new features and accessories, an innovative new capacity, which will surprise the market.

Accessories Of Video iPod

2008-11-23T23:25:00.000-08:00

Different accessories are compatible with iPod video, fact that increases the importance and great success of the new video device. There are cases for all tastes, requirements and preferences. You may not worry about the age or special preferences of the persons you may bring as a gift the iPod and the case for it.

Other accessories are the chargers, the earphones, headphones of different models. There is also a speaker especially created for the new iPod video. You may also find different types of skins, sticker decals, carrying cases, pouches, remote control, iPlug 3.5 splitter, backpack w/ speakers and, of course, various connection cables and adapter very useful for the new iPod video.

There are also different available adapters – iPod video cassette adapter for 3.5 mm devices, iPod video 3.5 mm to RCA audio cable adapter, iPod video car charger cigarette lighter adapter for Apple iPod, iPod video USB black car charger cigarette lighter adapter, iPod video USB travel/home charger adapter, iPod video car charger adapter, iPod video wall-car charger 12V-AC adapter. You may also find different transmitters for the iPod video and this is the case of the iPod video tune-free audio FM transmitter and the iPod video WALL-II audio FM transmitter.
Various cables are also of great use and are needed while having the iPod video - iPod video firewire 1394 data dync dable for Apple iPod & iPod mini, iPod video retractable USB 2.0 data sync cable for Apple iPod, iPod video USB 2.0 extension cable, iPod video USB 2.0 data sync cable for Apple iPod. You may also need iPod video USB data transfer key fob, extended battery pack w/ carrying case for the iPod video, walet carrying cases, metal cases of different colors, protector shields of various colors.

There are also some other useful accessories for the new iPod video and you may choose from different types of cases - Kroo G5 belt clip leather cases, Kroo Melrose belt clip carrying cases, iPod video Optimum Armband carrying cases.

You may also buy an iPod video Cellet universal PDA holder and a special holder for the iPod especially designed for the car. Other accessories are also useful and have an interesting design – iPod video Cellet Rhinestones 100, iPod Cellet Rhinestones assorted.

Some other accessories point out the new generation style technology – iPod video creative CB2530 bluetooth digital wireless headphones, iPod video Naztech boom station N20 speaker and docking station, iPod video fold-up amplified portable speakers for MP3 and music players. Other accessories are iPod video desktop dock cradle, iPod video idock desktop dock cradle for Apple iPod w/ USB and FireWire.

All these accessories denote the fact that a simple portable audio device is of a great importance taking into account all different designs for the carrying cases and skins. The iPod video has many accessories, some of them are designed for suiting the lifestyle, the preferences and the tastes of the customers. Others are needed for transferring the information, for adapting or other useful activities in the technologic domain.

Another important aspect to mention is the fact that all the accessories are especially designed for the thinner models of the iPod video with a larger screen and smaller dimensions.

The cases, skins and sticker decals have the role of pointing out the beauty, simplicity or vivid colors. On the other hand, they have a protective role and a decorative one, pointing out the personality, the lifestyle of the user. These aspects are extremely important for the younger users of the iPod video – the teenagers.

The other accessories are more or less needed taking into account how much into the fever of the iPods the user is and how much he uses all the other activities related with the iPod video. Anyway, in a world in continuous movement, almost all the accessories and special devices may be of great need for a modern person with a modern lifestyle.

iPod video: Reviews

2008-11-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

The new iPod video has stirred a lot of reactions, a lot of reviews, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of its utility, quality and features. These reviews are important especially because of the fact that the new iPod video was launched without a serious study of the market, of the customer’s tastes and wishes. From this point of view this is a daring initiative and a great step in the video development.

The reviews usually point out the amazement and the great success concerning the new iPod video, but also highlight some aspects that may contribute to its improvement. For example, the great advantage of connecting the iPod video to the TV set and playing the videos on it is well-received. But on the other hand, the fact that the iPod video cannot be connected to the computer is seen as a disadvantage. The transfer from iPod to computer is not possible and this fact may be a suggestion for the designers and creators of the iPod video.

Some customers are in love with this device because of the possibility of watching the favorite TV shows and ABC hits like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” even in the road. The stress of loosing the relaxing TV show or film may be very unpleasant especially in the case of difficult days at work. Therefore, the possibility of watching them on an iPod video is an excellent idea. Besides, the iPod video matches the crazy contemporary lifestyle, giving the opportunity of checking the e-mail, of finding out the time in other cities very useful especially in the case of people that travel a lot.

Satisfaction and pleasant remarks are the main notes for the new iPod video, as it is really a great product. The fact that it has more features, more quality, longer battery life and smaller dimensions, thinner display is enjoyed a lot. A small disadvantage, compared to the great new benefits, is the fact that the images, photos from the iPod video transferred to the TV set are too bright, although very clear and nice.

Another great advantage is the fact that the customers may listen to the music over 14 hours (it depends on the model). But the reviews point out a disadvantage – the fact that the video playback time is only 2 hours. Another disadvantage is the fact that the iTunes from the iTunes Music Store are too expensive, but taking into account the great quality of the sound this may not be such a great disadvantage. Besides, the equalizer may be set for a better quality sound.

Some other reviews highlight the fact that the screen quality is clear and maybe clearer than of the most TV sets. This aspect may be put together with the fact that the screen is better and bigger although the display is smaller and thinner.

A special attention may be paid to the fact that, as in other cases, some defect items may be in sale, but it may be exchanged within 14 days. Another disadvantage that completes the fact that the iPod video cannot be connected to the computer is that it doesn’t work well with wireless FM transmitters. This problem may be also managed with a cassette adapter for the iPod so that it would work great.

Unresponsiveness and freezing video images are other problems mentioned in the user reviews. Hardware problems and the low quality of some songs may be other possible problems according to the reviews of the customers.

These aspects seem to point out the fact that this technology is not mature enough and the new iPod video is from some point of view an experiment and a way of testing the market.

Anyway, the fact that the new iPod video has reduced dimensions and may fit any pocket. Besides, the high resolution and the great quality of the songs are exclusive advantages and are mentioned by the customers with joy and satisfaction.

New iPod video: Features

2008-11-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Although the dimensions of the new iPod video are smaller, the display thinner, the screen dimensions are bigger and the image quality is better. These advantages are not the only ones as the new iPod video keeps more surprises regarding the image and the screen display.

The large color screen and reduced dimensions of the video and audio device is the attractive point of the new iPod video. This aspect makes possible the explicit reading of the menu, of the options and possibilities as it has a bright, sharp text.

The screen quality of the new iPod video may be compared to the screen quality of any TV set and it may even become the winner of such a contest. Both the design of the new iPod and the video features are very well thought out and the most important aspect is that the resolution is up to 320x240. The resolution quality is comparable to the quality of VHS video tape, being less than half that of a DVD.

That's why the sunny weather, the too bright rooms are not a problem for watching the videos on the iPod video. These obstacles are great enemies of the previous handheld video devices of reduced dimensions and these do not matter anymore, especially when it is the case of the new iPod video.

The possibility of watching the favorite music video and Disney or Pixar video, the TV shows of films on the road, away from home was a matter of dreams not long time ago. And this dream is possible now due to the next step in video technology.

Besides, the new iPod video has also some amazing options with the photo album because of great quality of the images. You may also rate your photos or create slideshows with your favorite ones so that your past empty moments may be filled with great memories. This fact is also due to the eliminated common obstacles (sunshine, bright indoors or outdoors) of watching videos on other different mini video devices. Another important aspect concerning the options of the iPod video is that it provides full-size thumbnails for photos.

Besides, the new iPod video can import digital photos directly from any type of camera or card reader. During this transfer, the thumbnails of the imported images are showed on the screen of the iPod. After the mentioned transfer, you may browse the imported pictures. Unfortunately, you cannot display the transferred pictures on the TV set.

The video image of the new iPod video is surprisingly clear, bright and sharp taking into account the size of the screen. Excellent music and video on the same handheld device is more than joyful news, having great advantages and well thought features.

Although the battery longevity for watching the videos are only of 2 hours, the new video device has a great success and may be of great need for those who are very busy. This solution is ideal for spending the time on the train, bus or airplane, maybe waiting for them or simply having a break at the office. In the end, the new iPod video is a great music player with some features for playing video a little bit so that the time would pass more quickly.

The combination of excellent image and sound is a very good achievement and a tempting offer for lovers of pocket devices to be in touch with music and other aspects of the contemporary life. These aspects of the new iPod video are especially preferred by the teenagers with their crazy lifestyle.

Nevertheless, some adults may also like the high quality of the image, the options for the photo album and the slideshow. These aspects make the images, favorite videos and photos being easy to share with other people.

The best combination of high quality image and high quality sound is to be found in the new iPod video. Still, the novelty is represented by the video features on a handheld device that represent a step in the video technology.

Getting Videos In Your iPod Video

2008-11-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

The iPod video is known as the last generation of iPods, which surprised the market and the sales since its appearance. Basically, this new device is able to play videos. If this seems like fun, the technical part might need some guidance.

Firstly, you should know that both the PSP and iPod can play H.264 / MPEG-4 encoded videos with AAC audio tracks. Due to this fact, the resolution is rather limited, together with the limitation of the bit rates that you can use on the device.

For the new iPod video, this limits means (for the H.264 video) up to up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 and 30 frames per second. For the MPEG-4 video, the limits are up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480 and the same 30 frames per second.

Even more, the AAC audio bit rate is around 160 Kbps. After establishing these limits, the next step is to establish the source of the video, which can be either from a DVD or a video of the computer.

In other terms, the company Apple claims, in a purely informative ad which is posted on the official website, that the new iPod, as they call the new iPod video, can store 15, 000 songs, 25, 000 photos and not less than 150 hours of video.

If wanting to get a video from a DVD, then the first thing you should do is to insert the DVD in the device. After this, you should open (in case it doesn’t immediately open by itself) the DVD, using file and open DVD from the menu.

Check the options in the DVD menu, to set up everything as you like, meaning language, subtitles or chapters. Begin playing the movie, using the DVD menu to navigate. When the movie begins, you should press the record button and select the folder in which you want to store the recorded files.

When you want to end the recording, simply click the stop button and if the recording goes well, there will be a screen confirmation that you have converted your file successfully.

If you wish to convert a video from your computer to your iPod video, then the first thing that you should do is go to the menu file and click open video file. After this, your video is supposed to begin to play, the perfect moment to adjust the video as you like. Also, you can set the perfect moment to start the recording, using the bottom playback controls.

When you decided this, click the button record and feel free to stop it at any time. After recording, just like in the case of importing videos from a DVD device, there will be a message on the screen saying that everything went on successfully.

If respecting these basic rules, the videos and movies will be stored carefully in your iPod and you will be free to watch them, at any time. Still, be aware of the fact that the iPod offers limited space and resolution, which means that you should be picky when deciding what to keep and what to delete.

The new iPod video is a challenging and innovative product that combines music with images, offering, for the first time, the possibility of playing video on such a small digital device.

The new Design Of iPod video

2008-11-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

The design of the new iPod video is similar to the previous editions, but it is thinner and has a slimmer build. The design was not surprising as it resembles a lot the others, but the new features and the improved once from the previous models were the ones who ensured the great success. The amazing feature is the dimension and the great capacities and features.

The new iPod video is about 10 percent thinner than the last generation iPod and has even a greater capacity – the 4th generation iPod had 20 GB and the iPod video has 30 or 60GB. The LCD display of the new iPod video has a larger format – 2.5-inch format with QVGA resolution. You may watch a video while 65,000 colors are being used, fact that is possible due to the special screen of great quality and the finishing touch of the design.

Most reviews point out the amazing design of the new iPod video, beaty that may easily caught the eye of any iPod fan. The sharp and colorful display is capable of increasing the great charm of this new item and may conquer any heart.

The special design is given with the help of the clear polycarbonate case which plays at the same time the role of a protective case for the new iPod. It is, in a way, a classic design with any new input following the modern fashionable trends and refusing to create a new face for the popular iPod. Maybe this is the aspect that continues to attract customers of all ages, this being an available option for almost all tastes and preferences. Besides, the cases ar those who may be chosen taking into account the age, color preference or other relevant aspects.

However, the slim design may be of great success, this being the new characteristic of the new iPod as compared with previous editions of iPods. Only with iPod nano and the 5th generation iPod the nuance of the interface was slightly changed, adding a “brushed-metal” effect.

Even if you are not in love with the new features of the new iPod video, you may not deny the fact that its design is wonderful. And from this point of view it may be considered the most successful handheld video device. That is why the new iPod video has no competitors and may be situated on the top list of pocket video devices. The design of this video device of the new generation is therefore very important. The design of the new iPod video represents more than the tastes of the nowadays generations, but also the specific lifestyle always in move and almost always in a hurry.

The simple and sleek design may be considered the most often mentioned advantage of the new iPod video. Some other mentioned advantages may also be included in the category of design – screen clarity, styling, very slim line, great integration with iTunes. The sleek design is also considered sexy by some customers in their reviews, fact that may point out the age of the customers, who use such a language – teenagers.

Some other characteristics of the iPod video design may be considered the great picture quality, crystal clear display, slim and sleek accessory and accessibility in the navigation system. The most often mentioned disadvantage of the design of the iPod video in the reviews is the easy scratched surface. Maybe this aspect may be considered as a complementary negative aspect of the design surface quality.

The most amazing aspect of the new iPod video design is the fact that it is provides complete waterproof protection. The new housing is said to offer great protection for the iPod’s video screen against scratches and other possible dangers or damages. Another special aspect concerns the fact that together with H2O Audio waterproof headphones it resists in a depth of 10 ft (3 meters).

The Benefit Of iPod video

2008-11-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

The new iPod video became famous due to its huge memory and the capacity of playing video, due to its slim design and longer life battery. Still, there are voices that point out some disadvantages and highlight different negative aspects.

Taking into account that there are few perfect things made by the human hand, these aspects may be used by the iPod video creators for further improvements. Therefore, the customer’s reviews are very important and the suggestions may be really taken into account.

The fact that the screen is bigger is great, but the surface is easy to scratch, aspect that is more in the cons category. Although the image is excellent and the clarity screen may be easily compared with the TV set’s screen quality, there are still some problems with freezing video images. There is a great achievement the fact that the light, sun or other previous obstacles are annihilated, but another important problem is the unresponsiveness in some cases.

The dimensions of the new iPod video are great, but there is no way you may watch it with more than several persons. Anyway, it was designed for personal not collective needs and you may still share your photo album and music or video music preferences with one person. The flat screen is large enough to enjoy your favorite videos.

Although the life battery is longer, the complaints concern the short battery life for video. And this complaint may be balanced by the fact that the video is played with no flaw. The pros of the new iPod video are considered the cool look, the impressive number of features, the great organization of the music menu so that you may even rank your favorite songs. The cons of the new iPod video are considered the absence of FM option, the fact that no cradle is included, the impossibility of connecting the iPod video to the computer and the cost.

The amazing new features concern the sound quality – it is clearer and stronger with a bass that is stronger articulated, the sound is also louder than that of the previous generations. The other good features are the easy control, the video feature is classified with “great”, but the flaws regard the interruption of the sound between the tracks, being blanked out. There are still other suggestions regarding the battery life, taking into account the amount of music that the new iPod video has.

The pros may be gathered together pointing out the thin and attractive enclosure with a great display, the best sound, 15-20 hours of music, new clock and the time in other parts of the world. The cons highlight the incompleteness of the video integration that suggests the experimental project aspect, absence of the new games, no changes in the interface, the smaller screen than expected especially for video features edition. Another disadvantage concerns the slow transfer of photos direct from the camera.

Some critics point out the fact that the design and the features of the new iPod video may be seen from different perspectives. Therefore, the complaints and the satisfaction may be contradictory. These aspects may be seen from a movie lover perspective, an audiophile or photographer or even from a simple consumer with no great expectations. That is why you may find musician’s reviews or video addicted reviews that are in contradiction. You may decide in which category you may be situated for deciding if the new iPod video is worth the money or not.

From the same point of view, you may say that as a music player the new iPod video has superior quality of sound. As a screen for the photo album, the clarity of the screen may win the competition with any TV set’s screen. As a movie player, the iPod video is below the expectations, but it may be considered a great step in the video technology.

iPod video: Real Fact of it

2008-11-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

The newest member of the iPod family is found everywhere nowadays. As people get to understand more and more the usage of this new device, the Apple Company gains more customers. Till now, the sales indicate the fact that the iPod video is one of the best sellers from the series which began back in 2001.

Some of the most important accessories that the new iPod video provides are the universal clock, the contact book and the various games. From the last model in 2004, the iPod video brought a new feature regarding the photo storage. Now, the iPod provides full size thumbnails for these pictures and, even more, they can be organized as preferred, in slide shows.

The dimensions of the newest iPod are bigger than the ones belonging to the last model. This is due to the fact that the new iPod is destined, besides others, for watching music videos or even full length movies, so the iPod presents a larger color screen (the screen size was modified to 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) diagonally, 0.5 inches (12.7 mm). The fact that the screen is bigger is a good thing, but the surface is easy to scratch, an aspect that is less favorable.

The new iPod has other improvements, too, especially concerning the life of the battery. This improvement basically means that the new iPod has 20 hours of battery life and taking into account the advantage of watching music videos, TV shows, cartoons, photos and other videos, this aspect is very relevant. Another advantage is the iTunes Music Store, which has over 2 million songs available for all tastes and ages, 2,000 videos, ABC or Disney TV shows. Downloading them is easy and it can be done directly.

Even more, with the help of special cables the downloaded files can be easily seen on the TV. There is another variant for all these activities - you may use the universal dock and the remote control. The other quality features are the easy control, the video feature, but the flaws regard the interruption of the sound between the tracks is one thing that gets criticism.

Regarding the looks, the new iPod comes, as the previous iPod (the nano model of the 4th generation) in 2 colors, white and black, but it has a wide range of applications and improved features: Screen Lock applications, a smaller earphone, a thin slipcase, AC adapter and FireWire cable. Regarding the dimensions, the new iPod is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches for the 30 GB version and 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches for the 60 GB version (which, in the case of the new video iPod model, are found at the same price on the market).

The latest member of the iPod series surprised the market in various ways: from the video capacities to the other evolved features (in comparison with the 2004 model) and from the style and looks to the wide and evolved spectrum of accessories that are available together with the new iPod video. The evolution of the iPod presents an increased interest in constantly improving this device and always considering the necessities of the target buyers. It is expected that the next generation of iPods to be even more evolved, with various changes in the video settings and more innovative accessories.

Supporting Application to Chrome

2008-11-22T18:10:00.000-08:00

Even new comers, The internet users which use Chrome as an alternative browser is quite high. Many developer has make a various application to support it . Here are some applications that might increase your surfing activity with Chrome:

1. Browsing Without Ads
One of the things that disrupt the browsing is the emergence of the ad. If the ad is the form of pop-ups, then the Opera browser can easily handle it.

But when the ad is an image or banner it will be quite difficult to manage it. In the Firefox to block the extension which can be use to block ads known as AdBlock Plus. This extension is quite popular, because of their ability to block the ads eruption.
In Chrome, we can do it with the help of Privoxy. Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy that has both the ability to filter cookies, ads, banners, waste and other internet. Privoxy using the database of Internet Junkbuster. Privoxy can be downloaded from the http://tinyurl.com/4xpsdb with the file size of 428KB.

2. Portable Chrome
It seems that almost applications has available in portable version currently, But in fact not all portable applications from its official developer. Many applications comes from an individual development and Portable Chrome is one example of it which was developed by a German blogger. Portable Chrome can be downloadable from http://tinyurl.com/3t2fo8 with the file size of 11.3 MB.

3. User Profile Manager
Unlike Firefox, Chrome does not have a user profile. That means, one setting will be used by anyone using Chrome in the same computer. To create a profile, card-up to the backup merestore profile in Chrome, we need a freeware called Google Chrome Backup, which can be downloaded from www.parhelia-tools.com/products/gcb/googlechrome.aspx with the file size of 443KB. Google Chrome Backup requires. NET Framework 2.0 to run it

4. From A firefox to Chrome
If you are a Firefox lover use can use Chrome to handle your Gmail and web application by using Google Chrome extension. This extension can be downloaded from http://img.labnol.org/files/open-in-google-chrome.xpi size 7,49 KB

Product Features and Services of Affiliate Tracking Software

2008-11-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in starting your own affiliate problem, you are not alone. Each day, a large number of business owners make the decision to do just that. To make your affiliate program a success, you will need to decide on an affiliate tracking software program.

Affiliate tracking software is used to track your affiliates, if you are business owner. Affiliates are the webmasters, web publishers, or website owners that you partner with. This partnership entails you giving your affiliates advertisements, often in the form of links or banners.

If you have an affiliate tracking software, that software can be used to let you know every time that one of your affiliate links or banners resulted in a sale. If so, you will then be required to compensate your affiliate. This compensation is often a pre-determined amount that both of you agreed on.

If you are interested in purchasing an affiliate tracking software program, which you should be if you want to start your own affiliate program, you will need to make a decision. That decision involves the type of software you would like to purchase and from whom.

Online, you will find that there are a large number of individuals and companies that sell affiliate tracking software. To decide which software is best for your business and your needs, you are advised to examine and compare a number of different programs.....

Since there are a large number of different affiliate tracking software programs, you will likely find that each software program comes with its own unique services and features. Despite the fact that each software program is likely to have its own unique features, there are some common features and services that are found on most affiliate tracking software programs. Those features may include, but should not be limited to, customer service support, earning reports, categorization of affiliates, varied commission levels, and affiliate signups.

When you advertise that you are interested in starting an affiliate program it is likely that you will get a number of inquires. These inquires will likely be webmasters, website owners, and web publishers who are interested in signing up for your affiliate program. All of these inquires may be too much for you to sort out on your own. That is why a large number of affiliate tracking software programs also include affiliate signup forms. These forms will help to keep your affiliate applications separate from all of your other important business paperwork.

One feature that is, almost always, included with most affiliate tracking software is detailed earnings reports. Detail earning reports are important for your financial record keeping. Without an earnings report, you would have to calculate all of this information by hand. An affiliate tracking software program can generate these reports for you in a matter of seconds. These reports will often give an outline of your affiliates click rates and their sales on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Varied commission levels are something else that you may want to examine when searching for an affiliate tracking software. Most new programs will offer this feature, but not all programs will. This important feature will allow you to pay each of your affiliates a different amount of money. For instance, you could pay one of your affiliates fifteen percent of each sale, but you may only want to pay another affiliate ten percent. If that is the case, you will need this feature to accurately separate and document the earnings and commission levels for each affiliate.

Another popular affiliate tracking software feature is customer service support. While customer service support is provided by almost all software developers and sellers, it is not offered by everyone. This popular feature is extremely important, especially if you are new to the world of affiliate marketing. With customer service support, a knowledgeable company representative should be able to assist you with any questions or problems that you have.

The above mentioned product features and services are just a few of the many that exist. Other common features and services include, but should not be limited to, media banner displays, automatic banner rotations, affiliate referral signup programs, daily sales updates, payment reminders, and much more.

To determine whether or not the software you are interested in purchasing has these features, you are advised to fully examine all available information, including product descriptions.

Tracking Software Affiliate

2008-11-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

If you own an online retail store or run an online business that sells a specific service, you may be looking for ways to increase your sales. There are a number of different methods that you can use to do this; however, one method is more effective than most. That method is creating your own affiliate program. To determine whether or not you can benefit from this advertising method, you are advised to learn more. You may end up surprised with what you have learned.

Affiliate programs are designed to connect you with webmasters. Webmasters are individuals who own and operate their own online websites. Online, there are an unlimited number of websites. Many of these websites have different focuses, but there is a good chance that some of those websites are, in one way or another, related to your business.
By striking a partnership with one of those webmasters, you may be able to increase your own sales. However, to make a partnership with webmasters, you often have to give them something in return. That is where the affiliate programs come in...

With affiliate programs, you will provide webmasters with pre-made banners and links. These banners often show pictures of the products or services that you offer for sale. By placing your banners and links on a related website, especially one that receives a large amount of internet traffic, you should also see an increase in your page views. If you have a wide selection of products or services available for purchase, you may also see an increase in sales.

They key to starting an affiliate partnership with webmasters is to offer them an incentive. The incentive that works the best is money. By allowing your affiliate partner to make money off of each sale that they bring in, you will not only make money, but they will as well. For many business owners, maybe yourself included, the hardest part is getting started. Many business owners automatically assume that it would be too difficult to track how each sale was generated. This process can be difficult, unless you use affiliate tracking software.

Affiliate tracking software programs are programs that designed to make it easier for all business owners, just like you, to start their own affiliate program. These software programs will often work in conjunction with your links, banners, and your website’s checkout program. Each time that a sale is generated, the software program will automatically outline whether or not that sale was generated through one of your affiliates.

In addition to outlining which affiliate, if any, generated the sale, it will also assign the appropriate amount of money to that affiliate. This can be done as soon you enter your business and affiliate information into the software program.

When it comes to obtaining affiliate tracking software, you will need to decide which type of software you would like to use. There are a number of individuals and companies who have designed their own unique software. This software can often be purchased for a reasonable price, online.

The only problem with this software is that many programs still require you to monitor and pay each affiliate on your own. However, there are alternative software programs that will handle those important issues for you. This software is often referred to as third party affiliate tracking software.

Third party affiliate tracking software is also known as an affiliate network. This is because these types of companies will not only provide you with affiliate software, but they also monitor almost all aspects of your affiliate program for you. In addition to monitoring and outlining which affiliates helped you to generate sales, it also pays them and keeps a detailed report of those payments. If you are looking for an affiliate software program that requires little or no work, this may be your best option.
Regardless of which affiliate tracking software you choose to use, if you choose to use any at all, you should be able to seen an increase in sales by starting your own affiliate program. With a large number of webmasters looking to make money, you shouldn’t have a difficult time finding affiliates; in fact, many of them will come to you.

Freeware Firewall: How to Catch it

2008-10-25T10:49:00.001-07:00

Many Unix systems, including Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and the like, come with packet filtering packages. They require special kernel options and modules to be built in, but because security has become so important, these options and modules are almost always built into the default system install.

Here we'll talk about Linux's ipchains software. Then we'll take a look at FreeBSD's IPFW tool kit. It's important to note that ipchains, iptables, and IPFW are all "userspace" programs.

That means that the programs run and reside in memory designated for programs run by the users as opposed to those run by the system kernel. The actual packet filtering is done by the system kernel itself. These programs should be thought of as user interfaces to the kernel's packet filtering capabilities....

Ipchains

Ipchains is the first packet filter we'll discuss. Ipchains was originally based on a tool called ipfwadm, a Linux spawn of BSD's IPFW, which we'll discuss shortly. The idea behind ipchains was to create chains of rules for a packet to traverse. At any point in a chain, the packet could be passed on or denied. Ipchains has all but been replaced by iptables for Linux kernels running the 2.6 series; however, it may be included in most Linux distributions along with iptables. It is a good starting point for our first look at firewall packages, and it also gives us an example of a stateless firewall.

To use ipchains, all you need is a Linux box with the proper options compiled into the kernel. You can tell if your kernel has ipchains support if the file /proc/net/ip_fwchains exists.

Most current Linux installs will have these options built in, but earlier Linux installs may need to be modified. Unfortunately, we can't go into detail here about how to build a Linux kernel; numerous Internet resources are available on building kernels for firewall support. You can check out the ipchains man page or visit the following web pages for more details: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/IPCHAINS-HOWTO.html.

You'll also need to make sure that the file /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward contains the value 1 if you want to be able to forward packets from one network to the other. You can type echo 1 > /proc/sys/ net/ipv4/ip_forward as root to make sure that your firewall is ready to forward packets.

Ipchains is a user interface to the kernel's packet filtering capabilities. All of the actual packet examination gets done in the kernel's memory space. The ipchains program simply dictates the rules to the kernel. Unfortunately, this means the kernel will forget your rules any time the system is rebooted. Thankfully, you can use the tools ipchains-save and ipchains-restore to make a dump of the current ipchains rules in use and restore them after a reboot.

Best 10 Cleaner Software for XP

2008-10-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

The marketplace is crammed with software programs designed to help you free up resources and declutter and protect your system. With so many choices available, knowing which products to use can be confusing. I’ve put together ten products I’ve found interesting and helpful. You can’t go wrong with them.

1.System Mechanic: http://www.iolo.com/sm/index.cfm

Iolo Technologies publishes System Mechanic, an award-winning collection of tools that help clean your system. Some of its tools fix shortcuts, clean and optimize the Registry, defragment disks, optimize memory, remove duplicate files, block pop-ups, and remove some spyware. This is one great set of tools!

2. Window Washer: http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/windowwasher/index.php

Window Washer is a system cleaner that helps maintain your privacy. It removes information collected with browsing, such as your cache, cookies, history, deleted e-mails, and so on. It also cleans your Recycle Bin, program run histories, recent documents lists, and the like...

3. Spring Cleaning: http://www.aladdinsys.com/win/springcleaning/index.html

Spring Cleaning, from Aladdin Systems, is a comprehensive system cleaner. It uninstalls and removes unwanted programs, cleans the Registry, finds and cleans duplicate files, removes plug-ins, and eliminates cookies. It also includes complete undo capability to protect against accidental file erasure.

4. McAfee VirusScan Professional: http://us.mcafee.com/root/package.
asp?pkgid=145

VirusScan is one of the largest selling anti-virus programs. It automatically scans e-mail, attachments, and downloads, then immediately starts cleaning infections. The Professional version of the software comes with a two-user license (to protect two systems), system cleanup functions, and a security file eraser.

5. Norton Antivirus Professional: http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_pro/

Norton Antivirus protects e-mail, instant messages, and other files by recognizing and removing viruses automatically. The software also recognizes and alerts you to the presence of spyware and other hacking programs. It includes advanced tools for data recovery and secure file deletion, plus a license for two computers.

6. Spybot Search & Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org

Without a doubt, Spybot S&D is the best spyware detection and removal software available. To top it off, it’s free. Constantly updated, the software recognizes and removes a huge number of spyware programs from throughout your system. With the recent addition of the TeaTimer, it can even provide real-time continuous protection against surreptitious spyware activities.

7. Popup Ad Filter: http://www.meaya.com

Popup Ad Filter, from Meaya Software, works with Internet Explorer to block ads while you’re browsing the Web. It can be configured to allow pop-ups from specific sites and logs all the sites from which pop-ups were blocked. The filter’s easy to install and easy to use.

8. Super Ad Blocker: http://www.superadblocker.com

Super Ad Blocker prevents not only pop-up, but also spyware, pop-under, messenger, Flash, and floating ads. Includes capabilities to clean your cookies, cache, and browser history. Includes the ability to generate graphic reports on the quantity and type of ads blocked. Designed to work with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

9. Cookie Pal: http://www.kburra.com

Cookie Pal, fro m Kookaburra Software, allows you to decide what types ofcookies you want to accept and what type you don’t. It works with a widenumber of browsers and e-mail programs to give complete protection against unknown sites.

10. ZoneAlarm: http://www.zonelabs.com

Zone Labs created ZoneAlarm as personal firewall for Windows systems. It stops intruders from accessing your PC, essentially making your system invisible to hackers. The Pro version includes a pop-up blocker and rudimentary cookie management capabilities. It also analyzes incoming and outgoing e-mail to identify and quarantine potential viruses.

How a crackers break in as an administrator

2008-10-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

In Windows NT, 2000 and XP, the Administrator user has total power over its computer, just as root has total power over a Unix/Linux type computer. However, it is possible to change the name of Administrator so an attacker has to guess which user has all the power.

Let's try to log in as Administrator by guessing the password. Give the command:
C:\>net use \\10.0.0.2\ipc$ * /user:Administrator
Type the password for \\10.0.0.2\ipc$:
System error 1219 has occurred.

Multiple connections to a server or shared resource by the same user, using more than one user name, are not allowed. Disconnect all previous connections to the server or shared resource and try again

This means that someone else is currently logged onto this server who has Administrator rights. Furthermore, this person is probably watching me on an IDS and thinking up terrible things to do to me. Eeep! Actually this is all going on inside my hacker lab - but you get the idea of what it could be like when trying to invade a computer without permission....

I discover that whether I guess the password correctly or not, I always get the same error message. This is a good safety feature. On the other hand, one of the users is named Administrator. This is a bad thing for the defender. When you first set up a Windows NT or 2000 server, there is always a user called Administrator, and he or she has total power over that computer. If you know the all-powerful user is named Administrator, you can try guessing the password whenever no one is logged on with Administrator powers.

Computer criminals don't waste time guessing by hand. They use a program such as NAT or Legion to get passwords. These programs are why smart NT administrators rename their Administrator accounts and choose hard passwords. Also, this kind of persistent attack will be detected by an intrusion detection system, making it easy to catch criminals at work.

You can get expelled warning: What if you are a student and you want to save your school from malicious code kiddies who steal tests and change grades? It is important to get permission *in writing* before you test the school's network. Even then, you still must be careful to be a model student. If you act up, cut classes you know what I mean - the first time a cracker messes up the network, who do you think they will suspect? Yes, it's unfair, and yes, that is the way the world works.

How install NetBIOS

2008-10-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

You might have to make changes on your system in order to use these commands. Here's how to enable NetBIOS for Windows XP. (If you are stuck with Windows 95, 98, SE or ME, see the end of this Guide for how to enable NetBIOS.)
Go to Control Panel -> Network Connections
There are two types of network connections that may appear here: Dial-up and LAN or High-Speed Internet.

notes:
A dial-up connection uses a modem to reach the Internet. LAN stands for local area network. It's what you have if two or more computers are linked to each other with a cable instead of modems. Most schools and businesses have LANs, as well as homes with Internet connection sharing. A DSL or cable modem connection will also typically show up as a LAN connection.

To configure your connections for hacking, double click on the connection you plan to use. That brings up a box that has a button labeled Properties.

Clicking it brings up a box that says "This connection uses the following items":
You need to have both TCP/IP and NWLink NetBIOS showing. If NWLink NetBIOS is missing, here's how to add it. Click Install -> Protocol -> Add NWlink/IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol.

Netgear WGT624SC : fast, save and secure

2008-10-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

In order to connect the internet or the network, we recently need a wireless system to make a connection between a workstation and routes a network traffic among workstation and an existing internet connection. There are two type of it; a wireless router which includes wireless acces point built in and a wireless router with cable modem or DSL built in.

Many wireless router manufactures has develop their product as the need of high speed internet connection also a safety in using it like Netgear WGT624SC Super G Wireless Router which include anti virus and anti phising in its software. It makes this product has a significant different product as you find out most in the market while it scans your pc and your home network when connected to internet automatically and of course it will save your money.

This product supported by Trend Micro dashboard which provides filtering(parental filtering sofware is free for one year after that you will be purchased to keep using it) in access an adult material such as pornograhpic, gambling etc. site and it is save for your children in surfing.

Netgear WGT624SC Super G Wireless Router also supported by atheros Super-G technology which keep warranty its user in surfing with stable (40 Mbps from 150 feet) and speed connection as they also provide XR (extended range) capability on the WGT624SC, but it can't match the range of a MIMO router, which can stretch for 800 feet.

As a summary this product which built-in Trend Micro Security inside make the Netgear WGT624SC Super G Wireless Router is worth considering for those people who need a speed, save and secure in internet browsing.

Get a free spyware remover

2008-10-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

As we know that every computers need to a realtime maintenance as well as systems checks in order to be in good condition at all times. This can be done by getting the proper software or sending the unit to the shop.

If the individual notices that the computer is not performing as well as before, an accurate action must be done immediately before everything shuts down. Aside from the potential threat of a virus that can destroy the operating system and the hard drive, another concern should be the spyware and the adware that comes when a website is visited.

Spyware and adware programs can be purchased in the store. With the development of e-commerce, software companies have made it possible to get these things online and have it downloaded in an instant into the computer...

Is there one software program better than the other? Some will say this brand while others will say another depending on how user-friendly and effective it has performed in the past. Here are the top 5 that are free for the person to use so the user should be the judge.

1. McAfee has been in the business of providing security solutions since 1987. The software programs it offers can take care of viruses, spyware, adware and any other threats all in just one package.

Among the different software companies in the industry, this firm does not allow free trials but those who have used it and are still doing so today are satisfied with its products and services.

2. Another leader in the industry is Symantec. This company started 5 years earlier than McAfee and offers customers various versions of its products. Those who are skeptic about the adware and spyware software it has can download the software and try it for 30 days. Those who amazed can then buy the program to continue enjoying its services.

3. Microsoft is one of the biggest software companies in the world. Aside from offering to customer’s operating systems, it also has adware spyware remover, which can be downloaded for free into the computer.

4. The fourth company on the list is not as big as the other three players but is still able to hold its head up high in the market. The program is called Spybot Search and Destroy. From the name itself, the individual can already tell what it can do as well as prevent new threats from ever popping up in the future.

5. Lastly, is Adaware, which also has various versions for personal and commercial use. Those who will just use it to keep the computer safe at home can download the adware spyware remover program for free. If this will be used by a company to protect its assets, a fee will be charged to keep the system running.

The person does not have to be a computer expert to be able to protect everything inside the computer because there are adware spyware remover programs available.

Once it is downloaded and installed, the individual does not have to worry because the software will check the computer carefully as well as receive updates so new threats can be caught before it can do any damage making one sleep peacefully at night. It is up to the customer whether to pay for the system or simply get one that is free.

How to make the spyware utilities more usefull

2008-10-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

When you trying to make the usefull spyware and adware protection, it will be better if you look online to check out some of the most effective anti-spyware and adware tools available for you. Many software who have dedicated their resources to develop more effective and more vendor programs to provide you with the best anti-spyware and adware protection for your PC. Here are some example of them:

Spyware Doctor

Spyware Doctor is a multi-award winning spyware removal utility that is available for you both in free trail software as well as an on sale software product version able to provide you with extensive spyware and adware protection. It effectively detects, removes and protects your PC from thousands of potential spyware and adware programs proliferating the online world today...

A wide range of malicious trojans, keyloggers, spybots and tracking threats are put at bay with the Spyware Doctor. This is an adware and spyware removal utility that detects and cleans thousands of potential adware, trojans, keyloggers, spyware and other malware that may be infecting and wrecking havoc on your PC. Its remover tool allows you to remove, ignore or either quarantine identified spyware. This tool is made available for free in the trial version.

Spyware Doctor also has an OnGuard system that effectively immunizes and protects your system against hundreds of online privacy threats even while you work. The Spyware Doctor allows you to perform fast scanning and detection at Windows start-up so that you will be alerted with a list of the potential threats identified and provides spyware blocking features to give you continuous protection.

McAfee AntiSpyware

Get rid of malicious programs before they can steal your identity from your PC. Someone may be tracking you online and may be monitoring your every move. The McAfee AntiSpyware may just be the essential protection much needed by today's security-conscious Internet user like you.

McAfee AntiSpyware can quickly detect and then safely eliminate malicious applications such as key loggers, remote-control programs, spybots and browser hijackers that may be hiding on your system before they can rob you of your precious personal information, snatch passwords or monitor browsing activity when you go online. By eliminating online roadblocks, McAfee AntiSpyware also prevents adware programs to trigger annoying advertisements and sap precious system performance on your PC.

X-Cleaner

X-Cleaner is a premier privacy software solution that is made by one of the most trusted names in anti-spyware technology. X-Cleaner effectively deletes browser and system usage tracks, shreds pictures and generates secure passwords in your PC. It also features a unique anti-spy and adware technology that will remove them fully from your PC. The X-Cleaner also has effective inoculation features that will help prevent future infections and keep your PC safe for use.

Key features of this software include the ability to remove traces of movie files, pictures that you have viewed. It can also detect and remove spy software that logs your private activity online and may undermine personal online security. The X-Cleaner can also find and remove pornographic content that may contain malicious codes on your computer.

To provide the most privacy, the X-Cleaner can also permanently erase files on your PC with a military style file shredder. Stop password theft and know if some users are snooping and recording your keystrokes with the use of the X-Cleaner!

Why the Need to Remove Adware and Spyware

2008-10-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Spyware and adware removal nowadays is just a matter of choosing a well equipped anti-spyware program or utility. You install the software into your system and will scan and delete or quarantine spyware and adware programs that were secretly installed in your computer.

The proliferation of spyware and adware programs in the internet has lead an established and highly developed anti-spyware industry. As long as disgruntled internet users abound, the anti-spyware companies will continue to create utilities that will combat the onslaught of spyware and adware on your computers...

Basically a spyware program infects the computer through whatever files a user downloads from the internet. Adware and spyware attaches themselves on these files and can rapidly spread throughout the computer's operating system. The sypware will commonly records information like IP addresses, credit card numbers, lists websites you visit and so on.

But as the spyware infects and spreads your computer, it installs components which affect the overall performance of the computer. They can also cause a degradation of the system resulting to unwanted CPU activity, inappropriate disk usage, and problems with network traffic. All these will cause your computer to low down. It will eventually become unstable and will cause software crashes and will sometimes prevent you from connecting to your networks and to the internet.

Some spyware programs are quite obvious but others are more covert, operating undetected by the user. When problems occur in the computer's operating system, because these spywares are undetectable by ordinary means, users tend to believe that the problems were brought about by problems in the hardware or by a computer virus. But all the while, a spyware program is the one causing the ruckus.

More often not, a computer will be infected with more than one spyware program and have various components installed. Recent studies indicate that when one finds a spyware program installed in his computer, chances are dozens of the components of that spyware is installed all over the computer's system.

And as the number of spyware programs and its components increase, users will encounter problems like computer slowing its functions to a crawl. Other spyware programs are more notorious. Some spyware will disable the computer's firewall system or anti-virus software thus making the computer more vulnerable to spyware, adware and other infectious attacks.

Microsoft Windows platform users are more susceptible from these spyware and adware attacks. Probably because of the popularity of Windows which makes them an attractive and profitable target for spyware agents. Likewise, because of the tight knit Internet Explorer and Windows enjoy, IE users will most likely get an infection from spyware and adware than users of other internet browsers like FireFox.

Meanwhile other computer users are changing to Linux or Apple Macintosh platforms which appear to be less attractive to spyware and adware agents. These two platforms works on Unix underpinnings which restricts access to the operating system unlike with Windows.

It is quite unfortunate and rather irritating that spyware and adware programs grew and developed in the World Wide Web. But we cannot do anything about it now. What we can do is protect ourselves from their attacks by being cautious and by conducting regular spyware scanning and removals as well as performing regular updating of anti-virus and anti-spyware software to ensure that our computers are free from the annoying and damaging spyware.

The Need for Adware and Spyware Blocker

2008-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

There is this one law school student whose thesis is about money laundering so oftentimes she would google the term to come up with a ready list of online references. This proved to be useful to her and the entire process of writing her paper. After several months of doing so, she was confronted with problems like being directed to a weird page totally not related to money laundering every time she types the same words.

At first she thought it was just a glitch in the internet system and then she rationalized that no it maybe a glitch in the search engine she is using but the persistent occurrence of such a thing made her think that someone bugged her. We all hate bugging people us but people we can fend of. What this law student is confronted with is a computer bug that she cannot fend off. In the first place she is not a technology savvy person and in the second place she never uses her laptop for any other things than academic research and actual writing of her papers...

The situation above is not an isolated case. There are many people who find themselves caught up in technology problems that are mind boggling but actually can be answered with two words and those two words are spyware and adware. The infamous term of spyware was first coined in the year 1995 but it was popularized in the year 2000. Spyware is a computer software innocently infiltrated in a personal computer to be able to access personal information of the user.

This is done by studying logging keystrokes, web browsing history and even scanning a user’s hard drive. Sounds like something we see only in James Bond movies but apparently we are wrong for anyone can be a victim of spyware. It is safe to use the word victim because no one wants to be monitored of all their online activities. Spyware can understandably be used to spy on criminals because such use is beneficial to society but how about the use of spyware to intercept credit card details and the like. There is simply no excuse for the lax of the use of spyware.

What ordinary people can do to protect themselves is to block spyware and all other software programs similar to it like adware and malware. This can easily be done by availing adware and spyware blocker programs online. The role of these blocking programs include to remove or disable existing spyware programs or to avoid the installation of these malicious software programs.

Spyware, adware, malware are not like virus or worms that self replicate but they can be just as hassle as their counterparts for whoever wants to be disrupted of their normal pc activities. One of the more popular hassles cause by these infectious software programs is the slowness of the computer which can really be annoying because when you are at work you tend to want to finish things quick not just because you are required but also because you want more done or you want to be able to go home early.

In some infections, spyware is not even evident as the bad guy so it can get away with its crime. It is best then to have a ready blocker to at least do something for preventing any infection to occur in the first place.

Awareness in Installing Some Types of Software

2008-10-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Generally considered as some kind of potentially unwanted programs (PUP) by the Internet Security Company (McAFee,) adware and spyware could pause as a menace to original computer owners, web developers, and IT of certain corporations.

Advertisements (adware) already included and mainstay of the program could present a threat or traffic nuisance for reason of its vulnerability to information disseminations, causing notorious cases of "identity theft," that'd been threatening risk on the loss of personal properties, finances, bank's credibility, financiers, and other financial institutions over the globe...

In the United States alone there is a rampant of identity theft to personal properties thru the process of transfer of ownership to a wrong person because of stolen Credit Card numbers, passwords, and other personal identifications robbed thru the internet in forms of spywares that camouflaged use-legalities that are merely ignored by users and computer owners.

Adware and Spyware software present a totally different usage in program inclusions, and for the user. While adware is a legal part of the computer's administrative settings, spyware is ironically a deceptive method, that'll not directly pause as illegal for it may be included in some software that fronts acceptance. By the time it reaches the user's end it reacts like semblance of some kinds of virus or worms; at times just ignored not to be serious and obvious, but with motives, to invade the accessibility and manipulations of some confidential information from the computer, to be transmitted to other end users who may just wait for any advantage taken from this kind of traffic interference.

When the adware database link discovers the effects of detailed interference on some confidential records, those that need financial consideration of return-payments in nature, and wherein, exclusive website agenda had already been diverted to the other end without having to pay from the mother source, it'd be too late to reconstruct to normal settings. It is expensive to replenish and change to untarnished software. At times immune anti-virus is also out there, but anywhere it goes about entails some extra expense on part of the developer.

Spyware is software that support adware usage by PC espionage on different activities in a computer such as e-mail or chat logging, but could easily cause to detour web traffic that's detrimental to e-commerce if abused or used without consent; therefore, by no means the deceiving technology in adverse adware usability.

A number of adware companies seem to feel bias about PC surveillance (spyware) for reason that, although, they had already disclosed specific data collections and transmissions on account of privacy security from their database link, it can't totally control the chances of any outgoing data, where, and to whom it might be sent. Spyware technology has the capability to send not just the banner data from the mother PC, but could channel it to other interested parties that could even install-in to a new program.

The spyware technology is by far infused into the database without the owner's awareness or consent, however, they come in as "drive-by downloads" or the user goes to click in options in "pop-up" windows, and immediately detoured to some other programs, either pornographic, or anything else without essence.

The adverse effect of adware is the fact that when it is installed in the computer and the user consents to include tracking features, it automatically becomes a "spyware" when used by another user who interacts with the "adware" outside any database link.

Making MP3 File Smaller Without Losing Quality

2008-09-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

In This Tips I'd like to share about how to making mp3 file smaller without loosing its quality but firstly If you don't already have a copy of MusicMatch Jukebox, download one from musicmatch.com. The "Plus" version has more features and burns CDs faster, but the free version works just fine for converting files

1. Install music match box and then restart your computer if it asks
2. open music matchbox and click file convert files
3. in the bottom right hand corner called 'destination type' change it to mp3 pro.
4.you can edit the bitrate but the higher the bitrate the bigger the size
5. choose the songs you want to convert and click start

If you want to try something different repeat step one and 2 and instead of making the destintion type mp3 pro make it 'mp3pro vbr'
again the lower the setting the smaller the size.
Keep try it.

NERO: How to Verify the Validity of its Serial Number

2008-09-14T12:30:00.001-07:00

Nero will accept a serial number even if it is invalid, and will (randomly) occasionally burn you some bad CDs (while telling you that the burn was sucessful...)

Therefore it makes sense to test the serial number right after installation (b4 burning anything). Under Dos prompt, go to Nero's directory, type the following:

nerocmd --listdrives

That is: nerocmd, then a space, then 2 dashes, then listdrives.
If you see a message with "OK" in the end of it, then the serial you used is fine. Otherwise, locate another set of number and try again.It really works... ;)

Here are some helpful hints in using DOS:
1. Go to your AHEAD/NERO folder (wherever it is in your PC...) and Open it
2. From: START>RUN Type: COMMAND -> click OK
3. Type: nerocmd --listdrives [Enter key]
4. Done!

How to Boost your Broadband & DSL Connection

2008-09-14T12:14:00.002-07:00

These settings allow you to boost the speed of your broadband Internet connection when using a Cable Modem or DSL Router with Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create the following DWORD values, as most of these values will not already exist you will need to create them by clicking on 'Edit -> New -> DWORD Value' and then set the value as shown below.

DefaultTTL = "80" hex (or 128 decimal)
Specifies the default time to live (TTL) for TCP/IP packets. The default is 32.

EnablePMTUBHDetect = "0"
Specifies whether the stack will attempt to detect Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) routers that do not send back ICMP fragmentation-needed messages. The default is 0.

EnablePMTUDiscovery = "1"
Specifies whether the TCP/IP stack will attempt to perform path MTU discovery as

specified in RFC 1191. The default is 1.

GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize = "7FFF" hex (or 32767 decimal)
Specifies the system maximum receive window size advertised by the TCP/IP stack.

TcpMaxDupAcks = "2"
Determines the number of duplicate ACKs that must be received for the same sequence number of sent data before "fast retransmit" is triggered.

SackOpts = "1"
Enables support for selective acknowledgements as documented by Request for Comment (RFC) 2018. Default is 0.

Tcp1323Opts = "1"
Controls RFC 1323 time stamps and window scaling options. Possible values are: "0" =

disable RFC 1323 options, "1" = window scale enabled only, "2" = time stamps enabled only and "3" = both options enabled.

TcpWindowSize = "7FFF" hex (or 32767 decimal)
Specifies the receive window size advertised by the TCP/IP stack. If you have a latent network you can try increasing the value to 93440, 186880, or 372300.

Exit your registry and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.

If you don’t want to edit the registry, here's a little TCP utility that is ideal...
http://www.broadbandreports.com/front/doctorping.zip

How To Create Bootable XP SP Integrated CD

2008-09-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

Slipstreaming Windows XP Service Pack 1a and Create Bootable CD
Slipstreaming a Service Pack, is the process to integrate the Service Pack into the installation so that with every new installation the Operating System and Service Pack are installed at the same time.
Slipstreaming is usually done on network shares on corporate systems. But with the advent of CD burners, it does actually make some sense for the home user or small business user to do the same...

Microsoft added the ability to Slipstream a Service Pack to Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It not only has the advantage that when you (re)install your OS, you don't have to apply the Service Pack later, also if you update any Windows component later, you'll be sure that you get the correct installation files if Windows needs any.

Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 1a:
CODE
http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/4/f/54f8bcf8-bb4d-4613-8ee7-db69d01735ed/xpsp1a_en_x86.exe

Download the (full) "Network Install" of the Service Pack (English version [125 MB]), and save it to a directory (folder) on your hard drive (in my case D:\XP-SP1). Other languages can be downloaded from the Windows XP Web site.

Microsoft recently released Windows XP SP1a. The only difference is that this Service Pack does no longer include Microsoft's dated Java version. If you have already installed Windows XP SP1, there is no reason to install SP1a, but the "older" SP1 (with MS Java) is no longer available for download.

Next copy your Windows XP CD to your hard drive. Just create a folder (I used \XP-CD), and copy all the contents of your Windows XP CD in that folder.

Now create a folder to hold the Service Pack 1a (SP1a) files you are about to extract. I named it \XP-SP1. Next, open a Command Prompt (Start > Run > cmd), and go to the folder where you downloaded SP1a (cd \foldername). Type the command: servicepack filename -x. A small window will appear, and you need to point it to the folder where you want to extract the SP1 files. Click Ok to start extracting the SP1a files.

Once the SP1a files are extracted, change to the update folder of the SP1a files (cd update), and type the following command: update /s:path to WinXP CD files. In my example the command is update /s:D:\XP-CD).

Windows XP Update will do its thing:

When ready, you should get a confirmation. Windows XP Service Pack 1a has now been Slipstreamed into your original Windows XP files.It is also possible to add the Windows XP Rollup 1 Update. For instructions, please read Adding Windows XP Rollup 1 Hotfix.

Creating a Bootable CD
For this part I used ISO Buster
CODE
http://www.smart-projects.net/isobuster/
and Nero Burning.
Start to extract the boot loader from the original Windows XP CD. Using ISO Buster, select the "folder" Bootable CD, and right-click
Microsoft Corporation.img. From the menu choose Extract Microsoft Corporation.img, and extract it to the folder on your hard drive where you have your Windows XP files (D:\XP-CD in my case).

Next, start Nero Burning ROM, and choose CD-ROM (Boot) in the New Compilation window. On the Boot tab, select Image file under Source of boot image data, and browse to the location of the Microsoft Corporation.img file. Also enable Expert Settings, choosing No Emulation, and changing the Number of loaded sectors to 4 (otherwise it won't boot!)
If you have an older version of Nero you won't have the option Do Not Add ";1" ISO file version extention under Relax ISO Restrictions. You won't be able to boot your new CD, so update Nero!
You can configure the Label tab to your liking, I would however recommend that you keep the Volume Label the same as on your original Windows XP CD.
Next press New, and drag & drop the files and folders from your Windows XP hard drive location into Nero.
Next, burn your new CD. You now have a Bootable, Slipstreamed Windows XP Service Pack 1a CD!

How to Crack the Bios Password

2008-09-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the best way to crack the bios password in win 95/98:
Follow the steps below:
1) Boot up windows.
2) go to dos-prompt or go to command prompt directly from the windows start up menu.
3) type the command at the prompt: "debug" (without quotes ninja.gif )
4) type the following lines now exactly as given.......

o 70 10
o 71 20
quit
exit
4) exit from the dos prompt and restart the machine

password protection gone!!!!!!!!!!!!! biggrin.gif

EnjoYYYYYYYYYY
PS: I tested this in Award Bios........
There seems to be some issue regarding display drivers on some machines if this is used. Just reinstall the drivers, Everything will be fine...........
I have not found any other trouble if the codes are used.

How to Copy X-BOX Games

2008-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

BURNING X-BOX & GAMECUBE GAMES USING CDRWIN
1) Insert your original in your CD-ROM.
2) Open CDRWin (or any other image extractor) to make an iso image of the game
on your hard disc. Click on 'Extract Disc/Tracks/Sectors'
3) Here are the settings which work for me (!):
Disc Image/Cue sheet
File-Format: Automatic....

Reading-Options:
RAW, CD+G, CD-TEXT and MCN/USRC all Unchecked
Error Recovery: Ignore
Jitter Correction: Auto
Subcode Analyses: Fixed
Data-Speed: MAX
Read Retry Count: 10
Audio Speed: MAX
Subcode Threshold: 900
There are a lot of reports, that Raw reading also works, but I had problems with it enabled.
4) Click on 'Start'
RECORDING TO A DISC
1) Install Fireburner
2) Double click on the Cue File For The Game
3) Right Click And select burn To CD
That?s all there is record DAO, and you can try to burn it fast at 2X
Using PNY Black Diamond CDR'

How to Convert a Hard drive in to NTFS

2008-09-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

Your hard drive must be formatted with a file system such as FAT, FAT32 or NTFS so that Windows can be installed on to it. This system determines how files are named, organised and stored on the drive. If you’re not using it already, NTFS (New Technology File System) is recommended for Windows XP because of the additional functionality it offers. If your PC came with Windows XP pre-installed then there’s a chance that you’re already using NTFS. If you’ve upgraded from Windows 98 or Windows Me you may still be using FAT or FAT 32. The option to change over to NTFS would have been available during the upgrade process. Don’t worry if you skipped this as it’s possible to convert at any time from within Windows XP without losing any data.

The recommended option
There are a number of features in Windows XP that will only work if the NTFS file system is present, which is why it’s suggested you make use of it. File and folder permissions, encryption and privacy options are just some of those you’ll be able to access. In particular, those of you who have set up user accounts will find NTFS invaluable. For instance, if you continue to use FAT or FAT32 anyone with physical access to the drive will be able to access the files and folders that are stored there. However, with NTFS you’ll be able to use a level of encryption (Professional Edition only) that will enable you to protect your data.
You’ll also find NTFS more reliable in that it’s more able to recover from disk errors than its FAT or FAT32 counterparts. A log of all disk activity is kept so should a crash occur, Windows XP can use this information to repair the file system when your PC boots up again. To find out what file system you’re using, open My Computer, right-click your main hard drive and choose Properties. Take a look at the General tab to see confirmation of the file system that’s in use.
Convert now
You can use the convert tool in Windows XP to change the file system on your hard disk from FAT or FAT32 to NTFS. The whole process is safe and your existing data won’t be destroyed. To begin, click Start -> Run, type cmd and press [Return]. At the command prompt type convert c: /fs:ntfs and press [Return] (where ‘c’ is the letter of the drive you’re converting). When you try and run the convert utility, it’s likely that Windows XP will be using your paging file so the process won’t be completed immediately. Therefore, you’ll see a brief message on screen informing you that the conversion will take place instead the next time Windows starts up. Having restarted, the Check Disk utility will run, the conversion will be performed automatically and you may find that your PC will reboot twice more.
The benefits
With your drive now running NTFS, it’s time to take advantage of the new options that are available. Having created a number of different user accounts you can now control the level of access that’s granted to individual users. For example, there are going to be certain files and folders that you’ll want some users to be able to access but not others. If you have Windows XP Professional Edition you can do this immediately.
Right-click any file or folder, choose Properties and select the Security tab. A dialog will be displayed showing the names of all your users. Alongside will be two columns which enable you to select levels of access for each of them, the permissions include Full Control, Modify, Read and Write. You can then check the appropriate box to determine whether or not to Allow or Deny a particular permission. For Windows XP Home Edition users, the Security tab won’t be immediately available. To access this option you’ll need to restart your PC, pressing [F8] until a menu appears. Next select Safe Mode and wait for Windows XP to start up. You can then set your options in the same way.
Another feature is NTFS compression. It’s quick and seamless as your file or folder is decompressed automatically when you access it. (Don’t confuse this with a Zip compression utility where the files need to be extracted before they can be accessed.) Although you may have used NTFS compression on a file or folder, there’s no way of telling just by looking at it. To remedy this, open My Computer, click Tools -> Folder Options and select the View tab. Under Advanced settings, scroll down and check the option ‘Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color’, then click Apply and OK. Take a look at your compressed items in My Computer and you’ll see the text label has changed from black to blue. Something else that’s exclusive to Professional Edition users is the Encrypting File System (EFS). You can use this to protect your important data so that no one else can read it. Your encrypted files and folders will only be accessible when you have logged into your user account successfully.

How to Clear Unwanted Items From Add And Remove

2008-09-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

This is a simple yhing You should ie: Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT).
Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Uninstall, and remove any unwanted subkeys under "Uninstall."

How To Change Your IP in 1 Minutes

2008-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

Just follow these steps:
1. Click on "Start" in the bottom left hand corner of screen
2. Click on "Run"
3. Type in "command" and hit ok
You should now be at an MSDOS prompt screen.

4. Type "ipconfig /release" just like that, and hit "enter"
5. Type "exit" and leave the prompt
6. Right-click on "Network Places" or "My Network Places" on your desktop.
7. Click on "properties"

You should now be on a screen with something titled "Local Area Connection", or something close to that, and, if you have a network hooked up, all of your other networks.

8. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and click "properties"
9. Double-click on the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list under the "General" tab
10. Click on "Use the following IP address" under the "General" tab
11. Create an IP address (It doesn't matter what it is. I just type 1 and 2 until i fill the area up).
12. Press "Tab" and it should automatically fill in the "Subnet Mask" section with default numbers.
13. Hit the "Ok" button here
14. Hit the "Ok" button again

You should now be back to the "Local Area Connection" screen.

15. Right-click back on "Local Area Connection" and go to properties again.
16. Go back to the "TCP/IP" settings
17. This time, select "Obtain an IP address automatically"
tongue.gif 18. Hit "Ok"
19. Hit "Ok" again
20. You now have a new IP address

With a little practice, you can easily get this process down to 15 seconds.

Notes:
This only changes your dynamic IP address, not your ISP/IP address. If you plan on hacking a website with this trick be extremely careful, because if they try a little, they can trace it back

Bulk Editing files to .Zip or .mp3

2008-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

lets us say you have just download a new album or game but all the files are .xxx and you need them to be
zip's, rar's, mp3's etc.....then do these following steps:

- create a new folder
-put all the files needing editing in the new folder
-then goto "run" in the start menu..

-type in CMD and click ok
-the next thing needsa few bits of old dos commands
-you need to navagate CMD to the folder whree the files are
-you can do this by 1st getting the total adress of the folder
-and then typing it in cmd with a "cd" in frount
QUOTE
cd c:\xxx\yyy\ccc\

once you in the folder where the files are you can move on (u can cheek you in the right folder by typing dir to get a list of files)

-now type in....
QUOTE
rename *.* *.zip (change the zip to what ever the extention needs to be (.rar, .mp3 ect))

all done. You should hv now changed the .* to what ever you needed

How to Recover Boot Block Mode

2008-09-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

This shorting trick should work if the boot block code is not corrupted, and it should not be if /sb switch is used when flashing the bios (instead of /wb switch). The 2 pins to short to force a checksum error varies from chip to chip. But these are usually the highest-numbered address pins (A10 and above).

These are the pins used by the system to read the System BIOS (original.bin for award v6), calculate the ROM checksum and see if it's valid before decompressing it into memory, and subsequently allow Bootblock POST to pass control over to the System BIOS..

You just have to fool the system into believing that the System BIOS is corrupt. This you do by giving your system a hard time reading the System BIOS by shorting the 2 high address pins. And when it could not read the System BIOS properly, ROM Checksum Error is detected "so to speak" and Bootblock recovery is activated.

Sometimes, any combination of the high address pins won't work to force a checksum error in some chips, like my Winbond W49F002U. But shorting the #WE pin with the highest-numbered address pin (A17) worked for this chip. You just have to be experimentative if you're not comfortable with "hot flashing" or "replacement BIOS".

But to avoid further damage to your chip if you're not sure which are the correct pins to short, measure the potential between the 2 pins by a voltmeter while the system is on. If the voltage reading is zero (or no potential at all), it is safe to short these pins.

But do not short the pins while the system is on. Instead, power down then do the short, then power up while still shorting. And as soon as you hear 3 beeps (1 long, 2 short), remove the short at once so that automatic reflashing from Drive A can proceed without errors (assuming you had autoexec.bat in it).

About how to do the shorting, the tip of a screwdriver would do. But with such minute pins on the PLCC chip, I'm pretty comfortable doing it with the tip of my multi-tester or voltmeter probe. Short the pins at the point where they come out of the chip.
AMIBIOS Recovery bootblock:
1. Copy a known working BIOS image for your board to a floppy and rename it to AMIBOOT.ROM.
2. Insert the floppy in your system's floppydrive.
3. Power on the system while holding CTRL+Home keys. Release the keys when you hear a beep and/or see the floppy light coming on.
4 . Just wait until you hear 4 beeps. When 4 beeps are heard the reprogramming of the System Block BIOS went succesfull, so then you may restart your system.

Some alternative keys that can be used to force BIOS update (only the System Block will be updated so it's quite safe):
CTRL+Home= restore missing code into system block and clear CMOS when programming went ok.
CTRL+Page Up= restore missing code into system block and clear CMOS or DMI when programming went ok.
CTRL+Page Down= restore missing code into system block and do not clear CMOS and DMI area when programming went ok
Btw: the alternative keys work only with AMIBIOS 7 or higher (so for example an AMI 6.26 BIOS can be only recovered by using CTRL+Home keys).
Boot Block Recovery for FREE

BLACKOUT FLASHING

Recovering a Corrupt AMI BIOS chip
With motherboards that use BOOT BLOCK BIOS it is possible to recover a corrupted BIOS because the BOOT BLOCK section of the BIOS, which is responsible for booting the computer remains unmodified. When an AMI BIOS becomes corrupt the system will appear to start, but nothing will appear on the screen, the floppy drive light will come on and the system will access the floppy drive repeatedly. If your motherboard has an ISA slot and you have an old ISA video card lying around, put the ISA video card in your system and connect the monitor. The BOOT BLOCK section of the BIOS only supports ISA video cards, so if you do not have an ISA video card or your motherboard does not have ISA slots, you will have to restore your BIOS blind, with no monitor to show you what’s going on.

AMI has integrated a recovery routine into the BOOT BLOCK of the BIOS, which in the event the BIOS becomes corrupt can be used to restore the BIOS to a working state. The routine is called when the SYSTEM BLOCK of the BIOS is empty. The restore routine will access the floppy drive looking for a BIOS file names AMIBOOT.ROM, this is why the floppy drive light comes on and the drive spins. If the file is found it is loaded into the SYSTEM BLOCK of the BIOS to replace the missing information. To restore your BIOS simply copy a working BIOS file to a floppy diskette and rename it AMIBOOT.ROM, then insert it into the computer while the power is on. The diskette does not need to be bootable or contain a flash utility. After about four minutes the system will beep four times. Remove the floppy diskette from the drive and reboot the computer. The BIOS should now be restored.

Recovering a Corrupt AWARD BIOS
With AWARD BIOS the process is similar but still a bit different. To recover an AWARD BIOS you will need to create a floppy diskette with a working BIOS file in .BIN format, an AWARD flash utility and an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. AWARD BIOS will not automatically restore the BIOS information to the SYSTEM BLOCK for this reason you will need to add the commands necessary to flash the BIOS in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The system will run the AUTOEXE.BAT file, which will in turn flash the BIOS. This is fairly easy. Here are the steps you need to take.

· Create a bootable floppy diskette
· Copy the BIOS file and flash utility to the diskette
· Create an text file with any standard text editor and add the following lines

@ECHO OFF
FLASH763 BIOSFILE.BIN /py

In the above example I am assuming that you are using the FLASH763.EXE flash utility. You will need to replace the FLASH763 with the name of whatever flash utility you are using, and replace the BIOSFILE.BIN with the name of the BIOS file you are using. You will also need to change the ‘/py’ to whatever the command is for your flash utility to automatically program the BIOS without user intervention. If you do not know the command to automatically flash your BIOS type the name of the flash utility with a space and then /? to display the utility’s help screen. The help screen should pecify the command switch to automatically flash your BIOS. If you are using the FLASH763.EXE utility then the switch to automatically flash your BIOS is ‘/py’.

Tutorial Hacking Anti-Leech

2008-09-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

For hacking anti leech we gona use a soft calde proxo mitron.
proxomitron is an anti bull script web proxy it' works buy applying some rules to elliuminte pop up and many other thing but for our cas we need to desactive all this filtring first goto www.proxomitron.info download a copy of the soft then you need to unselect all the option of the soft and clik on log window. now go to a anti leech web site use the plug in and not netpumper in the plugin add a proxy
you must put this proxy adress 127.0.0.1 8080 for http the same for ftp now select the file to download a click download
watch in proximitron log winodws you will see many internal forwarding if the file are located in a ftp server proximitron dont handel them and you will find an error in a ftp adress if it's a http adress you will find some thing like get /blablalma/bla/file site tr.com
and you have foudn the adress it' tr.com/blabla/file. That it. I hope it works.

About a BandWidth Explaination

2008-09-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

Most hosting companies offer a variety of bandwidth options in their plans. So exactly what is bandwidth as it relates to web hosting? Put simply, bandwidth is the amount of traffic that is allowed to occur between your web site and the rest of the internet. The amount of bandwidth a hosting company can provide is determined by their network connections, both internal to their data center and external to the public internet.

Network Connectivity

The internet, in the most simplest of terms, is a group of millions of computers connected by networks. These connections within the internet can be large or small depending upon the cabling and equipment that is used at a particular internet location. It is the size of each network connection that determines how much bandwidth is available. For example, if you use a DSL connection to connect to the internet, you have 1.54 Mega bits (Mb) of bandwidth. Bandwidth therefore is measured in bits (a single 0 or 1). Bits are grouped in bytes which form words, text, and other information that is transferred between your computer and the internet.

If you have a DSL connection to the internet, you have dedicated bandwidth between your computer and your internet provider. But your internet provider may have thousands of DSL connections to their location. All of these connection aggregate at your internet provider who then has their own dedicated connection to the internet (or multiple connections) which is much larger than your single connection. They must have enough bandwidth to serve your computing needs as well as all of their other customers. So while you have a 1.54Mb connection to your internet provider, your internet provider may have a 255Mb connection to the internet so it can accommodate your needs and up to 166 other users (255/1.54).

Traffic

A very simple analogy to use to understand bandwidth and traffic is to think of highways and cars. Bandwidth is the number of lanes on the highway and traffic is the number of cars on the highway. If you are the only car on a highway, you can travel very quickly. If you are stuck in the middle of rush hour, you may travel very slowly since all of the lanes are being used up.

Traffic is simply the number of bits that are transferred on network connections. It is easiest to understand traffic using examples. One Gigabyte is 2 to the 30th power (1,073,741,824) bytes. One gigabyte is equal to 1,024 megabytes. To put this in perspective, it takes one byte to store one character. Imagine 100 file cabinets in a building, each of these cabinets holds 1000 folders. Each folder has 100 papers. Each paper contains 100 characters - A GB is all the characters in the building. An MP3 song is about 4MB, the same song in wav format is about 40MB, a full length movie can be 800MB to 1000MB (1000MB = 1GB).

If you were to transfer this MP3 song from a web site to your computer, you would create 4MB of traffic between the web site you are downloading from and your computer. Depending upon the network connection between the web site and the internet, the transfer may occur very quickly, or it could take time if other people are also downloading files at the same time. If, for example, the web site you download from has a 10MB connection to the internet, and you are the only person accessing that web site to download your MP3, your 4MB file will be the only traffic on that web site. However, if three people are all downloading that same MP at the same time, 12MB (3 x 4MB) of traffic has been created. Because in this example, the host only has 10MB of bandwidth, someone will have to wait. The network equipment at the hosting company will cycle through each person downloading the file and transfer a small portion at a time so each person's file transfer can take place, but the transfer for everyone downloading the file will be slower. If 100 people all came to the site and downloaded the MP3 at the same time, the transfers would be extremely slow. If the host wanted to decrease the time it took to download files simultaneously, it could increase the bandwidth of their internet connection (at a cost due to upgrading equipment).

Hosting Bandwidth

In the example above, we discussed traffic in terms of downloading an MP3 file. However, each time you visit a web site, you are creating traffic, because in order to view that web page on your computer, the web page is first downloaded to your computer (between the web site and you) which is then displayed using your browser software (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) . The page itself is simply a file that creates traffic just like the MP3 file in the example above (however, a web page is usually much smaller than a music file).

A web page may be very small or large depending upon the amount of text and the number and quality of images integrated within the web page. For example, the home page for CNN.com is about 200KB (200 Kilobytes = 200,000 bytes = 1,600,000 bits). This is typically large for a web page. In comparison, Yahoo's home page is about 70KB.

How Much Bandwidth Is Enough?

It depends (don't you hate that answer). But in truth, it does. Since bandwidth is a significant determinant of hosting plan prices, you should take time to determine just how much is right for you. Almost all hosting plans have bandwidth requirements measured in months, so you need to estimate the amount of bandwidth that will be required by your site on a monthly basis

If you do not intend to provide file download capability from your site, the formula for calculating bandwidth is fairly straightforward:

Average Daily Visitors x Average Page Views x Average Page Size x 31 x Fudge Factor

If you intend to allow people to download files from your site, your bandwidth calculation should be:

[(Average Daily Visitors x Average Page Views x Average Page Size) +
(Average Daily File Downloads x Average File Size)] x 31 x Fudge Factor

Let us examine each item in the formula:

Average Daily Visitors - The number of people you expect to visit your site, on average, each day. Depending upon how you market your site, this number could be from 1 to 1,000,000.

Average Page Views - On average, the number of web pages you expect a person to view. If you have 50 web pages in your web site, an average person may only view 5 of those pages each time they visit.

Average Page Size - The average size of your web pages, in Kilobytes (KB). If you have already designed your site, you can calculate this directly.

Average Daily File Downloads - The number of downloads you expect to occur on your site. This is a function of the numbers of visitors and how many times a visitor downloads a file, on average, each day.

Average File Size - Average file size of files that are downloadable from your site. Similar to your web pages, if you already know which files can be downloaded, you can calculate this directly.

Fudge Factor - A number greater than 1. Using 1.5 would be safe, which assumes that your estimate is off by 50%. However, if you were very unsure, you could use 2 or 3 to ensure that your bandwidth requirements are more than met.

Usually, hosting plans offer bandwidth in terms of Gigabytes (GB) per month. This is why our formula takes daily averages and multiplies them by 31.

Summary

Most personal or small business sites will not need more than 1GB of bandwidth per month. If you have a web site that is composed of static web pages and you expect little traffic to your site on a daily basis, go with a low bandwidth plan. If you go over the amount of bandwidth allocated in your plan, your hosting company could charge you over usage fees, so if you think the traffic to your site will be significant, you may want to go through the calculations above to estimate the amount of bandwidth required in a hosting plan.

Disable Windows Logo Key

2008-08-30T13:15:00.002-07:00

i was recently playing games and this nasty windos logo key keep annoying me , cause i often accidently clicked it , and i start to search a solution to solve my problem, and found the following article in microsfot website, and it did work, hope this helps, thanks!

CODE
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=181348

or in other articles, u can copy the following messages into ur notepad and save as *.reg, and use it..

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,00,00,5b,e0,00,00,5c,e0,\
00,00,00,00

Direct Link To Any Page You Want To In Hotmail

2008-08-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

This tutorial is for people that don't know how to direct link to .php pages on the web. If you are on a private computer, and don't mind auto-logging in, you will be able to access your folders much faster than going straight to hotmail.com

You will need a bit of information. Log into the hotmail main page. You will see a web address similar to the following:

http://by211.bay211.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/hmhome?fti=yes&curmbox=00000000%2d0000...

It won't be exactly the same but it will be similar.

It's time to shorten this up. The only bit of information you really need is the direct web address to the server that contains your particular account. In the above example, you would just need:

CODE
http://by211.bay211.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/

Just copy this section from your particular server addy in your browser's address bar.

Now that the explanation is over, these are the commands you can append to the above example to reach specific pages.

'hmhome' - MSN Hotmail - Today
'HoTMaiL' - Inbox
'HoTMaiL?&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000005' - Junk E-Mail
'HoTMaiL?&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000004' - Drafts
'HoTMaiL?&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000003' - Sent Messages
'HoTMaiL?&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000002' - Trash Can
'compose' - Compose Message
'addresses' - Address Book
'options' - Options, Duh
'options?section=mail' - Mail Options
'options?section=personal' - Personal Details
'protect?screen=filter' - Junkmail Filter
'options?section=contacts' - Contact Options

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember, you just need to place these commands directly after 'http://.../cgi-bin/' without spaces.

If you have never tried this before, it works on many websites. So, if you don't like navigating websites, and would rather do that through your web-browser, go ahead and do it.

Delete Files From The Recent File List In Windows

2008-08-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

This tip requires a change to the Windows Registry. Please see the MSFN Guide "Backup Your Registry" if you are new to the Windows Registry.

Windows Media Player (WMP) is a built-in application that allows you to play multimedia files. Like many other applications, WMP remembers the most recently played files and displays them in the Recent File List under the File menu. This feature is useful if you regularly play certain files, but you may want to clear the list if you share the computer and a user account or create archives and CDs.

There are two ways you can clear the list:

I. The ClearMRU.exe Utility is available for free in the Windows Media Player Bonus Pack from Microsoft, but Microsoft does not support this tool.

II. You can also manually delete the list through the Windows Registry:

1. Start the Windows Registry Editor, regedit.exe, by typing regedit in the Windows Run Command Line.

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\RecentFileList.

3. Delete the RecentFileList subkey.

4. If you've also streamed content from the Internet, you can delete the RecentURLList subkey.

5. Exit the Registry Editor.

6. Restart the computer.

To keep certain files in the list, don't delete the entire key. Deleting individual entries within the key will get rid of the files that you no longer want in the Recent File List.

How to Delete An "undeletable" File

2008-08-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open.
Close all open programs.
Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE
Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe.
Leave Task Manager open.
Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the AVI (or other undeletable file) is located in.
At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to delete.
Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell.
Close Task Manager.

Or you can try this

Open Notepad.exe

Click File>Save As..>

locate the folder where ur undeletable file is

Choose 'All files' from the file type box

click once on the file u wanna delete so its name appears in the 'filename' box

put a " at the start and end of the filename
(the filename should have the extension of the undeletable file so it will overwrite it)
click save,
It should ask u to overwrite the existing file, choose yes and u can delete it as normal

Here's a manual way of doing it. I'll take this off once you put into your first post zain.

1. Start
2. Run
3. Type: command
4. To move into a directory type: cd c:\*** (The stars stand for your folder)
5. If you cannot access the folder because it has spaces for example Program Files or Kazaa Lite folder you have to do the following. instead of typing in the full folder name only take the first 6 letters then put a ~ and then 1 without spaces. Example: cd c:\progra~1\kazaal~1
6. Once your in the folder the non-deletable file it in type in dir - a list will come up with everything inside.
7. Now to delete the file type in del ***.bmp, txt, jpg, avi, etc... And if the file name has spaces you would use the special 1st 6 letters followed by a ~ and a 1 rule. Example: if your file name was bad file.bmp you would type once in the specific folder thorugh command, del badfil~1.bmp and your file should be gone. Make sure to type in the correct extension.

Debug: Learn how to crack windows, programs ect manually

2008-08-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Debug is a program that comes with modern versions of DOS (I do not know when I started shipping out with DOS). Anyway, all Windows users should have it already.
It's a great tool for debuging programs, unassembling and cracking, and reading "hidden" memory areas like the boot sector, and much more.

The following was copied from an assembly tutorial who's author we cannot credit, because we have no idea who he is.

Get into DOS and type "debug", you will get a prompt like this:
-

now type "?", you should get the following response:
assemble A [address]
compare C range address
dump D [range]
enter E address [list]
fill F range list
go G [=address] [addresses]
hex H value1 value2
input I port
load L [address] [drive] [firstsector] [number]
move M range address
name N [pathname] [arglist]
output O port byte
proceed P [=address] [number]
quit Q
register R [register]
search S range list
trace T [=address] [value]
unassemble U [range]
write W [address] [drive] [firstsector] [number]
allocate expanded memory XA [#pages]
deallocate expanded memory XD [handle]
map expanded memory pages XM [Lpage] [Ppage] [handle]
display expanded memory status XS

Lets go through each of these commands:
Assemble:

-a
107A:0100

At this point you can start assembling some programs, just like using a assembler. However the debug assembler is very limited as you will probably notice. Lets try to enter a simple program:

-a
107A:0100 MOV AH,02
107A:0102 MOV DL,41
107A:0104 INT 21
107A:0106 INT 20
-g
A

Program terminated normally

That's the same program we did at the end of the previous chapter. Notice how you run the program you just entered with "g", and also notice how the set-up part is not there? That's because debug is just too limited to support that.
Another thing you can do with assemble is specify the address at which you want to start, by default this is 0100 since that's where all .COM files start.
Compare:

Compare takes 2 block of memory and displays them side by side, byte for byte. Lets do an example. Quite out of debug if you haven't already using "q". Now type "debug c:\command.com"

-c 0100 l 8 0200
10A3:0100 7A 06 10A3:0200

This command compared offset 0100 with 0200 for a length of 8 bytes. Debug responded with the location that was DIFFERENT. If 2 locations were the same, debug would just omit them, if all are the same debug would simply return to the prompt without any response.
Dump:

Dump will dump a specified memory segment. To test it, code that assembly program again:

C:\>debug
-a
107A:0100 MOV AH,02
107A:0102 MOV DL,41
107A:0104 INT 21
107A:0106 INT 20
-d 0100 l 8
107A:0100 B4 02 B2 41 CD 21 CD 20
...A.!.

The "B4 02 B2 41 CD 21 CD 20" is the program you just made in machine language.

B4 02 = MOV AH,02
B2 41 = MOV DL,41
CD 21 = INT 21
CD 20 = INT 20

The "...A.!." part is your program in ASCII. The "." represent non-printable characters. Notice the A in there.
Enter:

This is one of the hard commands. With it you can enter/change certain memory areas. Lets change our program so that it prints a B instead of an A.
-e 0103 <-- edit program at segment 0103
107A:0103 41.42 <-- change 41 to 42
-g
B

Program terminated normally
-
Wasn't that amazing?
Fill:

This command is fairly useless, but who knows....
It fills the specified amount of memory with the specified data. Lets for example clear out all memory from segment 0100 to 0108, which happens to be our program.
-f 0100 l 8 0 <-- file offset 0100 for a length of 8 bytes with 0
-d 0100 l 8 <-- verify that it worked
107A:0100 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......
Yep, it worked.
Go:

So far we used go (g) to start the program we just created. But Go can be used for much more. For example, lets say we want to execute a program at 107B:0100:
-r CS <-- set the CS register to point to 107B
CS 107A
:107B
-g =100

You can also set breakpoints.
-a <-- enter our original program so we have something
107A:0100 MOV AH,02 to work with
107A:0102 MOV DL,41
107A:0104 INT 21
107A:0106 INT 20
-g 102 <-- set up a break point at 107A:0102

At this point the program will stop, display all registers and the current instruction.
Hex:

This can be very useful. It subtracts and adds two hexadecimal values:
-h 2 1
0003 0001 <-- 2h + 1+ = 3h and 2h - 1h = 1h

This is very useful for calculating a programs length, as you will see later.
Input:

This is one of the more advanced commands, and I decided not to talk about it too much for now. It will read a byte of data from any of your computers I/O ports (keyboard, mouse, printer, etc).

-i 3FD
60
-

Your data may be different.
In case you want to know, 3FD is Com port 1, also known as First Asynchronous Adapter.
Load:

This command has 2 formats. It can be used to load the filename specified with the name command (n), or it can load a specific sector.

-n c:\command.com
-l

This will load command.com into debug. When a valid program is loaded all registers will be set up and ready to execute the program.
The other method is a bit more complicated, but potential also more usefull. The syntax is

L

-l 100 2 10 20

This will load starting at offset 0100 from drive C (0 = A, 1 = B, 2 = C, etc), sector 10h for 20h sectors. This can be useful for recovering files you deleted.
Move:

Move takes a byte from the starting address and moves it to the destination address. This is very good to temporary move data into a free area, than manipulate it without having to worry about affecting the original program. It is especially useful if used in conjunction with the r command to which I will get later. Lets try an example:
-a <-- enter our original program so we have something
107A:0100 MOV AH,02 to work with
107A:0102 MOV DL,41
107A:0104 INT 21
107A:0106 INT 20
-m 107A:0100 L 8 107B:0100 <-- more 8 bytes starting from 107A:0100 into 107B:0100
-e 107B:0103 <-- edit 107B:0103
107B:0103 41.42 <-- and change it 42 (
-d 107A:0100 L 8 <-- make sure it worked
107A:0100 B4 02 B2 41 CD 21 CD 20 ...A.!.
-d 107B:0100 L 8
107A:0100 B4 02 B2 42 CD 21 CD 20 ...B.!.
-m 107B:0100 L 8 107A:0100 <-- restore the original program since we like the changes.
Name:

This will set debug up with a filename to use for I/O commands. You have to include the file extension, and you may use addition commands:

-n c:\command.com
Output:

Exactly what you think it is. Output sends stuff to an I/O port. If you have an external modem with those cool lights on it, you can test this out. Find out what port your modem is on and use the corresponding hex number below:

Com 1 = 3F8 - 3FF (3DF for mine)
Com 2 = 2F8 - 2FF
Com 3 = ??? - ??? (if someone knows, please let me know)

Now turn on the DTA (Data Terminal Ready) bit by sending 01h to it:
-o XXX 1 <-- XXX is the com port in hex

As soon as you hit enter, take a look at your modem, you should see a light light up. You can have even more fun with the output command. Say someone put one of those BIOS passwords on "your" computer. Usually you'd have to take out the battery to get rid of it, but not anymore:

MI/AWARD BIOS
-o 70 17
-o 71 17

QPHOENIX BIOS
-o 70 FF
-o 71 17

QGENERIC
-o 70 2E
-o 71 FF

These commands will clear the BIOS memory, thus disabling the password.
Proceed:

Proceeds in the execution of a program, usually used together withy Trace, which I will cover later. Like the go command, you can specify an address from which to start

using =address
-p 2

Debug will respond with the registers and the current command to be executed.
Quite:

This has got to be the most advanced feature of debug, it exits debug!

-q
Register:

This command can be used to display the current value of all registers, or to manually set them. This is very useful for writing files as you will see later on.

-r AX
AX: 011B
:5
-
Search:

Another very useful command. It is used to find the occurrence of a specific byte, or series of bytes in a segment. The data to search for can by either characters, or a hex value. Hex values are entered with a space or comma in between them, and characters are enclosed with quotes (single or double). You can also search for hex and characters with the same string:
-n c:\command.com <-- load command.com so we have some data to search in
-l
-s 0 l 0 "MS-DOS" <-- search entire memory block for "MS-DOS"
10A3:39E9 <-- found the string in 10A3:39E9

NOTE: the search is case sensitive!
Trace:

This is a truly great feature of debug. It will trace through a program one instruction at a time, displaying the instruction and registers after each. Like the go command you can specify where to start executing from, and for how long.
-a <-- yes, this thing again
107A:0100 MOV AH,02
107A:0102 MOV DL,41
107A:0104 INT 21
107A:0106 INT 20
-t =0100 8

If you leave out the amount of instructions that you want to trace, you can use the proceed (p) to continue the execution as long as you want.
Unassemble:

Unassembles a block of code. Great for debugging (and cracking)
-u 100 L 8 <-- unassembles 8 bytes starting at offset 100
107A:0100 MOV AH,02 <-- debut's response
107A:0102 MOV DL,41
107A:0104 INT 21
107A:0106 INT 20
Write:

This command works very similar to Load. It also has 2 ways it can operate: using name, and by specifying an exact location. Refer to back to Load for more information.

NOTE: The register CX must be set the file size in order to write!
NOTE: Write will not write .EXE or .HEX files.[SIZE=7][SIZE=14]

How to Create One-Click Shutdown and Reboot Shortcuts

2008-08-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

First, create a shortcut on your desktop by right-clicking on the desktop, choosing New, and then choosing Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard appears. In the box asking for the location of the shortcut, type shutdown. After you create the shortcut, double-clicking on it will shut down your PC.

But you can do much more with a shutdown shortcut than merely shut down your PC. You can add any combination of several switches to do extra duty, like this:

shutdown -r -t 01 -c "Rebooting your PC"
Double-clicking on that shortcut will reboot your PC after a one-second delay and display the message "Rebooting your PC." The shutdown command includes a variety of switches you can use to customize it. Table 1-3 lists all of them and describes their use.

I use this technique to create two shutdown shortcuts on my desktop—one for turning off my PC, and one for rebooting. Here are the ones I use:

shutdown -s -t 03 -c "Bye Bye m8!"
shutdown -r -t 03 -c "Ill be back m8 ;)!"

Switch
What it does

-s
Shuts down the PC.

-l
Logs off the current user.

-t nn
Indicates the duration of delay, in seconds, before performing the action.

-c "messagetext"
Displays a message in the System Shutdown window. A maximum of 127 characters can be used. The message must be enclosed in quotation marks.

-f
Forces any running applications to shut down.

-r
Reboots the PC.

Create An Ftp Server On Your Pc With Serv-u

2008-08-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Requirements:
Serv-U
No-IP.com Website

Quote:
Step 1. Getting a static IP address.
Get a static address for your FTP server. You will want to do this as opposed to using your IP address for several reasons. First, it’s easier keeping up-to-date. Imagine having to change all of your setting every time your IP changed. With No-IP, the No-IP service runs in background on your computer and updates your current IP address with your FTP server’s URL (for example, you get ftp://rkchoolie.serveftp.com). Second reason, you don’t want your IP address posted out there for everyone to see.

1. Go to www.No-IP.com to create a new user account.
2. Fill in the information that is required and the click Register button.
3. Your account has now been created and your account password has been emailed to you.
4. Check your email mailbox and wait for the mail that contains your password
5. Go back to www.No-IP.com and type your email address and password to login to your account.
6. Once in your account, click on Add a host in the left menu
7. Type in the Hostname you want (example: rkchoolie) and pick a Domain from the list (example: ftpserve.com)
8. Check Allow Wildcards and click the Submit button
9. You now have your static address (example: rkchoolie.serveftp.com)
10. Click on your OS link in the Dyn-Update Client in the bottom right menu and follow links to download the client
11. Once downloaded, install the software and type in your email address and password when asked.
12. Finally tick the checkbox near your static address.

You now have a static web address .

Quote:
Step 2. Installing and setting the FTP server
1. Install Serv-U 4.0.
2. Start Serv-U and use the wizard to setup your ftp.
3. Click next until you're asked for an IP address, leave it blank and then click next.
4. Type the domain name you've just registered above (example: preacher.serveftp.com) in the domain name field and then click Next.
5. You are asked if you want to allow anonymous access, select No and then click next.
6. You are then asked to create a named account, check yes and then click next.
7. Type in the user name you wish for this account (example: Harrie) and click next.
8. Type a password for this account (example: $p3c1aL). For security reasons, try to create a password with some letters, numbers and special characters. Then click next.
9. You will then be asked for the Home directory of the account you just created. Select the directory and then click next.
10. Select yes to lock this account to the Home directory. You want to do this so that the user can not go any further up that his home directory. Click next.
11. The account is now set so click finish.

Quote:
Step 3. Configuring user accounts
1. In the left tree-menu, select the account you've just created and then click on the General tab.
2. Check Hide ‘Hidden’ Files.
3. Check Allow only and enter the number one in the box.
4. Set the Max. download speed to what ever you want. If this is an account that many will be using, set it low to save on your bandwidth. I usually have mine set between 10 – 20. If you leave it blank, users will be able to download from you at full bandwidth.
5. Set the Max no. of users to how many you want to be able to log on at one time. This depends on your connection speed but try these (56 - 1, ISDN - 3, ADSL or cable - 5-6 users.)
6. Now, click on the Dir Access tab.
7. You should see the home folder in there. Highlight it and make your permissions.
8. If you only want users to be able to download check only Read, List, & Inherit.
9. If you want users to be able to upload, but to only one particular folder but not download, click the add button and then select that folder. Now highlight the folder and set these permissions on that folder. Check Write, Append, List, Create, & Inherit. Once you have made the permissions click on the up arrow that is located at the bottom right-hand corner. You want this special upload folder to be list first, before the home folder.
10. If there is a folder that you don’t want anyone to have access to, but it is inside the home folder, then click the add button and then select that folder. Now highlight the folder and make sure that all checkboxes are left. Once you have made the permissions click on the up arrow that is located at the bottom right-hand corner. You want this no access folder to be listed at the very top.
11. There are many other different sets of permissions you can play with. I just covered your basics.
12. Your server is now set!
13. Try logging on with the username and password and see if it works.

Create A Personal Screen Saver In Win Xp

2008-08-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

This isnt a tweak, but a great little feature! For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a screen saver. Here's how:

1. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop and then click Properties.

2. Click the Screen Saver tab.

3. In the Screen saver list, click My Pictures Slideshow.

4. Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you'll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK.

Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.

Crap Software Config Settings and How to set-up the firewall

2008-08-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Launch Crap Software Pro and click to highlight the "Overview"
tab on the left hand side . In the pane that appears on the right
hand side click the "Preferences" tab and in the section "Check for updates" check "Manually".

In the "General" section you can also configure Crap Software to load at
start up which is advisable because this software is your first line
defence against uninvited invasion of your computer by a whole
gamult of virii, spyware, adware and bots! Virus checking software
does have its place but remember that prevention is always better
than a cure!

Crap Software Pro's program control is automatically configured.
When you run it for the first time it will ask on behalf of programs
installed on your system for permission to access the Internet.
Your Browser will be the first to request - just tick the "Yes"
box and the "Remember this setting" box and Crap Software will
always allow your browser access automatically.

Unless you use online databases etc., there should be no
reason for any application other than a browser, email client, ftp client,
streaming media player or a download manager to gain access to the Internet.

So consider what type of program it is that needs Internet access
before giving Crap Software permission to allow it. If it is just a driver file
(.DLL) that requests Internet access, always search Windows to try
and identify it. Many seudo-virii such as AdWare and sub class
seven Trojans access the Internet from your system using .dll files.
----------------------------------------------

Configuring The Advanced Settings

If you are not on a LAN (connected to another computer in a network)
you can use this guide to give your firewall some real muscle:

Launch Crap Software Pro and click to highlight the "Firewall" tab on
the left hand side . In the pane that appears on the right hand side
in the section "Internet Zone Security" set the slider control to "High"
Then click the "Custom" button in the same section.
The next settings page is divided into two sections with tabs Internet
Zone and Trusted Zone at the top of the page.

Under the Internet Zone tab there is a list of settings that can
be accessed by scrolling.

At the top is the high security settings and the only thing that should
check from there is "allow broadcast/multicast".
The rest should be unchecked

Scroll down until you get to the medium security settings area.
Check all the boxes in this section until you get to "Block Incomming
UDP Ports". When you check that you will be asked to supply
a list of ports, and in the field at the bottom of the page enter
1-65535

Then go back to the list and check the box alongside "Block
Outgoing UDP Ports" and at the bottom of the page enter
1-19, 22-79, 82-7999, 8082-65535

Repeat this proceedure for the following settings
"Block Incomming TCP Ports": 1-65535
"Block Outgoing TCP Ports": 1-19, 22-79, 82-7999, 8082-65535
Then click "Apply", "Ok" at the bottom of the page.

Back in the right hand "Firewall" pane go next to the yellow
"Trusted Zone Security" section and set it to "high" with the slider.
Click "Custom" and repeat the ABOVE proceedure this time choosing
the *Trusted Zone* tab at the top of the settings page.

These settings will stop all incoming packets at ports 1-65535
and also block all pings, trojans etc. These settings will also stop all
spyware or applications from phoning home from your drive without your knowledge!.

COPS and Robbers UNIX System Security

2008-08-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

In the last few years, computer security has received a
great deal more attention than it has in the past. Compu-
terized break-ins and criminal activity, once merely the
product of the imagination of science fiction writers, has
became a fairly common occurence in both commercial and
academic circles. In this paper, I will go over the prob-
lems that face any multiuser computing system, then discuss
how these problems apply to UNIX[1] specifically, and
finally present in detail a suite of programs that were
developed in an attempt to address some of the main problems
that could be solved via software. UNIX, although con-
sidered to be a fairly secure operating system ([Wood 88],
[Duff 89], etc), has the advantage of having many published
works ([Grampp and Morris 84], [Bishop 83], etc) on the
problems that a computing site can have with security, and
in addition, on how a UNIX

system administrator might make
his/her system more secure by monitoring various aspects of
his/her UNIX site. This, combined with UNIX's popularity,
make it an ideal target for a software security system to
operate on.

In this report I am not going to discuss specific ways
of breaking into a given UNIX machine (for a more detailed
description on how to compromise UNIX security, see either
[Baldwin88], [Bishop83], [Wood & Kochran 86], or [Grampp &
Morris 84]) -- instead, I will concentrate on how to improve
and strengthen the potentially good security of a generic
UNIX system by means of a software toolkit that examines the
weaker areas of UNIX that are either traditionally ignored
(due to the time constraints or ignorance of the system
administrators) or are simply reoccurring problems that need
to be watched over. In addition, this report is not meant
for UNIX neophytes -- although a great deal of proficiency
is not needed to read this report and use the programs
described herein, a familiarity with basic UNIX features --
the file system and file permission modes for example -- and
commands such as awk,grep,sed as well as a working
knowledge of shell and C programming are necessary to
_________________________
9 [1] Although originally designed and developed by Ken
Thompson and Dennis Ritchie of AT&T, UNIX has grown far
beyond its' original design and now numerous companies
market their own "flavor" of UNIX. When I use the term
UNIX in this paper, I don't mean merely AT&T's version,
but instead I mean the majority of the most popular
varieties, made by developers at Berkely, Sun, and a
host of other manufacturers. I believe UNIX is still a
trademark of Bell Laboratories.
9

February 19, 1991

- 2 -

understand the internal workings of the security system
described in this paper.

Although there is no reasonable way that all security
problems can be solved (at least not with a software solu-
tion) on any arbitrary UNIX system, administrators and sys-
tem programs can be assisted by a software security tool.
The Computer Oracle Password and Security system (COPS) that
will be described in this paper is just such a device. The
COPS system is a collection of programs and shell scripts
that attempt to address as many of these problems as possi-
ble in an efficient, portable, and above all in a reliable
and safe way. The main goal of COPS is one of prevention;
it tries to anticipate and eliminate security problems by
making sure people don't get a chance to compromise security
in the first place. Alerting the administrators of a poten-
tial intruder or that a virus has infected the system is
beyond the scope of the present system, although with work
with such capabilities could be added ([Bauer and Koblentz
88] and [Duff 89].)

To understand the reason COPS might check any specific
problem, a look at computer security problems in general is
in order. The problems listed below are not meant to be
inclusive, but they are indicative of the myriad types of
dilemmas a typical computer multiuser system might
encounter:

1) Administrators, system programmers, and computer
operators. The very people that (should) worry the most
about security are sometimes the ones that are the least
concerned. Carelessness is one of the main culprits; a mis-
take by a user might cause little or no problem, but when
someone with no restrictions (or almost none) on their com-
puter activity makes a mistake, a security hole can result.
"I can trust my users" is a fine statement to make -- but
can you trust your users' friends? How about the users of
computers that are networked to yours? New software, sys-
tems, or procedures can facilitate extra problems; a comput-
ing staff is often ill or completely non-trained on new
techniques and software. Too often "RTFM" is the only
training that they will ever receive. Programs that are
created for in-house use are often ill-documented and not
debugged thoroughly, and when users other than the author
start to use/abuse the program, problems can result. Espe-
cially misunderstood, even by experienced UNIX system pro-
grammers, is the SUID program or, worse yet, the SUID shell
script ([Bishop 83].) When a user says that his/her password
was forgotten (or any other account/security related prob-
lem), what checks are made to verify that the person is
really the owner of that account? Are users that are secu-
rity problems kept track of, so that repeated abuses of the
system will result in punitive action? Does your site even
have a security policy? And of course, the last straw is

February 19, 1991

- 3 -

that most system administrators simply have too much other
work to do than to constantly check the system for potential
security flaws -- let alone to double-check that any work
done by other system programmers has been done correctly.
These are the actions that often get left unsaid and undone.

A UNIX environment has no special defenses against this
kind of "attack". Fortunately, a number of these potential
problems (unless catastrophic in scope) are not only
correctable, but are easy to detect with a software toolkit
such as COPS. Even the most careful UNIX guru will periodi-
cally make a mistake; COPS has been designed to aid in
her/his never ending battle against the forces of darkness.

2) Physical security. This is perhaps the most frus-
trating of all possible problems because it effects all com-
puter systems and is often the hardest to safeguard against.
Even if the software is secure, even if the system adminis-
trators are alert to potential problems, what happens if a
user walks up to the root console and starts typing? Does
the night janitorial staff let anyone into the machine room
without proper identification? Who has access to the key
that opens up the computing center? Are terminals that are
logged on left unguarded or unlocked? Are passwords written
on or near a users terminal or desk? No software in the
world can help against human nature or carelessness.
Reiterating to your staff and users that terminals should
not be left alone or unguarded and that passwords (espe-
cially root) should not be typed in front of unfriendly (and
in this case, _everyone_ is your enemy) eyes would be a good
start. A simple analogy: since you would never give the
keys to the company car away, why on earth would you give
away the keys to your computer, which is certainly worth a
hell of a lot more time and money (although it may not get
as good mileage on the interstate.) Common sense goes a
long ways to help prevent this kind of risk.

3) Authentication. What is authentication? All
modern computing systems that have capabilities for multiple
users have a means of identifying who is using the computer
at any given time. A common means of identification is by
using a password; and since the inception of this idea, poor
passwords have been a perennial problem. People have a ten-
dency to use their own name, or their social security
number, or some other common word, name, or phrase for a
password. The problem then arises when an unauthorized user
wants to access clandestine information, he/she simply tries
one of these simple passwords until a successful match is
found.

Other problems with authentication? What computer
hosts are "trusted" and allow users to log in from other
machines without any further authentication? Are incorrect
login attempts kept and/or monitored so as to allow

February 19, 1991

- 4 -

administrators to keep track of any unusual activity? What
about "Trojan horses" -- programs that can steal passwords
and the privileges that a user owns -- is there a program or
a administrative method that detects a potential 'horse?

Fortunately UNIX systems again have some fairly good
tools to aid in this fight. Although finding simple pass-
words is indeed a trivial task, forcing the users on a sys-
tem to use passwords that are harder to guess is also
trivial, by either modifying the mechanism that gets/gives
the password to the user, and/or by having the system
administrators run a simple password detector periodically,
and notifying users if their password is deemed too obvious.
The crypt command, although proven to be insecure for a
knowledgeable and resourceful attacker ([Reed and Weinberger
84], [Baldwin 86]), does offer an added shield against most
unauthorized users. Logs can be kept of incorrect login
attempts, but as with most security measures, to be effec-
tive someone (usually the site administrator) must take the
time to examine the evidence.

4) Bugs/Features. Massive software designs (such as
an operating system) are usually the result of a team or of
teams of developers working together. It only takes one
programmer to make a mistake, and it will almost always hap-
pen. "Back doors" that allow unauthorized entrances are
sometimes purposefully coded in -- for debugging, mainte-
nance, or other reasons. And there are always unexpected
side effects when thousands of people using the system start
doing strange (stupid?) things. The best kind of defense
against this is to report the problems to the developer as
they are discovered, and if possible, to also report a way
to fix the problem. Unfortunately, in many cases the source
code is needed to make a bug fix, and especially in non-
academic areas, this is simply not available due to the
prohibitive costs involved. Combining this with the reluc-
tance of a (usually) commercial developer to admit any prob-
lems with their product, and the end result is a security
hole that will not be mended unless some kind of financial
loss or gain is at stake -- for the developer of the pro-
duct, not yours!

5) Ignorance. Users who don't know or care can be a
problem as well. Even if someone doesn't care about their
own security, they can unwittingly compromise the entire
system -- especially if they are a user with high
privileges. Administrators and system operators are not
immune to this either, but hopefully are better informed, or
at least have access to a means of combating this dysfunc-
tion. It may also be due to apathy, an unwillingness to
learn a new system, a lack of time to explore all of the
features of a large system, or simply not enough computer
savvy to learn more about a very complex system, and no one
willing to teach it to the user. This problem is much like

February 19, 1991

- 5 -

illiteracy; it is a never-ending battle that will never go
completely away. And while a software toolkit such as COPS
can help combat this problem by calling attention to
neglected or misunderstood critical areas, by far and away
the best weapon against this is education. An educated user
will simply not make as many mistakes; and while it may seem
impractical to teach _all_ users about (even) the fundamen-
tals of computer security, think of all the time and
resources wasted tracking down the mistakes that keep recur-
ring time and time again.

6) Unauthorized permissions or privileges. Are users
given _too much_ freedom? Do new computer accounts have any
default security at all, or are the new users expected to
know what to do to protect their programs, data, and other
files. System files, programs, and data are sometimes
shipped with minimal or no protection when gotten straight
from the manufacturer; someone at the installation site must
have enough knowledge to "tune" the system to be effective
and safe. Password, memory, and log files especially should
all be carefully monitored, but unfortunately an experienced
user can often still find out any information they want with
perseverance and a little luck. This is where a system such
as COPS can really shine. After a new system is configured,
some basic flaws can be uncovered with just a small amount
of effort. New system problems that somehow slip through
the cracks of the site installers can be caught and modified
before any serious problems result. The key here is to
prevent your system users from getting a denial of computer
service that they need and deserve. Service could mean any-
thing from CPU time, response time, file space, or any other
commodity that a computer has to offer.

7) Crackers/Hackers/Evil twin brothers. Not much is
needed on this subject, save to say that they are often not
the main problem. Professional evil-users are a rarity;
often harmful acts are done by users who "just wanted to see
what would happen" or had no idea of the ramifications of
their acts. Someone who is truly experienced is very diffi-
cult to stop, and is certainly outside the realm of any
software security tool as discussed in this paper. For-
tunately, most evil-doers are fairly inexperienced and
ignorant, and when they make a mistake, a watchful adminis-
trator can deal with a problem before it gets out of hand.
Sometimes they can even reveal security problems that were
previously undiscovered. COPS can help here mostly by
reducing an attacker's options; the less holes to exploit,
the better.

The COPS system attempts to help protect as many of the
above items as possible for a generic UNIX system. In the
proper UNIX spirit, instead of having a large program that
attempts to solve every possible problem, it is composed of
several small programs that each check one or more potential

February 19, 1991

- 6 -

UNIX security holes. The COPS system uses a variety of
these problems to see if there are any cracks in a given
UNIX security wall. These methods correspond to some of the
problems discussed above; specifically to administrators,
system programmers, and computer operators; authentication;
ignorance; unauthorized permissions or privileges; and
finally crackers/hackers/evil twin brothers (numbers 1,3,5,
and 6.) It is very difficult, almost a practical impossi-
bility to give software assistance to problems in physical
security, and finally bugs or features that are present in a
given UNIX system are possible to detect, but are not
covered in this system (yet). The design of most of the the
programs were at least described if not outlined from the
following sources:

Aho, Kernighan, and Weinberger 88

Baldwin 87

Fiedler and Hunter 86

Grampp and Morris 84

Wood and Kochran 86

Of course with all of the problems listed below, look-
ing at the actual source code of the program is very
instructive -- each numbered section lists the corresponding
program that is used to perform the check:

1) COPS Checks "vital" system directories to see if
they are world-writable. Directories listed as critical are
in a configuration file and are initially:

/ /etc /usr

/bin /Mail /usr/spool

/usr/adm /usr/etc /usr/lib

/usr/bin /usr/etc /usr/spool/mail

/usr/spool/uucp /usr/spool/at

The method COPS uses to detect problems -- read through
a configuration file (dir.chklst) containing all of the
potential danger spots, and then simply comparing each
directory modes with a bit mask to see if it is world writ-
able. The program that performs this task is dir.chk

2) Check "vital" system files to see if they are
world-writable. Files listed as critical are in a confi-
guration file (file.chklst) and are initially:

February 19, 1991

- 7 -

/.*

/etc/*

/bin/*

/usr/etc/yp*

/usr/lib/crontab /usr/lib/aliases /usr/lib/sendmail

The wildcards are used like in UNIX, so these would include
(some of the more important files):

/.login /.profile /.cshrc /.crontab /.rhost

/etc/passwd /etc/group /etc/inittab /etc/rc

/etc/rc.local /etc/rc.boot /etc/hosts.equiv /etc/profile

/etc/syslog.conf /etc/export

As well as the executable command files (among others):

sh,csh, and ls.

Method -- again read through a configuration file list-
ing all of the files to be checked, comparing each in turn
with a write mask. The program that performs this task is
file.chk

3) Check "vital" system files to see if they are
world-readable, plus check for a NFS file system with no
restriction. These critical files are:

/dev/kmem /dev/mem

All file systems found in /etc/fstab

Plus a small number of user selectable files -- initially
set to include /.netrc, /usr/adm/sulog, and /etc/btmp.

Method -- checking each in turn against a read mask for
their read status. The file system names are read from
/etc/fstab, the selectable files are kept in a variable.
The program that performs this task is dev.chk

4) Check all files in system for SUID status, notify-
ing the COPS user of any changes in SUID status.

Method -- Use the "find" command on the root directory (this
must be done by root to avoid missing any files unreadable
but still dangerous.) The previous run will create a file

February 19, 1991

- 8 -

that can be checked against the current run to keep track of
changes in SUID status and any new SUID files. The program
that performs this task is suid.chk and was written by Pren-
tiss Riddle.

5) Check the /etc/passwd file (and the yellow pages
password database, if applicable) for null passwords,
improper # of fields, non-unique user-id's, non-numeric
group id's, blank lines, and non-alphanumeric user-id's.

Method -- Read through password file, flag any differences
with normal password file, as documented in "man 5 passwd".
Fortunately, the syntax of the password file is relatively
simple and rigid. The program that performs this task is
passwd.chk

6) Check the /etc/group file (and the yellow pages
database, if applicable) for groups with passwords, improper
# of fields, duplicate users in groups, blank lines, and
non-unique group-id's.

Method -- Read through group file, flag any differences with
normal group file as documented in "man 5 group". Again,
the syntax of this file is fairly simple. The program that
performs this task is group.chk

7) Check passwords of users on system.

Method -- using the stock "crypt" command, compare the
encrypted password found in the /etc/passwd file against the
following (encrypted) guesses:

The login id (uid), information in the gecos field, and all
single letter passwords.

The program that performs this task is pass.chk and was
written by Craig Leres and was modified by Seth Alford,
Roger Southwick, Steve Dum, and Rick Lindsley.

8) Check the root path, umask, and if root is in
/etc/ftpuser.

Method -- look inside the /.profile and /.cshrc files to
ensure that all of the directories listed are not world
writable, that "." isn't anywhere in the path, and that the
umask is not set to create world writable files. The pro-
gram that performs this task is root.chk

9) Examine the commands in /etc/rc* to ensure that
none of the files or paths used are world-writable.

Method -- grep through the files and examine any strings
that start with "/" for writability. The program that

February 19, 1991

- 9 -

performs this task is rc.chk

10) Examine the commands in /usr/lib/crontab to ensure
that none of the files or paths used are world-writable.

Method -- grep through the crontab file and examine any
strings after field five (first five are not files, but how
crontab is to be run) that start with "/" for writability.
The program that performs this task is cron.chk 11) Check
all of the user home directories to ensure they are not
world writable.

Method -- get all of the home directories using the system
call getpwent() and then for every home directory found,
check the write permissions of of the home directory against
a bit mask. The program that performs this task is home.chk
and it was written by John Owens.

12) Check important user files in user's home direc-
tories to ensure they are not world writable. The files
checked (all in the individual users' home directory, all
with the prefix "."):

rhost profile login cshrc kshrc tcshr crhost

netrc forward dbxinit distfile exrc emacsrc

Method -- using the same system call as #10, determine user
home directory. Then simply check all of the above files
against a bit mask. The program that performs this task is
user.chk

13) Given a goal to compromise, such as user root, and
a list of user and group id's that can be used in an attempt
to achieve the goal, this security tool will search through
the system until it verifies that the goal is compromisible
or not. The program that performs this tricky task is part
of the U-Kuang (rhymes with "twang") system. Robert Baldwin
was kind enough to allow me to include this security checker
(a fine security machine in it's own right) within this dis-
tribution. For more information on this fascinating secu-
rity checker, see kuang.man.ms and [Baldwin 87]. I have
rewritten it in Bourne shell (it was in C-Shell) for further
portability.

None of programs listed above certain cover all of the
possible areas that can harm a system, but if run together
they can aid an overworked administrator to locate some of
the potential trouble spots. The COPS system is not meant
to be a panacea against all UNIX security woes, but an
administrator who examines the security toolbox programs and
this research paper might reduce the danger of their UNIX
system being compromised -- and that's all any security tool
can ever hope to do. The COPS system could never replace a

February 19, 1991

- 10 -

vigilant administration staffed with knowledgeable people,
but hopefully, as administrators look into the package, more
comprehensive programs will come into being, covering more
of the problems that will continue as the latest versions of
UNIX continue to grow.

Design Notes:

The programs that are described here were designed to
address the problems discussed above, but still be usable on
as many UNIX "flavors" as possible. Speed was sacrificed
for simplicity/portability; hopefully the tools here will
either be replaced or modified, as by no means are they the
final word or solution to _any_ of these problems; indeed,
it is my hope that after other programmers/administrators
see this report, they will create newer, better, and more
general tools that can be re-distributed periodically. None
of the programs need to be run by root to be effective, with
the exception of the SUID checker (to ensure that all files
are checked.) Some of the tools were written by myself, the
others were written by other programmers on the network and
(with their permission) presented here. All of the programs
in this report are in the public domain, with the exception
of Robert Baldwin's U-Kuang system; they all exist solely to
be used and modified to fit your needs. If they are re-
distributed, please keep them in their original form unless
it is clearly stated that they were modified. Any improve-
ments (that might not be too hard :-), suggestions, or other
security programs that you would like to see get further
distribution can be sent to:

df@medusa.cs.purdue.edu

(That's me)

or

spaf@uther.cs.purdue.edu

(Dr. Eugene Spafford)

Note that the COPS system is still in an infancy stage
-- although it has been tested on a variety of computers at
Purdue, it has not undergone any serious trials.

Enhancements I envision include:

i) Improved speed and portability without sacrificing func-
tionality (pretty obvious, I guess....)

ii) A level of severity assigned to each warning; anything
that could compromise root instantly (root having no pass-
word, for example) might have a level 0 priority, while sim-
ply having a user with a writable home directory might only

February 19, 1991

- 11 -

be level 3. This way the system could be run at a certain
threshold level, or simply have the set of warnings priori-
tized for a less sophisticated administrator.

iii) Better handling of SUID programs. The current program
needs more work to be done on it to be run effectively by
most people; many will not be willing to put the time needed
to go through the list of SUID files by hand to decide if
they are needed or not. Perhaps also an alarm would sound
if a shell script is SUID; doubly so if root owned.

iv) A CRC checker that would check a file system (possibly
just the most important programs (such as this :-)) and
report if any of the executable files were changed -- possi-
bly signalling a viral infection.

v) The eradication of any design flaws or coding errors that
are in the COPS system.

The main purpose of creating the COPS system was two-
fold; the first was to foster an understanding of the secu-
rity problems common to most UNIX systems, and the second
was to try to create and apply software tools that, when
run, will inform system administrators of potential problems
present in their system. No attempt is made by the tools to
correct any problems because a potential security problem at
one site may be standard policy/practice at another. An
emphasis on furthering education and knowledge about UNIX in
general is the key to good security practices, not following
blindly what an unintelligent tool might say.

Some of the advantages to using a system such as COPS
are:

i) Nearly Continuous monitoring of traditional problem
areas.

ii) A new system can be checked before being put into pro-
duction.

iii) New or inexperienced administrators can not only stop
some of their problems in security they may have, but can
also raise their consciousness about the potential for secu-
rity dilemmas.

And a couple of disadvantages:

i) An administrator could get a false sense of security from
running these programs. Caveat emptor (ok, they are free,
but still beware.)

ii) A specific path to the elimination of the problem is not
presented. This could also be construed as an advantage,
when considering the third point.

Convert To Basic And Dynamic Disks In Windows Xp

2008-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Windows XP Professional supports two types of disk storage: basic and dynamic. Basic disk storage uses partition-oriented disks. A basic disk contains basic volumes (primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives).

Dynamic disk storage uses volume-oriented disks, and includes features that basic disks do not, such as the ability to create volumes that span multiple disks (spanned and striped volumes).

General Notes
Before you change a basic disk to a dynamic disk, note these items:

You must have at least 1 megabyte (MB) of free space on any master boot record (MBR) disk that you want to convert. This space is automatically reserved when the partition or volume is created in Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional. However, it may not be available on partitions or volumes that are created in other operating systems.

When you convert to a dynamic disk, the existing partitions or logical drives on the basic disk are converted to simple volumes on the dynamic disk.

After you convert to a dynamic disk, the dynamic volumes cannot be changed back to partitions. You must first delete all dynamic volumes on the disk, and then convert the dynamic disk back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, you must first back up or move the data to another volume.

After you convert to a dynamic disk, local access to the dynamic disk is limited to Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000.

If your disk contains multiple installations of Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000, do not convert to a dynamic disk. The conversion operation removes partition entries for all partitions on the disk with the exception of the system and boot volumes for the current operating system.

Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

Before you change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk, note that all existing volumes must be deleted from the disk before you can convert it back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, back up the data, or move your data to another volume.

How to Convert a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

To convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk:

1) Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

2) Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

3) Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

4) In the left pane, click Disk Management.

5) In the lower-right pane, right-click the basic disk that you want to convert, and then click Convert to Dynamic Disk.

NOTE:You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 0.

6) Select the check box that is next to the disk that you want to convert (if it is not already selected), and then clickOK.

7) Click Details if you want to view the list of volumes in the disk.

8) Click Convert.

9) Click Yes when you are prompted to convert, and then click OK.

How to Convert a Dynamic Disk to a Basic Disk

To change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk:

1) Back up all the data on all the volumes on the disk you want to convert to a basic disk.

2) Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

3) Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

4) Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

5) In the left pane, click Disk Management.

6) Right-click a volume on the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Delete Volume.

7) Click Yes when you are prompted to delete the volume.

8) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each volume on the dynamic disk.

9) After you have deleted all the volumes on the dynamic disk, right-click the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Convert to Basic Disk.

NOTE:You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 1.

Adding the open cmd prompt to folder context menus,drives and My Computer

2008-08-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

copy what's in the code area to notepad and save as cmd here.reg

CODE

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd]
@="Command Prompt"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /k \"cd %L\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd]
@="Command Prompt"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /k \"cd %L\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\cmd]
@="Command Prompt"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /k \"cd %L\""

Cant See Secure Sites?

2008-08-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Fix the problem with seeing them secrue sites (banks or online stores) i found this very usefull to me at my work (isp backbone support lol, at the time i was regular support )

Any way... what u need to do is make a new notepad file and write in it the followng DLL's.. just copy-paste these

regsvr32 SOFTPUB.DLL
regsvr32 WINTRUST.DLL
regsvr32 INITPKI.DLL
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 Rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 Cryptdlg.dll

and save it as > all file types, and make it something like securefix.bat.

then just run the file and ur problem shuld be gone.

How to Close a network

2008-08-30T12:47:00.002-07:00

Back in early February, newspapers across the country reported that
computer hackers were interfering with emergency calls over the 911
communications network. The reports said the hackers had penetrated the
system using information from a secret computer document.
The scare grew out of an indictment by a grand jury in Lockport,
Illinois. On February 7, Craig Neidorf and Robert Riggs were indicted on
seven counts of wire fraud, violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
of 1986, and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

Prosecutors alleged that Neidorf and Riggs had conspired to steal,
using fraudulent methods, a confidential and proprietary document from the
Bell South telephone company. This document, it was claimed, could allow
computer hackers to disrupt the 911 emergency network.
The arrest of Neidorf and Riggs was only the beginning. The Secret
Service, which has authority over crimes involving government computers,
had embarked on a vast, nationwide investigation of hacker activity:
Operation Sun Devil.
Imagine the night face of North America, shining not with cities but
with lines of light showing the transmission of data. Brightest are New
York City, the financial capital, and California, the technological
capital, with Washington, D.C., a close third. The lines that crisscross
the country are telephone wires and cables, microwave transmissions, and
packet-switching networks designed for computer communication. Here and
there, beams dart into space to reflect off satellites and back to earth.
The computer networks in this country are huge. The largest are
entities like UseNet and InterNet, which link every academic computing
center of any size and are accessible to every scientist, university
student, and faculty member in the nation. The networks also include
government-operated systems, such as MilNet, which links military computers
that do not carry confidential information. And there are the commercial
services, such as Dow Jones News/Retrieval, SportsNet, CompuServe, GEnie,
and Prodigy. CompuServe is the largest of these, with half a million
subscribers.
In addition to these massive entities are thousands of tiny bulletin
board services, or BBSes. Anyone with a computer and a modem can start a
BBS; others can then call it up and use it. BBSes offer, in miniature,
essentially the same services that the commercial nets offer: the ability
to chat with others by posting messages to an electronic bulletin board and
the ability to upload and download software and text files. There are more
than 5,000 BBSes in the United States, most of them operated for fun. Few
charge their users. In my local calling area alone, I know of BBSes for
writers, gamers, Macintosh enthusiasts, gays, and the disabled -- and I'm
sure there are others.
The vast majority of BBSes deal with unexceptional topics. But some
boards deal with questions of computer security. These attract hackers.
Naturally, hackers discuss their hobby: breaking into computers.
Usually, however, bulletin board discussions are general in nature.
Hackers are not stupid, and they know that posting credit card numbers or
the like is evidence of criminal activity. By and large, BBS discussions
rarely, if ever, contain information that would be illegal if published in
print form. It's not illegal, after all, to tell your readers how to
commit illegal acts. If it were, books like _The_Anarchist's_Cookbook_ and
_Scarne_on_Cards_ (and half the murder mysteries in print) would be banned.
The laws dealing with electronic transmissions, however, are far
from clear. And the methods used to enforce these vague laws set a
dangerous precedent for abridging freedom of speech.
In the future, the Net -- the combination of all the computer
networks -- will be the primary means of information transmission, with
print publication merely its adjunct. The Net will replace the press, and
users of the Net must enjoy precisely the freedoms enjoyed by the press.
If users of the Net have to worry about police surveillance, if censorship
is rife, if the state forbids mere discussion of certain topics -- then the
liberty for which the Founders fought will have been destroyed, not by war
or tyranny, but by mere technological change.

From the government's point of view, the arrest of Neidorf and Riggs
did not end the threat to the 911 network. The document they had stolen
was not a single piece of paper that could be returned to its rightful
owner. It was an electronic document that Riggs had downloaded from a Bell
South computer.
Riggs belonged to a hacker group called the Legion of Doom, whose
members shared information. It was likely that others in the group had
copies of the 911 document. Worse, Riggs had uploaded the 911 document to
a bulletin board service in Lockport, Illinois. Neidorf had downloaded the
file from the Lockport BBS. Anyone else who used the same BBS could have
downloaded it, too, meaning that dozens of people might have this dangerous
information. Worse yet, Neidorf had published an edited version of the
Bell South document in an issue of his underground computer magazine,
_Phrack_.
Unlike conventional magazines, _Phrack_ never saw a printing press;
it was distributed electronically. After preparing an issue, Neidorf would
dispatch it, via various computer networks, to his address list of 1,300
names. Any recipient could then upload the magazine to a bulletin board or
to one of the academic or commercial nets. That meant thousands, perhaps
millions, of people had access to the information in the Bell South
document.
We may imagine that the Secret Service was gravely concerned about
the potential threat to emergency services. If not, then their subsequent
actions are hard to fathom.

On March 1, 1990, employees of Steve Jackson Games, a small game
company in Austin, Texas, arrived at their place of business to find that
they were barred from the premises. The Secret Service had a warrant, and
the agents conducting the search wouldn't let anyone in until they were
done.
The agents ransacked the company's offices, broke a few locks, and
damaged some filing cabinets. They searched the warehouse so thoroughly,
says company founder Steve Jackson, that afterward it "looked like a
snowstorm," with papers strewn randomly. The agents confiscated three
computers, a laser printer, several pieces of electronic equipment
(including some broken equipment from a storeroom), several hard drives,
and many floppy disks. They told Jackson they were seizing the equipment
"as evidence" in connection with a national investigation.
Among the equipment seized was the computer through which S.J. Games
ran a BBS to communicate with customers and freelancers. It had never been
a congregating point for hackers and was about as much a threat to the
public order as a Nintendo game.
The loss of the equipment was bad enough. Worse, the Secret Service
seized all existing copies -- on hard drives, floppy disks, and paper -- of
S.J. Games' next product, a game supplement called GURPS Cyberpunk. The
loss of that data shot Jackson's publication schedule to hell. Like many
small publishers, S.J. Games runs on tight cash flow. No new products, no
income. No income, no way to pay the bills.
Over the next several weeks, Jackson was forced to lay off about
half of his 17 employees. By dint of hard work, he and his staff managed
to reproduce the data they'd lost, mostly from memory. S.J. Games finally
published GURPS Cyberpunk as "The Book Seized by the Secret Service." It
has sold well by the (low) standards of the field.
Jackson estimates the raid has cost him more than $125,000, a sum a
small company like his can ill afford. (The company's annual revenue is
less than $2 million.) He was nearly put out of business by the Secret
Service.
What justified the raid and the seizures? Apparently, this: The
managing editor of Steve Jackson Games is Loyd Blankenship. Blankenship
ran The Phoenix Project, a BBS of his own in the Austin area. Blankenship
consorted with hackers. He was fascinated by the computer underground and
planned to write a book about it. He may or may not have once been a
hacker himself. He certainly knew and corresponded electronically with
admitted members of the Legion of Doom.
But perhaps Blankenship's worst luck was this: An issue of
Neidorf's _Phrack_ magazine included an article titled "The Phoenix
Project." As it happens, that article had nothing to do with Blankenship's
BBS of the same name. But the Secret Service was well aware of the
contents of _Phrack_. Indeed, the revised indictment of Neidorf and Riggs,
issued in July, cited the article by title. The same morning that the
Secret Service raided Steve Jackson Games, agents awakened Blankenship and
held him at gunpoint as they searched his house. They seized his computer
and laser printer as "evidence."
Consider the chain of logic here. Robert Riggs is accused of a
crime. Riggs belongs to a group. Loyd Blankenship is friends with other
members of the group, though not with Riggs himself. Steve Jackson Games
employs Blankenship. Therefore, the Secret Service does grievous financial
injury to Steve Jackson Games. This is guilt by association taken to an
extreme.
Neither Blankenship, nor Steve Jackson Games, nor any company
employee, has ever been charged with so much as spitting in a public place.
The Secret Service refuses to comment, saying only that S.J. Games was not
a target of the investigation.
The company is now receiving legal help from the Electronic Frontier
Foundation, an organization devoted to promoting civil liberties in
electronic media. The Secret Service has returned most -- but not all --
of the company's seized equipment. Some of it is broken and irreparable.
The government has made no offer of restitution or replacement.

On May 8, 1990, the Secret Service executed 28 or more search
warrants in at least 14 cities across the country. The raids involved more
than 150 agents, plus state and local law enforcement personnel.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office in
Phoenix, the operation targeted "computer hackers who were alleged to have
trafficked in and abused stolen credit card numbers [and] unauthorized
long-distance dialing codes, and who conduct unauthorized access and damage
to computers." The agency claimed the losses might amount to millions of
dollars. In later releases and news reports, that figure was inflated to
tens of millions of dollars.
Nationwide, the government seized at least 40 computers and 23,000
disks of computer information. In most cases, the subjects of these
searches have remained anonymous. Presumably, they have either been
advised by counsel to remain silent or have been so intimidated that they
wish to attract no further attention.
John Perry Barlow reports in _Whole_Earth_Review_ that the Secret
Service held families at gunpoint while agents charged into the bedrooms of
teenage hacker suspects. He adds that some equipment seizures deprived
self-employed mothers of their means of support. These reports remain
unconfirmed. It's clear, however, that the Secret Service closed down a
number of BBSes by the simple expedient of seizing "as evidence" the
computers on which those BBSes operated.
Bulletin board services are venues for speech. They are used mainly
to exchange information and ideas. Nothing in the nature of the technology
prevents the exchange of illegal ideas. But in a free society, the
presumption must be that, in absence of proof to the contrary, the use of a
medium is legitimate. The Secret Service has not indicted, let alone
convicted, the operators of any of the BBSes closed down on May 8.
If law enforcement officials suspect that a magazine, newspaper, or
book publisher may be transmitting illegal information, they get a warrant
to search its files and perhaps a restraining order to prevent publication.
They don't, however, seize its printing presses to prevent it from
operating. A clearer violation of freedom of the press could hardly be
imagined. Yet that is precisely what the Secret Service has done to these
BBSes.
One of the BBSes closed down was the JolNet BBS in Lockport,
Illinois, which Neidorf and Riggs had used to exchange the 911 document.
Ironically, JolNet's owner, Richard Andrews, had triggered the
investigation by noticing the document, deciding it was suspicious, and
notifying the authorities. He had cooperated fully with the investigators,
and they rewarded him by seizing his equipment.

The Ripco BBS in Chicago was among those raided by the Secret
Service. Operated by Bruce Esquibel under the handle of "Dr. Ripco," it
was a freewheeling, wide-ranging board, one of the best known BBSes in the
Chicago area. Speech was extraordinarily free on the Ripco board.
"I felt that any specific information that could lead to direct
fraud was not welcome and would be removed, and persons who repeated
violating this themselves would be removed from the system also," Esquibel
writes. But just about anything else was open for discussion. Hackers did
indeed discuss ways of breaking into computers. And the Ripco board
contained extensive text files, available for downloading, on a variety of
subjects to which some might take exception. For instance, there was a
series of articles on bomb construction -- material publicly available from
books such as _The_Anarchist's_Cookbook_.
Along with the computer on which Ripco operated, the Secret Service
seized two other computers, a laser printer, and a 940-megabyte WORM drive,
an expensive piece of equipment. The additional seizures mystify Esquibel.
"My guess is that after examining the rat's nest of wires around the three
computers, they figured anything plugged into the power strip must have
been tied in with [the rest] in some way," he says.
The Secret Service has yet to return any of Esquibel's equipment.
He has yet to be charged with any crime, other than failure to register a
firearm. (He had three unlicensed guns at his office; he informed the
Secret Service agents of this before they began their search.) Says
Esquibel, "The government came in, took my personal property to determine
if there was any wrongdoing somewhere. It seems like a case of being
guilty until proven innocent...It's just not right...I am not a hacker; [I
don't] have anything to do with credit cards or manufactured explosives.
Until the weapons charge I never had been arrested, and even my driving
record has been clean since 1978."
It appears that the Secret Service has already achieved its goal.
The Ripco board was a place where "dangerous" speech took place, and the
agency closed it down. Why bother charging Esquibel with a crime?
Especially since he might be acquitted.

Secret Service agents searched the home of Len Rose, a computer
consultant from Baltimore, on May 8. The agents not only seized his
computers but confiscated every piece of electronic equipment in the house,
including his fax machine, along with some family pictures, several boxes
of technical books, and a box containing his U.S. Army medals.
On May 15, Rose was indicted on four counts of wire fraud, aiding
and abetting wire fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
Among other things, the indictment alleged that Rose is a member of the
Legion of Doom, a claim both he and admitted Doomsters vociferously deny.
The interstate-transportation charge is based on the fact that Rose
was in possession of source code for Unix, an operating system used by a
wide variety of minicomputers and computer workstations. (Source code is
the original text of a program.) In theory, Unix is the property of AT&T,
which developed the system. AT&T maintains that Unix is protected as a
confidential, unpublished work. In fact, AT&T has sold thousands of copies
across the country, and every systems programmer who works with Unix is
likely to have some of the source code lying around.
The wire-fraud counts are based on the fact that Rose sent a copy of
a "Trojan horse" program by electronic mail. Trojan horse programs are
sometimes used by hackers to break into computers; they are also sometimes
used by systems managers to monitor hackers who try to break in. In other
words, a Trojan horse program is like a crowbar: You can use it to break
into someone's house, or you can use it to help renovate your own house.
It has both legitimate and illegitimate uses.
Rose is a computer consultant and has dealt with security issues
from time to time. He maintains that his Trojan horse program was used
solely for legitimate purposes -- and, in any case, would no longer work,
because of changes AT&T has made to Unix since Rose wrote the program.
Rose is not charged with actually attempting to break into computers,
merely with possessing a tool that someone could use to break in. In
essence, the Secret Service found Len Rose in possession of a crowbar and
is accusing him of burglary.
By seizing Rose's equipment, the Secret Service has effectively
denied him his livelihood. Without his equipment, he cannot work. Rose
says he has lost his home, his credit rating and credit cards, his
business, and some of his friends. He can no longer afford to retain his
original attorney and is now represented by a public defender.
Rose's difficulties are compounded by a theft conviction arising
from a dispute with a former client regarding the ownership of computer
equipment. Nevertheless, it seems brutal for the Secret Service to deny
him the means to support his family and to pay for an effective defense.
Investigators must long ago have gleaned whatever evidence his equipment
may have contained.

Ultimately, the case against Neidorf and Riggs fell apart. In June,
the grand jury issued a revised indictment. It dropped the charges of
violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and added seven new counts of
wire fraud, some involving electronic mail between Neidorf and Riggs.
Neidorf was charges with two counts of wire fraud for uploading issues of
_Phrack_ to JolNet. In other words, mere distribution of his publication
was deemed to be "fraud" because _Phrack_ contained material the Secret
Service claimed had been obtained by fraudulent means. The new indictment
also reduced the "value" of the document Riggs allegedly stole from more
than $70,000 to $20,000.
On July 9, Riggs pleaded guilty in a separate indictment to one
count of conspiracy in breaking into Bell South's computer. Sentencing was
set for September 14 -- after Neidorf's trial was to begin. Riggs agreed
to be a witness for the prosecution of Neidorf.
On July 28, Neidorf's trial began in Chicago. Within four days, it
was over. The prosecution's case had collapsed.
Under cross-examination, a Bell South employee admitted that the
stolen document was far from confidential. Indeed, any member of the
public could purchase a copy by calling an 800 number, requesting the
document, and paying $13 -- far less than the $20,000 claimed value or the
$5,000 minimum required to support a charge of transporting stolen goods
across state lines.
Testimony also revealed that the contents of the document could not
possibly allow someone to enter and disrupt the 911 network. The document
merely defined a set of terms used in telecommunications and described the
procedures used by Bell personnel in setting up a 911 system.
Riggs, testifying for the prosecution, admitted that he had no
direct knowledge that Neidorf ever gained illegal access to anything; that
Neidorf was not himself a member of the Legion of Doom; and that Neidorf
had not been involved in the initial downloading of the document in any
way.
In short, Neidorf and Riggs had not conspired; therefore, Neidorf
should not have been charged with the fraud counts. The only value of
which Bell South was "deprived" by Riggs's downloading was $13; therefore,
he was, at worst, guilty of petty theft. The interstate-transportation
counts were moot, since the "stolen goods" in question were worth less than
the $5,000 minimum.
Not only was there no case against Neidorf -- there also was no case
against Riggs. The government dropped the case against Neidorf. Riggs,
however, had already pleaded guilty.

The computer nets do need policing. Computer crooks can steal and
have stolen millions of dollars. But a balance must be struck between
civil liberties and the legitimate needs of law enforcement. The laws as
currently constituted are inadequate from both perspectives, and the Secret
Service seems determined to interpret them with a callous disregard for
civil liberties.
To attack computer crime, prosecutors primarily use the statutes
dealing with wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen goods, the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, and the Electronic Communication
Privacy Act of 1986. The wire fraud statute prohibits the use of the
telephone, wire services, radio, and television in the commission of fraud.
The courts have, logically, interpreted it to apply to electronic
communications as well.
The interstate transportation statute prohibits transportation of
stolen goods valued at $5,000 or more across state lines. Neidorf's lawyer
moved to dismiss those counts, claiming that nothing tangible is
transported when a document is uploaded or downloaded. The judge ruled
that tangibility was not a requirement and that electronic transmission
could constitute transportation. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
prohibits knowingly, and with intent to defraud, trafficking in information
that can be used to gain unauthorized access to a computer.
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act makes it a crime to
examine private communications transmitted electronically. Among other
things, it requires law enforcement agencies to obtain search warrants
before opening electronic mail. It is unclear whether electronic mail
files on a BBS's hard drive are covered by a warrant that permits seizure
of the hard drive, or whether separate warrants are needed for each
recipient's mail.
The reliance on fraud statutes to fight computer crime presents
problems. Fraud is the use of chicanery, tricks, or other forms of
deception in a scheme to deprive the victim of property. Most attempts by
hackers to gain illegal access to a computer do involve chicanery or
tricks, in some sense -- the use of other people's passwords, the use of
known bugs in systems software, and so on. Much of the time, however, a
hacker does not deprive anyone of property.
If the hacker merely signs on and looks around, he deprives the
computer operators of a few dollars of computer time at worst. If he
downloads a file, the owner still has access to the original file. If the
file's confidentiality has value in itself -- as with a trade secret --
downloading it does deprive the owner of something of value, but this is
rarely the case.
We need a "computer trespass" statute, with a sliding scale of
punishments corresponding to the severity of the violation. Just as
burglary is punished more severely than trespass, so a hacker who steals
and uses credit card numbers ought to be punished more severely than one
who does nothing more than break into a computer and examine a few public
files. In the absence of such a scheme, law enforcement personnel
naturally try to cram all computer violations into the category of fraud,
since the fraud statutes are the only laws that currently permit
prosecution of computer crimes. As a result, petty crimes are charged as
felonies -- as with Neidorf and Riggs.

Legitimate users and operators of computer networks need to be
protected from arbitrary seizures and guilt by electronic association. The
criminal code permits law enforcement personnel to seize equipment used in
a crime or that might provide criminal evidence, even when the owner has no
knowledge of the crime. But the purpose of such seizures is to allow the
authorities access to evidence of criminal activity, not to shut down
businesses. Searchers need not remove computer equipment to inspect the
files it contains. They can sit down and make copies of whatever files
they want on the spot. Even if they expect some piece of incriminating
material to be hidden particularly well -- for example, in a specially
protected file or in a ROM chip -- it is unreasonable to hold onto the
seized equipment indefinitely.
And it's clearly wrong to seize equipment that cannot, by any
stretch of the imagination, contain incriminating data. In both the Steve
Jackson and Ripco cases, the Secret Service seized laser printers along
with other equipment. Laser printers have no permanent memory (other than
the factory-supplied ROM chips that tell them how to operate). They print
words on paper, that's all. They cannot contain incriminating information.
Even computers themselves cannot possibly constitute evidence. When
you turn off a computer, its memory dies. Permanent data exist only on
storage media -- hard drives, floppy disks, tape drives, and the like.
Even if law enforcement personnel have some compelling reason to take
storage media away to complete a search, they have no reason to take the
computers that use those media.
Just as a computer is not evidence because it once carried
incriminating information, a network is not a criminal enterprise because
it once carried data used in or derived from fraudulent activity. Yet
under current law, it seems that the operator of a bulletin board is liable
if someone posts an illegal message on it. Say I run a BBS called Mojo.
You dial Mojo up and leave Mario Cuomo's MasterCard number on the board,
inviting anyone to use it. Six people sign on, read the message, and fly
to Rio courtesy of the governor before I notice the message and purge it.
Apparently, I'm liable -- even though I had nothing to do with obtaining
Cuomo's credit card number, never used it, and strenuously object to this
misuse of my board.
Such an interpretation threatens the very existence of the academic
and commercial nets. A user of UseNet, for instance, can send a message to
any other user of UseNet. The network routes messages in a complex fashion
-- from Computer A to Computer B to Computer C, and so on, depending on
what computers are currently live, the volume of data transmitted among
them, and the topography of the net itself. The message could pass through
dozens of computers before reaching its destination. If someone uses the
message to commit fraud, the system operators of every computer along its
path may be criminally liable, even though they would have no way of
knowing the contents of the message.
Computer networks and BBSes need the same kind of "common carrier"
protection that applies to the mails, telephone companies, and wire
services. Posting an illegal message ought to be illegal for the person
who posts it -- but not for the operator of the board on which the message
appears.
The main function of the Net is to promote communication. People
use it to buy goods, research topics, download software, and a myriad of
other things as well, but most of their computing time is spent
communicating: by posting messages to bulletin boards, by "chatting" in
real time, by sending electronic mail, by uploading and downloading files.
It makes no sense to say that discussion of a topic in print is OK, but
discussion of the same topic via an electronic network is a crime.
Yet as currently interpreted, the law says that mere transmission of
information that someone _could_ use to gain access to computers for
fraudulent purposes is itself fraud -- even if no fraudulent access takes
place. The Secret Service, for instance, was willing to indict Neidorf for
publishing information it thought could be used to disrupt the 911 network
-- even though neither Neidorf nor anyone else actually disrupted it. We
must clearly establish that electronic communications are speech, and enjoy
the same protections as other forms of speech.
The prospects for such legal reform are not bright. Three times in
this century, technological developments have created new venues for
speech: with radio, with television, and with cable. On the grounds of
scarcity, government restricts freedom of speech on radio and television;
on the grounds of natural monopoly, government regulates speech on cable.
Recent events, such as the conviction of former Cornell graduate student
Robert T. Morris for introducing a virus into the nationwide ARPANet, have
aroused worry about hacker crimes. But concern for the rights of
legitimate users of computer nets has not received that same level of
publicity. If anything, recent trends lean toward the adoption of more
draconian laws -- like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which may make it
illegal even for computer security professionals to transmit information
about breaches of security.

The Net is vast -- and growing fast. It has already changed the
lives of thousands, from scientists who learn of new breakthroughs far more
quickly than if they had to wait for journal publication, to stay-at-home
writers who find in computer networks the personal contact they miss
without office jobs. But the technology is still in its infancy. The Net
has the capacity to improve all our lives.
A user of the Net can already find a wide variety of information,
from encyclopedia entries to restaurant reviews. Someday the Net will be
the first place citizens turn to when they need information. The morning
paper will be a printout, tailored to our interests and specifications, of
articles posted worldwide; job hunters will look first to the Net; millions
will use it to telecommute to work; and serious discussion will be given to
the abolition of representative government and the adoption of direct
democracy via network voting.
Today, we are farmers standing by our country lanes and marveling as
the first primitive automobiles backfire down the road. The shape of the
future is murky. We cannot know what the Net will bring, just as a farmer
seeing a car for the first time couldn't possibly have predicted six-lane
highways, urban sprawl, the sexual revolution, and photochemical smog.
Nonetheless, we can see that something remarkable is happening, something
that will change the world, something that has the potential to transform
our lives. To ensure that our lives are enriched and not diminished, we
must ensure that the Net is free.

Change the default location to install apps

2008-08-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

As the size of hardrives increase, more people are using partitions to seperate and store groups of files.

XP uses the C:\Program Files directory as the default base directory into which new programs are installed. However, you can change the default installation drive and/ or directory by using a Registry hack.

Run the Registry Editor (regedit)and go to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

Look for the value named ProgramFilesDir. by default,this value will be C:\Program Files. Edit the value to any valid drive or folder and XP will use that new location as the default installation directory for new programs.

how to handle it Broken ie

2008-08-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

So one of your friends, “not you of course”, has managed to nuke Internet Explorer and they are unsure how they did it. You’ve eliminated the possibility of viruses and adware, so this just leaves you and a broken IE. Before you begin to even consider running a repair install of the OS, let’s try to do a repair on IE instead.

THE REPAIR PROCESS

Start the Registry Editor by typing regedit from the Run box. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Active Setup \ Installed Components \ {89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383} and then right-click the “IsInstalled value.” Click Modify. From there, you will change the value from 1 to 0. All right, go ahead and close the editor and reinstall IE from this location. /http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG

If messing with the registry and something goes horribly wrong, you can use “Last Known Good Configuration (F8 Safe Mode)” or a Restore Point to get back to where you were before, with your settings. Then you can try again, this time taking care to watch the portion of the registry you are changing. Most people who have troubles with this end up changing the wrong registry key.

Hope this tut helps some members.

Cyberspace and the Legal Matrix: Laws or Confusion?

2008-08-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Cyberspace, the "digital world", is emerging as a global arena of
social, commercial and political relations. By "Cyberspace", I mean
the sum total of all electronic messaging and information systems,
including BBS's, commercial data services, research data networks,
electronic publishing, networks and network nodes, e-mail systems,
electronic data interchange systems, and electronic funds transfer
systems.

Many like to view life in the electronic networks as a "new frontier",
and in certain ways that remains true. Nonetheless, people remain
people, even behind the high tech shimmer. Not surprisingly, a vast
matrix of laws and regulations has trailed people right into
cyberspace.

Most of these laws are still under construction for the new electronic
environment. Nobody is quite sure of exactly how they actually apply
to electronic network situations.

Nonetheless, the major subjects of
legal concern can now be mapped out fairly well, which we will do in
this section of the article. In the second section, we will look at
some of the ways in which the old laws have trouble fitting together
in cyberspace, and suggest general directions for improvement.

LAWS ON PARADE

- Privacy laws. These include the federal Electronic Communications
Privacy Act ("ECPA"), originally enacted in response to Watergate, and
which now prohibits many electronic variations on wiretapping by both
government and private parties. There are also many other federal and
state privacy laws and, of course, Constitutional protections against
unreasonable search and seizure.

- 1st Amendment. The Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and
freedom of the press apply fully to electronic messaging operations of
all kinds.

- Criminal laws. There are two major kinds of criminal laws. First,
the "substantive" laws that define and outlaw certain activities.
These include computer-specific laws, like the Computer Fraud and
Abuse Act and Counterfeit Access Device Act on the federal level, and
many computer crime laws on the state level. Many criminal laws not
specific to "computer crime" can also apply in a network context,
including laws against stealing credit card codes, laws against
obscenity, wire fraud laws, RICO, drug laws, gambling laws, etc.

The other major set of legal rules, "procedural" rules, puts limits on
law enforcement activities. These are found both in statutes, and in
rulings of the Supreme Court and other high courts on the permissible
conduct of government agents. Such rules include the ECPA, which
prohibits wiretapping without a proper warrant; and federal and state
rules and laws spelling out warrant requirements, arrest requirements,
and evidence seizure and retention requirements.

- Copyrights. Much of the material found in on-line systems and in
networks is copyrightable, including text files, image files, audio
files, and software.

- Moral Rights. Closely related to copyrights, they include the
rights of paternity (choosing to have your name associated or not
associated with your "work") and integrity (the right not to have your
"work" altered or mutilated). These rights are brand new in U.S. law
(they originated in Europe), and their shape in electronic networks
will not be settled for quite a while.

- Trademarks. Anything used as a "brand name" in a network context
can be a trademark. This includes all BBS names, and names for
on-line services of all kinds. Materials other than names might also
be protected under trademark law as "trade dress": distinctive sign-on
screen displays for BBS's, the recurring visual motifs used throughout
videotext services, etc.

- Right of Publicity. Similar to trademarks, it gives people the
right to stop others from using their name to make money. Someone
with a famous on-line name or handle has a property right in that
name.

- Confidential Information. Information that is held in secrecy by
the owner, transferred only under non-disclosure agreements, and
preferably handled only in encrypted form, can be owned as a trade
secret or other confidential property. This type of legal protection
is used as a means of asserting ownership in confidential databases,
>from mailing lists to industrial research.

- Contracts. Contracts account for as much of the regulation of
network operations as all of the other laws put together.

The contract between an on-line service user and the service provider
is the basic source of rights between them. You can use contracts to
create new rights, and to alter or surrender your existing rights
under state and federal laws.

For example, if a bulletin board system operator "censors" a user by
removing a public posting, that user will have a hard time showing his
freedom of speech was violated. Private system operators are not
subject to the First Amendment (which is focused on government, not
private, action). However, the user may have rights to prevent
censorship under his direct contract with the BBS or system operators.

You can use contracts to create entire on-line legal regimes. For
example, banks use contracts to create private electronic funds
transfer networks, with sets of rules that apply only within those
networks. These rules specify on a global level which activities are
permitted and which are not, the terms of access to nearby systems and
(sometimes) to remote systems, and how to resolve problems between
network members.

Beyond the basic contract between system and user, there are many
other contracts made on-line. These include the services you find in
a CompuServe, GEnie or Prodigy, such as stock quote services, airline
reservation services, trademark search services, and on-line stores.
They also include user-to-user contracts formed through e-mail. In
fact, there is a billion-dollar "industry" referred to as "EDI" (for
Electronic Data Interchange), in which companies exchange purchase
orders for goods and services directly via computers and computer
networks.

- Peoples' Rights Not to be Injured. People have the right not to be
injured when they venture into cyberspace. These rights include the
right not to be libelled or defamed by others on-line, rights against
having your on-line materials stolen or damaged, rights against having
your computer damaged by intentionally harmful files that you have
downloaded (such as files containing computer "viruses"), and so on.

There is no question these rights exist and can be enforced against
other users who cause such injuries. Currently, it is uncertain
whether system operators who oversee the systems can also be held
responsible for such user injuries.

- Financial Laws. These include laws like Regulations E & Z of the
Federal Reserve Board, which are consumer protection laws that apply
to credit cards, cash cards, and all other forms of electronic
banking.

- Securities Laws. The federal and state securities laws apply to
various kinds of on-line investment related activities, such as
trading in securities and other investment vehicles, investment
advisory services, market information services and investment
management services.

- Education Laws. Some organizations are starting to offer on-line
degree programs. State education laws and regulations come into play
on all aspects of such services.

The list goes on, but we have to end it somewhere. As it stands, this
list should give the reader a good idea of just how regulated
cyberspace already is.

LAWS OR CONFUSION?

The legal picture in cyberspace is very confused, for several reasons.

First, the sheer number of laws in cyberspace, in itself, can create a
great deal of confusion. Second, there can be several different kinds
of laws relating to a single activity, with each law pointing to a
different result.

Third, conflicts can arise in networks between different laws on the
same subject. These include conflicts between federal and state laws,
as in the areas of criminal laws and the right to privacy; conflicts
between the laws of two or more states, which will inevitably arise
for networks whose user base crosses state lines; and even conflicts
between laws from the same governmental authority where two or more
different laws overlap. The last is very common, especially in laws
relating to networks and computer law.

Some examples of the interactions between conflicting laws are
considered below, from the viewpoint of an on-line system operator.

1. System operators Liability for "Criminal" Activities.

Many different activities can create criminal liabilities for service
providers, including:

- distributing viruses and other dangerous program code;

- publishing "obscene" materials;

- trafficking in stolen credit card numbers and other unauthorized
access data;

- trafficking in pirated software;

- and acting as an accomplice, accessory or conspirator in these and
other activities.

The acts comprising these different violations are separately defined
in statutes and court cases on both the state and federal levels.

For prosecutors and law enforcers, this is a vast array of options for
pursuing wrongdoers. For service providers, it's a roulette wheel of
risk.

Faced with such a huge diversity of criminal possibilities, few
service providers will carefully analyze the exact laws that may
apply, nor the latest case law developments for each type of criminal
activity. Who has the time? For system operators who just want to
"play it safe", there is a strong incentive to do something much
simpler: Figure out ways to restrict user conduct on their systems
that will minimize their risk under *any* criminal law.

The system operator that chooses this highly restrictive route may not
allow any e-mail, for fear that he might be liable for the activities
of some secret drug ring, kiddie porn ring or stolen credit card code
ring. The system operator may ban all sexually suggestive materials,
for fear that the extreme anti-obscenity laws of some user's home town
might apply to his system. The system operator may not permit
transfer of program files through his system, except for files he
personally checks out, for fear that he could be accused of assisting
in distributing viruses, trojans or pirated software; and so on.

In this way, the most restrictive criminal laws that might apply to a
given on-line service (which could emanate, for instance, from one
very conservative state within the system's service area) could end up
restricting the activities of system operators all over the nation, if
they happen to have a significant user base in that state. This
results in less freedom for everyone in the network environment.

2. Federal vs. State Rights of Privacy.

Few words have been spoken in the press about network privacy laws in
each of the fifty states (as opposed to federal laws). However, what
the privacy protection of the federal Electronic Communications
Privacy Act ("ECPA") does not give you, state laws may.

This was the theory of the recent Epson e-mail case. An ex-employee
claimed that Epson acted illegally in requiring her to monitor e-mail
conversations of other employees. She did not sue under the ECPA, but
under the California Penal Code section prohibiting employee
surveillance of employee conversations.

The trial judge denied her claim. In his view, the California law
only applied to interceptions of oral telephone discussions, and not
to visual communication on video display monitors. Essentially, he
held that the California law had not caught up to modern technology -
making this law apply to e-mail communications was a job for the state
legislature, not local judges.

Beyond acknowledging that the California law was archaic and not
applicable to e-mail, we should understand that the Epson case takes
place in a special legal context - the workplace. E-mail user rights
against workplace surveillance are undeniably important, but in our
legal and political system they always must be "balanced" (ie.,
weakened) against the right of the employer to run his shop his own
way. Employers' rights may end up weighing more heavily against
workers' rights for company e-mail systems than for voice telephone
conversations, at least for employers who use intra-company e-mail
systems as an essential backbone of their business. Fortunately, this
particular skewing factor does not apply to *public* communications
systems.

I believe that many more attempts to establish e-mail privacy under
state laws are possible, and will be made in the future. This is good
news for privacy advocates, a growing and increasingly vocal group
these days.

It is mixed news, however, for operators of BBS's and other on-line
services. Most on-line service providers operate on an interstate
basis - all it takes to gain this status is a few calls from other
states every now and then. If state privacy laws apply to on-line
systems, then every BBS operator will be subject to the privacy laws
of every state in which one or more of his users are located! This
can lead to confusion, and inability to set reasonable or predictable
system privacy standards.

It can also lead to the effect described above in the discussion of
criminal liability. On-line systems might be set up "defensively", to
cope with the most restrictive privacy laws that might apply to them.
This could result in declarations of *absolutely no privacy* on some
systems, and highly secure setups on others, depending on the
individual system operator's inclinations.

3. Pressure on Privacy Rights Created by Risks to Service Providers.

There are two main kinds of legal risks faced by a system operator.
First, the risk that the system operator himself will be found
criminally guilty or civilly liable for being involved in illegal
activities on his system, leading to fines, jail, money damages,
confiscation of system, criminal record, etc.

Second, the risk of having his system confiscated, not because he did
anything wrong, but because someone else did something suspicious on
his system. As discussed above, a lot of criminal activity can take
place on a system when the system operator isn't looking. In
addition, certain non-criminal activities on the system could lead to
system confiscation, such copyright or trade secret infringement.

This second kind of risk is very real. It is exactly what happened to
Steve Jackson Games last year. Law enforcement agents seized Steve's
computer (which ran a BBS), not because they thought he did anything
wrong, but because they were tracking an allegedly evil computer
hacker group called the "Legion of Doom". Apparently, they thought
the group "met" and conspired on his BBS. A year later, much of the
dust has cleared, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation is funding a
lawsuit against the federal agents who seized the system.
Unfortunately, even if he wins the case Steve can't get back the
business he lost. To this day, he still has not regained all of his
possessions that were seized by the authorities.

For now, system operators do not have a great deal of control over
government or legal interference with their systems. You can be a
solid citizen and report every crime you suspect may be happening
using your system. Yet the chance remains that tonight, the feds will
be knocking on *your* door looking for an "evil hacker group" hiding
in your BBS.

This Keystone Kops style of "law enforcement" can turn system
operators into surrogate law enforcement agents. System operators who
fear random system confiscation will be tempted to monitor private
activities on their systems, intruding on the privacy of their users.
Such intrusion can take different forms. Some system operators may
declare that there will be no private discussions, so they can review
and inspect everything. More hauntingly, system operators may indulge
in surreptitious sampling of private e-mail, just to make sure no
one's doing anything that will make the cops come in and haul away
their BBS computer systems (By the way, I personally don't advocate
either of these things).

This situation can be viewed as a way for law enforcement agents to do
an end run around the ECPA's bar on government interception of
electronic messages. What the agents can't intercept directly, they
might get through fearful system operators. Even if you don't go for
such conspiracy theories, the random risk of system confiscation puts
great pressure on the privacy rights of on-line system users.

4. Contracts Versus Other Rights.

Most, perhaps all, of the rights between system operators and system
users can be modified by the basic service contract between them. For
instance, the federal ECPA gives on-line service users certain privacy
rights. It conspicuously falls short, however, by not protecting
users from privacy intrusions by the system operator himself.

Through contract, the system operator and the user can in effect
override the ECPA exception, and agree that the system operator will
not read private e-mail. Some system operators may go the opposite
direction, and impose a contractual rule that users should not expect
any privacy in their e-mail.

Another example of the power of contracts in the on-line environment
occurred recently on the Well, a national system based in San
Francisco (and highly recommended to all those interested in
discussing on-line legal issues). A Well user complained that a
message he had posted in one Well conference area had been
cross-posted by other users to a different conference area without his
permission.

A lengthy, lively discussion among Well users followed, debating the
problem. One of the major benchmarks for this discussion was the
basic service agreement between the Well and its users. And a
proposed resolution of the issue was to clarify the wording of that
fundamental agreement. Although "copyrights" were discussed, the
agreement between the Well and its users was viewed as a more
important source of the legitimate rights and expectations of Well
users.

Your state and federal "rights" against other on-line players may not
be worth fighting over if you can get a contract giving you the rights
you want. In the long run, the contractual solution may be the best
way to set up a decent networked on-line system environment, except
for the old bogeyman of government intrusion (against whom we will all
still need our "rights", Constitutional and otherwise).

CONCLUSION

There are many different laws that system operators must heed in
running their on-line services. This can lead to restricting system
activities under the most oppressive legal standards, and to
unpredictable, system-wide interactions between the effects of the
different laws.

The "net" result of this problem can be undue restrictions on the
activities of system operators and users alike.

The answers to this problem are simple in concept, but not easy to
execute. First, enact (or re-enact) all laws regarding electronic
services on a national level only, overriding individual state control
of system operators activities in cyberspace. It's time to realize
that provincial state laws only hinder proper development of
interstate electronic systems.

As yet, there is little movement in enacting nationally effective
laws. Isolated instances include the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which place federal
"floors" beneath privacy protection and certain types of computer
crime, respectively. On the commercial side, the new Article 4A of
the Uniform Commercial Code, which normalizes on-line commercial
transactions, is ready for adoption by the fifty states.

Second, all laws regulating on-line systems must be carefully designed
to interact well with other such laws. The goal is to create a
well-defined, reasonable legal environment for system operators and
users.

The EFF is fighting hard on this front, especially in the areas of
freedom of the press, rights of privacy, and rights against search and
seizure for on-line systems. Reducing government intrusion in these
areas will help free up cyberspace for bigger and better things.

However, the fight is just beginning today.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Lance Rose is an attorney who works primarily in the fields of
computer and high technology law and intellectual property. His
clients include on-line publishers, electronic funds transfer
networks, data transmission services, individual system operators, and
shareware authors and vendors. He is currently revising SYSLAW, The
Sysop's Legal Manual. Lance is a partner in the New York City firm of
Greenspoon, Srager, Gaynin, Daichman & Marino, and can be reached by
voice at (212)888-6880, on the Well as "elrose", and on CompuServe at
72230,2044.

Copyright 1991 Lance Rose

The above article was originally published in Boardwatch, June, 1991

Create a Personal screensaver

2008-08-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

This isnt a tweak, but a great little feature! For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a screen saver. Here's how.....

1. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop and then click Properties.

2. Click the Screen Saver tab.

3. In the Screen saver list, click My Pictures Slideshow.

4. Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you'll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK.

Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.

Crash Course in X Windows Security

2008-08-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

1. Motivation / introduction
2. How open X displays are found
3. The local-host problem
4. Snooping techniques - dumping windows
5. Snooping techniques - reading keyboard
6. Xterm - secure keyboard option
7. Trojan X programs [xlock and xdm]
8. X Security tools - xauth MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE
9. Concluding remarks

1. Motivation / introduction
X windows pose a security risk. Through a network, anyone can connect
to an open X display, read the keyboard, dump the screen and windows
and start applications on the unprotected display. Even if this is a
known fact throughout the computer security world, few attempts on
informing the user community of the security risks involved have been
made. This article deals with some of the aspects of X windows
security. It is in no sense a complete guide to the subject, but
rather an introduction to a not-so-known field of computer
security. Knowledge of the basics of the X windows system is
necessary, I haven't bothered including an

introductory section to
explain the fundamentals. I wrote some code during the research for
this article, but none of it is included herein. If the lingual flow
of English seem mayhap strange and erroneous from byte to byte, this
is due to the fact that I'm Scandinavian. Bare with it. :)

2. How open X displays are found

An open X display is in formal terms an X server that has its access
control disabled. Disabling access control is normally done with the
xhost command.

$ xhost +

allows connections from any host. A single host can be allowed
connection with the command

$ xhost + ZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZ

where Z is the IP address or host-name. Access control can be enabled
by issuing an

$ xhost -

command. In this case no host but the local-host can connect to the
display. Period. It is as simple as that - if the display runs in
'xhost -' state, you are safe from programs that scans and attaches to
unprotected X displays. You can check the access control of your
display by simply typing xhost from a shell. Sadly enough, most sites
run their X displays with access control disabled as default. They are
therefore easy prey for the various scanner programs circulating on
the net.

Anyone with a bit of knowledge about Xlib and sockets programming can
write an X scanner in a couple of hours. The task is normally
accomplished by probing the port that is reserved for X windows,
number 6000. If anything is alive at that port, the scanner calls
XOpenDisplay("IP-ADDRESS:0.0") that will return a pointer to the
display structure, if and only if the target display has its access
control disabled. If access control is enabled, XOpenDisplay returns 0
and reports that the display could not be opened.

E.g:

Xlib: connection to "display:0.0" refused by server
Xlib: Client is not authorized to connect to Server

The probing of port 6000 is necessary because of the fact that calling
XOpenDisplay() on a host that runs no X server will simply hang the
calling process. So much for unix programming conventions. :)

I wrote a program called xscan that could scan an entire subnet or
scan the entries in /etc/hosts for open X displays. My remark about
most sites running X displays with access control disabled, originates
from running xscan towards several sites on the internet.

3. The localhost problem

Running your display with access control enabled by using 'xhost -'
will guard you from XOpenDisplay attempts through port number
6000. But there is one way an eavesdropper can bypass this
protection. If he can log into your host, he can connect to the
display of the localhost. The trick is fairly simple. By issuing these
few lines, dumping the screen of the host 'target' is accomplished:

$ rlogin target
$ xwd -root -display localhost:0.0 > ~/snarfed.xwd
$ exit
$ xwud -in ~/snarfed.xwd

And voila, we have a screendump of the root window of the X server
target.

Of course, an intruder must have an account on your system and be able
to log into the host where the specific X server runs. On sites with a
lot of X terminals, this means that no X display is safe from those
with access. If you can run a process on a host, you can connect to
(any of) its X displays.

Every Xlib routine has the Display structure as it's first
argument. By successfully opening a display, you can manipulate it
with every Xlib call available. For an intruder, the most 'important'
ways of manipulating is grabbing windows and keystrokes.

4. Snooping techniques - dumping windows

The most natural way of snarfing a window from an X server is by using
the X11R5 utility xwd or X Window System dumping utility. To get a
grip of the program, here's a small excerpt from the man page

DESCRIPTION
Xwd is an X Window System window dumping utility. Xwd allows Xusers
to store window images in a specially formatted dump file. This file
can then be read by various other X utilities for redisplay, printing,
editing, formatting, archiving, image processing, etc. The target
window is selected by clicking the pointer in the desired window. The
keyboard bell is rung once at the beginning of the dump and twice when
the dump is completed.

Shortly, xwd is a tool for dumping X windows into a format readable by
another program, xwud. To keep the trend, here's an excerpt from the
man page of xwud:

DESCRIPTION
Xwud is an X Window System image undumping utility. Xwud allows X
users to display in a window an image saved in a specially formatted
dump file, such as produced by xwd(1).

I will not go in detail of how to use these programs, as they are both
self-explanatory and easy to use. Both the entire root window, a
specified window (by name) can be dumped, or a specified screen. As a
'security measure' xwd will beep the terminal it is dumping from, once
when xwd is started, and once when it is finished (regardless of the
xset b off command). But with the source code available, it is a
matter of small modification to compile a version of xwd that doesn't
beep or otherwise identifies itself - on the process list e.g. If we
wanted to dump the root window or any other window from a host, we
could simply pick a window from the process list, which often gives
away the name of the window through the -name flag. As before
mentioned, to dump the entire screen from a host:

$ xwd -root localhost:0.0 > file

the output can be directed to a file, and read with

$ xwud -in file

or just piped straight to the xwud command.

Xterm windows are a different thing. You can not specify the name of
an xterm and then dump it. They are somehow blocked towards the
X_Getimage primitive used by xwd, so the following

$ xwd -name xterm

will result in an error. However, the entire root window (with Xterms
and all) can still be dumped and watched by xwud. Some protection.

5. Snooping techniques - reading keyboard

If you can connect to a display, you can also log and store every
keystroke that passes through the X server. A program circulating the
net, called xkey, does this trick. A kind of higher-level version of
the infamous ttysnoop.c. I wrote my own, who could read the keystrokes
of a specific window ID (not just every keystroke, as my version of
xkey). The window ID's of a specific root-window, can be acquired
with a call to XQueryTree(), that will return the XWindowAttributes of
every window present. The window manager must be able to control every
window-ID and what keys are pressed down at what time. By use of the
window-manager functions of Xlib, KeyPress events can be captured, and
KeySyms can be turned into characters by continuous calls to
XLookupString.

You can even send KeySym's to a Window. An intruder may therefore not
only snoop on your activity, he can also send keyboard events to
processes, like they were typed on the keyboard. Reading/writing
keyboard events to an xterm window opens new horizons in process
manipulation from remote. Luckily, xterm has good protection
techniques for prohibiting access to the keyboard events.

6. Xterm - Secure keyboard option

A lot of passwords is typed in an xterm window. It is therefore
crucial that the user has full control over which processes can read
and write to an xterm. The permission for the X server to send events
to an Xterm window, is set at compile time. The default is false,
meaning that all SendEvent requests from the X server to an xterm
window is discarded. You can overwrite the compile-time setting with a
standard resource definition in the .Xdefaults file:

xterm*allowSendEvents True

or by selecting Allow Sendevents on the Xterm Main Options
menu. (Accessed by pressing CTRL and the left mouse button But this is
_not_ recommended. Neither by me, nor the man page. ;) Read access is
a different thing.

Xterms mechanism for hindering other X clients to read the keyboard
during entering of sensitive data, passwords etc. is by using the
XGrabKeyboard() call. Only one process can grab the keyboard at any
one time. To activate the Secure Keyboard option, choose the Main
Options menu in your Xterm window (CTRL+Left mouse button) and select
Secure Keyboard. If the colors of your xterm window inverts, the
keyboard is now Grabbed, and no other X client can read the KeySyms.

The versions of Xterm X11R5 without patch26 also contain a rather
nasty and very well known security hole that enables any user to
become root through clever use of symbolic links to the password
file. The Xterm process need to be setuid for this hole to be
exploitable. Refer to the Cert Advisory:
CA-93:17.xterm.logging.vulnerability.

7. Trojan X clients - xlock and X based logins

Can you think of a more suitable program for installing a
password-grabbing trojan horse than xlock? I myself cannot. With a few
lines added to the getPassword routine in xlock.c, the password of
every user using the trojan version of xlock can be stashed away in a
file for later use by an intruder. The changes are so minimal, only a
couple of bytes will tell the real version from the trojan version.

If a user has a writable homedir and a ./ in her PATH environment
variable, she is vulnerable to this kind of attack. Getting the
password is achieved by placing a trojan version of Xlock in the users
homedir and waiting for an invocation. The functionality of the
original Xlock is contained in the trojan version. The trojan version
can even tidy up and destroy itself after one succesfull attempt, and
the user will not know that his password has been captured.

Xlock, like every password-prompting program, should be regarded with
suspicion if it shows up in places it should not be, like in your own
homedir.

Spoofed X based logins however are a bit more tricky for the intruder
to accomplish. He must simulate the login screen of the login program
ran by XDM. The only way to ensure that you get the proper XDM login
program (if you want to be really paranoid) is to restart the
X-terminal, whatever key combination that will be for the terminal in
question.

8. X Security tools - xauth MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE

To avoid unathorized connections to your X display, the command xauth
for encrypted X connections is widely used. When you login, xdm
creates a file .Xauthority in your homedir. This file is binary, and
readable only through the xauth command. If you issue the command

$ xauth list

you will get an output of:

your.display.ip:0 MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 73773549724b76682f726d42544a684a

display name authorization type key

The .Xauthority file sometimes contains information from older
sessions, but this is not important, as a new key is created at every
login session. To access a display with xauth active - you must have
the current access key.

If you want to open your display for connections from a particular
user, you must inform him of your key.
He must then issue the command

$ xauth add your.display.ip:0 MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 73773549724b7668etc.

Now, only that user (including yourself) can connect to your display.
Xauthority is simple and powerful, and eliminates many of the security
problems with X.

9. Concluding remarks

Thanks must go to Anthony Tyssen for sending me his accumulated info
on X security issues from varius usenet discussions. I hope someone
has found useful information in this text. It is released to the
net.community with the idea that it will help the user to understand
the security problems concerned with using X windows. Questions or
remarks can be sent to the following address:

______________________________________________________________________
runeb / cF --- runeb@stud.cs.uit.no --- http://www.cs.uit.no/~runeb

Configuring Crap Software Pro

2008-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Configuring The Standard Settings

Your first configuration should be this of Crap Software should be like this----

Launch Crap Software Pro and click to highlight the "Overview"
tab on the left hand side . In the pane that appears on the right
hand side click the "Preferences" tab and in the section "Check for updates" check "Manually".

In the "General" section you can also configure Crap Software to load at
start up which is advisable because this software is your first line
defence against uninvited invasion of your computer by a whole
gamult of virii, spyware, adware and bots! Virus checking software
does have its place but remember that prevention is always better
than a cure!

Crap Software Pro's program control is automatically configured.
When you run it for the first time it will ask on behalf of programs
installed on your system for permission to access the Internet.
Your Browser will be the first to request - just tick the "Yes"
box and the "Remember this setting" box and Crap Software will
always allow your browser access automatically.

Unless you use online databases etc., there should be no
reason for any application other than a browser, email client, ftp client,
streaming media player or a download manager to gain access to the Internet.

So consider what type of program it is that needs Internet access
before giving Crap Software permission to allow it. If it is just a driver file
(.DLL) that requests Internet access, always search Windows to try
and identify it. Many seudo-virii such as AdWare and sub class
seven Trojans access the Internet from your system using .dll files.
----------------------------------------------

Configuring The Advanced Settings

If you are not on a LAN (connected to another computer in a network)
you can use this guide to give your firewall some real muscle:

Launch Crap Software Pro and click to highlight the "Firewall" tab on
the left hand side . In the pane that appears on the right hand side
in the section "Internet Zone Security" set the slider control to "High"
Then click the "Custom" button in the same section.
The next settings page is divided into two sections with tabs Internet
Zone and Trusted Zone at the top of the page.

Under the Internet Zone tab there is a list of settings that can
be accessed by scrolling.

At the top is the high security settings and the only thing that should
check from there is "allow broadcast/multicast".
The rest should be unchecked

Scroll down until you get to the medium security settings area.
Check all the boxes in this section until you get to "Block Incomming
UDP Ports". When you check that you will be asked to supply
a list of ports, and in the field at the bottom of the page enter
1-65535

Then go back to the list and check the box alongside "Block
Outgoing UDP Ports" and at the bottom of the page enter
1-19, 22-79, 82-7999, 8082-65535

Repeat this proceedure for the following settings
"Block Incomming TCP Ports": 1-65535
"Block Outgoing TCP Ports": 1-19, 22-79, 82-7999, 8082-65535
Then click "Apply", "Ok" at the bottom of the page.

Back in the right hand "Firewall" pane go next to the yellow
"Trusted Zone Security" section and set it to "high" with the slider.
Click "Custom" and repeat the ABOVE proceedure this time choosing
the *Trusted Zone* tab at the top of the settings page.

These settings will stop all incoming packets at ports 1-65535
and also block all pings, trojans etc. These settings will also stop all
spyware or applications from phoning home from your drive without your knowledge!

COMPUTER ELECTRONIC MAIL AND PRIVACY

2008-08-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is an edited version of a law school seminar paper I wrote at
California Western School of Law. A another version of the paper, entitled
"Electronic Mail - Your Right to Privacy," by Ruel T. Hernandez as told to
Dan Gookin, was published as the cover story in The Byte Buyer, San Diego's
Microcomputer Magazine, volume 4, number 24, December 5, 1986. That version
may also be found on their BBS at 619/226-3304 or 619/573-0359.....

Note,
citations to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 refer to the
final version passed by the House of Representatives on October 2, 1986,
which was passed by the Senate the day before, as listed in the
Congressional Record.)

INTRODUCTION

Two years ago, legislation was introduced into Congress that sought to
provide federal statutory guidelines for privacy protection of computer
communications, such as electronic mail found on commercial computer systems
and on remote computer systems, commonly known as bulletin board systems
(BBS). Old federal wiretap law only gave protection to normal audio
telephonic communications. There was no contemplation of computers or their
operators using telephone lines to communicate. The old federal wiretap law
regulated police interceptions of communications while they are being
transmitted on a telephone line. Before the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act of 1976, the law did not provide guidelines for protecting the
transmitted message once it was stored within a computer system.

QUESTIONS

(1) Whether electronic mail and other intended private material stored
within an electronic computer communication system have Fourth Amendment
privacy protection?

(2) Should private electronic mail and other such material be accorded
the protection guidelines as with telephone communication and the U.S. Mail?

PROBLEM

Law enforcement seeks criminal evidence stored as E-Mail on either a
local, user-supported BBS, or on a commercial computer service, such as
CompuServe, GEnie or The Source. (Note, this situation is equally
applicable to personal, private data stored on a remote system for later
retrieval, as with CompuServe's online disk storage capabilities.)

For instance, a computer user calls up a computer communication system.
Using the electronic mail function, he leaves a private message that can
only be read by an intended recipient. The message is to inform the
recipient of a conspiracy plan to violate a federal or state criminal
statute. Law enforcement gets a tip about the criminal activity and learn
that incriminating evidence may be found on the computer system.

In 1982, such a situation occurred. (Meeks, Brock, "Life at 300 Baud:
Crime on the BBS Network," Profiles, August, 1986, 12-13.) A Detroit
federal grand jury, investigating a million-dollar cocaine ring, issued a
subpoena ordering a commercial service, The Source, to hand over private
subscriber data files. The files were routinely backed up to guard against
system crashes. The grand jury was looking for evidence to show that the
cocaine ring was using The Source as communication base to send messages to
members of the ring. With such evidence, the grand jury could implicate or
indict those suspected to be a part of the cocaine ring. The Source refused
to obey the subpoena. The prosecution argued The Source could not
vicariously assert a subscriber's privacy rights. Constitutional rights are
personal and could only be asserted by the person whose rights are invaded.
Additionally, if the files containing messages were duplicated, any
reasonable expectation of privacy by users would be extinguished. A court
battle ensued. However, before a ruling could be made, the kingpin of the
cocaine ring entered a surprise guilty plea to federal drug trafficking
charges. The case against the Source was discontinued.

Publicly posted messages and other public material may be easily
retrieved by law enforcement. It is the private material, such as E-Mail,
that poses the problem.

Law enforcement's task is then to gather enough evidence to
substantiate a criminal case. Specifically, they would want the E-Mail, or
other private files, transmitted by suspected criminals. A computer
communications service, as keeper and transmitter of private electronic
messages, would not want to turn over the private data.

INADEQUACY OF OLD LAW

Brock Meeks of Profiles magazine noted that as of August, 1986, "no ...
protection exist[ed] for electronic communications. Any law enforcement
agency can, for example, confiscate a local BBS and examine all the message
traffic," including and private files and E-Mail. (Ibid.)

In the next section, case law will be examined and statutory law prior
to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) will be noted.
Seemingly applicable statutes, as they stood, provided no guidelines for
privacy protection of electronic computer communication systems, such as
CompuServe, GEnie, and local, user-operated BBSs.

CASE LAW

There is little case law available on computer communications and
Fourth Amendment constitutional problems. (M.D. Scott, Computer Law, 9-9
(1984 & Special Update, August 1, 1984).) If not for the surprise
preemptive guilty plea, the above described Detroit case may have provided
guidance on computer communications and privacy issues.

Of the available cases, Scott noted those that primarily dealt with
financial information found in bank and consumer credit organization
computers. In U.S. v. Davey, 426 F.2d 842, 845 (2 Cir. 1970), the
government had the right to require the production of relevant information
wherever it may be lodged and regardless of the form in which it is kept and
the manner in which it may be retrieved, so long as it pays the reasonable
costs of retrieval. In a California case, Burrows v. Superior Court, 13
Cal. 3d 238, 243, 118 Cal. Rptr. 166, 169 (1974), a depositor was found to
have a reasonable expectation that a bank would maintain the confidentiality
of both those papers in check form originating from the depositor and the
depositor's bank statements and records of those same checks. However, in
U.S. v. Miller, 425 U.S. 435, 440 (1976), customer account records on a
banks' computer were held to not be private papers of the bank customer,
and, hence, there is no Fourth Amendment problem when they are subpoenaed
directly from the bank.

The computer data and information in these cases have more of a
business character in contrast to personal E-Mail found on remote computer
systems such as CompuServe or a local BBS. Under the old law, a prosecutor,
as in the Detroit case, may try to analogize duplicated and backed up E-Mail
to business situations where data on business computer databases are also
backed up. Both types of computer data are stored on a system and then
later retrieved. The provider of the remote computing service or the sysop
would counterargue that the nature of computers always require the
duplication and backup of any computer data, whether the data files are E-
Mail or centrally-based financial or credit data. Duplication does not
necessarily make E-Mail the same as financial or credit data stored in
business computers. Centrally-based business information is more concerned
with the data processing. That information is generally stored and
retrieved by the same operator. E-Mail is more concerned with personal
communications between individuals where the sender transmits a private
message to be retrieved only by an intended recipient. The sender and the
recipient have subjective expectations of privacy that when viewed
objectively is reasonable. Therefore, there is a constitutionally protected
expectation of privacy under Katz v. U.S., 389 U.S. 347, 19 L.Ed. 88 S.Ct.
507 (1967). However, the prosecution would note under California v.
Ciraolo, -- U.S. --, 106 S.Ct. 1809 (1984), the users would have to protect
their electronic mail from any privacy intrusion. The provider or operator
of the remote system has ultimate control of his system. He has complete
access to all areas of the system. He could easily examine the material.
The prosecution would note the user could not reasonably protect his private
data from provider or operator invasion. This "knot-hole" would exclude any
idea of privacy. If there is no privacy, there can be no search and
therefore no Fourth Amendment constitutional violation. Law enforcement can
retrieve the material.

FEDERAL WIRETAP STATUTES

The federal wiretap statutes, before the Electronic Communication
Privacy Act of 1986, protected oral telephone communications from police
interceptions. This protection was made in 1968 in response to electronic
eavesdropping by government. (Cohodas, Nadine, "Congress Races to stay
Ahead of Technology," Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, May 31, 1986,
1235.) Although E-Mail appears to come under the statute's definition of
"wire communication," under the old law, it was limited to audio
transmissions by wire or cable and does not mention stored computer data.
(18 U.S.C. sec. 2510(1).) The old law required that an interception of a
wire communication be an aural acquisition of the communication. (18 U.S.C.
sec. 2510(4).) Being "aural," the communication must be "heard."
Therefore, a computer communication may come under the old law while being
transmitted. After a caller's message is "sent" on a remote computer
system, the message is then stored within the computer's system. The
communication's conversion into computer stored data, thus no longer in
transmission until retrieved, takes the communication out of the old
statutory protection.

"Eighteen years ago ... Congress could not appreciate - or in some
cases even contemplate - [today's] telecommunications and computer
technology...." (132 Cong. Rec. S7992 (daily ed. June 19, 1986) (statement
of Sen. Leahy).)

CALIFORNIA'S INVASION OF PRIVACY AND WIRETAP STATUTE

California's "invasion of privacy" and wiretap statutes (Cal. Penal
Code sec. 630 et seq.), appears to provide state protection for BBSs.
California Penal Code sec. 637 reads as:

Every person not a party to a telegraphic or telephonic
communication who willfully discloses the contents of a
telegraphic or telephonic message, or any part thereof, addressed
to another person, without the permission of such person, unless
directed so to do by the lawful order of a court, is punishable
by imprisonment in the state prison, or in the count jail not
exceeding one year, or by fine not exceeding five thousand
dollars ($5000), or by both fine and imprisonment.

Again, the question here would be whether "telegraphic or telephonic
messages" include computer communications via modem where a transmitted
message is subsequently stored within a computer awaiting retrieval by its
intended recipient. Again, the storage of the data takes the computer
communications out of the statute. When the statute was passed, the
California legislature, much like the Congress, could not foresee the
technological advances in computer communications.

It should be noted that Assemblywoman Moore introduced legislation in
1985 that would amend have the California state constitution to explicitly
provide state constitutional privacy protection for remote computing
services and their stored information. However, nothing has come out of
this. Aside from political reasons for the lack of further action is one
possible legal consequential argument against the amendment may be if
computer privacy protection is specified in the state constitution, more
litigation may result to tie up the courts in cases deciding whether or not
there is privacy protection for other unspecified matters. Although,
overall, the California state constitution is much more specific than the
United States Constitution, it may be best to not be any more specific with
regard to privacy.

PROTECTION FOR U.S. MAIL

Statutory U.S. Mail protection provides a suggestion for statutory
provisions of privacy protection for E-Mail deposited in electronic
communication systems. The unauthorized taking out of and examining of the
contents of mail held in a "depository for mail matter" before it is
delivered to the mail's intended recipient is punishable by fine,
imprisonment, or both. (18 U.S.C. sec. 1702.)

SOLUTION - THE NEW LAW

There are two methods towards a solution: (1) court decisions; and (2)
new legislated privacy protection.

COURT DECISIONS

Courts may have chosen to read computer communications protection into
the old federal wiretap statute or into existing state law. However, they
were reluctant to do so. Courts "are in no hurry to [revise or make new law
in this area] and some judges are openly asking Congress for help....
[F]ederal Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner in Chicago said Congress needed
to revise current law, adding that 'judges are not authorized to amend
statutes even to bring them up-to-date.'" (Cohodas, Nadine, "Congress Races
to Stay Ahead of Technology," Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, May 31,
1986, p. 1233.)

NEW STATUTE

Last October 21, 1986, President Reagan signed the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act of 1986 amending the federal wiretap law. The
new Act (P.L. 99-508) would not take immediate effect until three months
after the signing - presumably January 21, 1986. (18 U.S.C. secs. 111 and
202.)

When the new law does take effect, it would first provide privacy
protection for any

'electronic communication' ... [by] any transfer of signs,
signals, writing, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any
nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio,
electromagnetic, photoelectronic or photooptical system that
affects interstate or foreign commerce...."

(18 U.S.C. sec. 2510(10).)

Second, and more importantly for this discussion, ECPA would protect
"stored wire and electronic communications," i.e. E-Mail stored and backed
up on disk or tape on an electronic computer communication system. (18
U.S.C. sec. 2701(a)(1) and (2).) The legislation makes it a federal
criminal offense to break into any electronic system holding copies of
messages or to exceed authorized access to alter or obtain the stored
messages. (Ibid.)

The legislation would protect electronic computer communication systems
from law enforcement invasion of user E-Mail without a court order. (18
U.S.C. sec. 2703.) Although the burden of preventing invasion of the E-Mail
is placed on the subscriber or user of the system, the government must give
him notice allowing him fourteen days to file a motion to quash a subpoena
or to vacate a court order seeking disclosure of his computer data. (18
U.S.C. sec. 2704(b).) However, the government may give delayed notice when
there are exigent circumstances as listed by the Act (18 U.S.C. sec. 2705.)

The legislation gives a civil cause of action to the provider or
operator, subscriber, customer or user of the system aggrieved by an
invasion of private material stored in the system in violation of ECPA. (18
U.S.C. sec. 2702; see also 18 U.S.C. sec. 2520.) If the provider or
operator has to disclose information stored on his system due to a court
order, warrant, subpoena, or certification under ECPA, there can be no cause
of action against him by any person aggrieved by such disclosure. (18
U.S.C. sec. 2703(e); see also sec. 2702(b).)

The electronic communications, under this new Act, must be sent by a
system that "affects interstate or foreign commerce." (18 U.S.C. sec.
2510(12).) The "electronic communications" may practically be limited to
electronic communications sent by common carrier telephone lines.

There may be some question as to whether or not ECPA is confined to
commercial systems and does not cover user-operated bulletin board systems.
That would be similar to arguing the old federal wiretap law was confined to
long distance communications and not to local telephone calls. The House
report (H.R. No. 647, 99th Cong. (1986)), indicates user-operated BBSs are
intended to be covered by the Act. The House noted a difference between
commercial subscription systems and user-operated BBSs readily accessible by
the public. However, it also noted the different levels of security found
on user-operated BBSs, i.e. the difference between system areas containing
private electronic mail and other areas containing public information.
Electronic communications that the operator attempts to keep confidential
would be protected by ECPA, while there would be no liability for access to
features configured to be readily accessible by the general public.
Language in the Act also refers to "the person or entity providing the wire
or electronic communication service." Such language may be seen to indicate
the inclusion of individuals who operate a BBS. (18 U.S. secs. 2701(c)(1)
and 2702(a)(1) and (b).) Additionally, a remote computing service was
defined in the Act as an electronic communications system that provides
computer storage or processing services to the public. (18 U.S.C. sec.
2710(2).) This would certainly be applicable to a user-operated BBS that
is easily accessible to public with the simple dialing of a telephone number
by a modem-equipped computer. On the political side, Senator Leahy, a
principal sponsor of the Act was reported to have been "soliciting [users
and operators' of BBSs] comments and encourage sensitivity to the needs of
BBS's in the legislation.... They are ... willing to listen to our side of
things." (BBSLAW02.MSG, dated 07/24/85, information from Chip Berlet,
Secretary, National Lawyers Guild Civil Liberties Committee, transmitted by
Paul Bernstein, SYSOP, LAW MUG, Chicago, Illinois 312/280-8180, regarding
Federal Legislation Affecting Computer Bulletin Boards, deposited on The
Legacy Network 213/553-1473.)

CONCLUSION

Electronic mail stored on computer communication systems have Fourth
Amendment constitutional privacy protection. Unfortunately, before the
Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, such protection was not
articulated by federal or state statutory guidelines. Case law also did
not provide any helpful guidance. The peculiarities of computers and
computer storage posed problems which were not addressed by the old wiretap
laws. They were also problems overwhelmed by constitutional privacy law as
defined by the United States Supreme Court. A legislative solution was
required and was provided for by ECPA.

[For more information on ECPA, see 132 Cong. Rec. H8977 (daily ed.
October 2, 1986) or "Major Provisions of 1986 Electronic Privacy Act,"
Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, October 11, 1986, 2558.]