Public Service Announcements *read posting guidelines please*

[Oldschool]

GUIDELINES

This thread is for posting "stuff" of a serious/important nature that could affect people. It is not for general announcements, random chatter, etc... we have other threads for that. Random chatter being unrelated to the thread or posts herein of course. Also see the "MOD EDIT:" below for further and note the original date of this post/thread in relation to the medicine recalls (6/1/10) as I took an already existing thread and edited it. Also depending on post length and your sig you may want to disable your sig on posts in this thread - particularly if you're making an announcement. Toggle "show your signature" on miscellaneous options below the "posting" box (accessed via advanced options on edits).



MOD EDIT: This thread is for posting about things that may affect people in real life. The rest of this post as this was a one post thread was about children and infant medicine recalls - it remains unaltered below. However note the date of the original post (6/1/10) in regards to the medicine recalls.

red

Children/Infant medicine recalls.

Certain name brand and very popular OTC (over-the-counter) medicine recalls.

http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/new_recall.inc

http://pediacare.com/recall-notice

[Oldschool]

Securing your own connection or using open or public ones.

Heard about this on the radio earlier this morning. I have mine encrypted but it seems there is software out there that allows folks to hack personal information over unencrypted networks very easily if they're "borrowing" your connection. Also something else to consider - there could be other parties on "borrowed" connections doing the same. Or, and this is something I never thought about, there could be people in public "areas" (i.e. hotels, airports, restaurants, etc.) that allow, or even tout it as a marketing tool, use via open or public connections doing the same.

Despite the article's title I doubt this is just an "Amercian thing".

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2011/02/more-americans-than-ever-borrow-their-neighbors-wi-fi-connection/1

And here's a link to the Wikipedia page on Firesheep which was specifically mentioned in the radio broadcast I heard (just skimmed over the above article so I'm not sure it's mentioned there). Also in the article it mentions a countermeasure, Firesheperd (although I'm not familiar with either so don't take my mention as an endorsement), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firesheep

[Scarbrow]

I'd like to add some notes to the article:

If somebody is "borrowing" your network, usually it won't mean any worse than a slight reduction of your connection speed. If you're just browsing the web, you may not even notice. However, the associated risk is that it is still your personal connection, identified to you, so if a certain person using your network takes a malicious action (e.g. sending spam) and the connection is tracked down, it will be you who will be accused (I'm not sure about the specifics of proving yourself innocent (which is hard to do, anyway), but in some countries, you can be held responsible for the use of your network if you didn't took adequate precautions against unauthorized use of it).

The second risk is more straightforward: be wary of hotspots when using sensitive information. Doubly so if you log in to any service (like Facebook) that could later be used to identify you in real life and later to launch a social engineering attack, or even identity theft. As the article says, it's a small risk, but potential implications are broad.

Good advice Oldschool. In these matters, forewarned is forearmed.

[Oldschool]

Don't know how many folks this might affect but Vitriss Bale came immediately to mind who I sent a PM link as well since PMs won't allow attachments.

Edit: File is too large so I compressed it. It's at the end of the post.

Also here it is viewed "online" although I don't know if it'll send properly, especially if you don't have Adobe. Still here it is, http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/view_online.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.federalpremiu m.com%2Fwhats_new%2F..%2Fpdf%2F45_Auto_warning.pdf

And googling .45 ammo recall or similar should "get" it and lastly here is a copy/paste.

FEDERAL and AMERICAN EAGLE

45 AUTO PRODUCT SAFETY WARNING

Immediate Action Required

Certain lots of recently manufactured 45 Auto ammunition may contain an incorrect propellant charge. Use of product from these lots may result in firearm damage and possible serious injury.

DO NOT USE PRODUCT FROM THE FOLLOWING LOTS:

38X628 through 38X765
38T401 through 38T414

If you have in your possession any 45 Auto with the following brand names and part numbers, check to see if your ammunition package contains the above lots: American Eagle® (AE45A, AE45N1, or AE45A250), ChampionTM (WM5233), GoldMedal® (GM45B), Hi-Shok® (45C, 45D) and Federal® Personal Defense® (C45C, C45D).

THIS WARNING APPLIES ONLY TO THE LOTS LISTED ABOVE.

If you possess ammunition from any of these lots, or have questions concerning this warning, please contact us at 1-800-831-0850 or 1-800-322-2342 and ask for Product Service. Federal will provide replacement product and will cover the cost of returning the affected product.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

FEDERAL CARTRIDGE COMPANY • 900 BOB EHLEN DRIVE • ANOKA, MN 55303 • PHONE 763.323.2300 • Toll Free: 1-800-322-2342

[texlaw1992]

Anyone who is injured by a defective firearm and needs a lawyer, feel free to PM.

[scout1idf]

Help in removing Viruses from your computer.

I got this help from the IT manager at work a few months back and forgot to post it here for anyone that may need help.

If you have a virus or think you do, the best way to get your computer clean yourself is to....


Restart your computer in "SAFE MODE"
Run your anti-virus


He suggests to do this as many times as it takes until you have 3 "clean" scans in a row.

He also suggests to do the scans at least 30 minutes apart. (he didn't say why)

After the 3rd clean scan, he will return the computer to the network so I assume that this works, otherwise he probably wouldn't still have his job.....
Note:
For those that don't know or have never experienced it, some viruses only trigger after you restart your computer. By restarting in Safe Mode, the files and programs that they have infected don't get started so neither do they. Your anti-virus has a better chance of grabbing them and removing them when they are inactive. (again this information is from the IT manager at my job)
Personal Note:
As a precaution, I scan my computer in safe mode at least once a month, never hurts to be safe.....

[Tetracapillactomist]

As an added precaution, it's also a good idea to disable any "System Restore" type service prior to doing that, in order to discard any manual or automatic system backups ('shadow copies') that may carry copies of the suspected virus, etc.
Disabling the SR type service will automatically purge all its system backups ("Restore Points" or such), along with backed-up copies of the virus.
(Though there can be several copies of the virus hidden throughout the system - hence Scout's triple scanning routine in Safe Mode, which will hopefully be able to catch the remaining copies of the virus, or whatever the code's classification.)

And after doing the Safe Mode scans, you can reboot in Normal Mode and turn Sys. Restore back on, then create a new system snapshot ("Restore Point") with it, in case you need to quickly revert your machine to an earlier working state at a later time.

Also, if you have some time and the inclination, visit BlackViper's site and check against his tables the processes (in Task Manager) and services (in Administrative Tools -> Services) running on your PC (speaking strictly Windows). If anything looks suspicious, you can search for the process/service name online to see whether it's identified as malicious, and if so, what to do - often, disabling the service will achieve nothing on its own.

[Tetracapillactomist]

Not virus-related this time, but preventing ID theft by securing, (be that removing, encrypting or shredding) passwords, social security and credit card numbers, bank account numbers, personal data (from birthdays to phone numbers and beyond) contained in text files, emails, transaction records, browser data (even the registry, though that demands special care and scrutiny from the user, therefore it's not to be done in a hurry and casually, if at all).

It's a software called Identity Finder, meant to protect both in cases of 'physical theft' (stolen laptop for instance) and Trojan keyloggers. Version 5.0 supports Windows XP, Vista, 7 - as well as everything up to Firefox 4 and IE 9.
It's available in various 'strengths,' from basic and free to Professional (~ $ 18.00 US/year), and it seems to use a much more advanced data-search algorithm than PC Cop.

Better leave the details to a review, so here's one from PC Mag (pcmag.com):

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2382622,00.asp

EDIT: right... Sorry for 'double-posting.'

[Tetracapillactomist]

"A data breach at third-party marketer Epsilon has exposed the e-mail addresses and names of customers at major credit-card issuers, Best Buy, TiVo, and more - potentially leaving users open to phishing attacks."

Email Data Breach Affects Credit-Card Issuers, Best Buy, TiVo, More (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383016,00.asp)

Seven Tips to Avoid Post-Epsilon Phishing (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383134,00.asp)

EDIT: triple... I'll stop if asked.

[Tetracapillactomist]

For anyone in need of a security suite or contemplating change, five independent lab test results in a convenient grid/table (yes, table... :)), with details and links, if needed:

Best Security Suites for 2011 (PC Mag) (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369749,00.asp)


Also, among other things, watch out for, and exercise some caution when using URL shortening services - they're part of new "attack toolkits":

Symantec Report Tracks Growth of Targeted Attacks (http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2011/04/symantec_report_tracks_growth.php)

Quadruple post... I think I'll stop keeping track...

[Tetracapillactomist]

(No activity...)
"This message contains a message, purportedly from Adobe, inaccurately describing Adobe Reader and its benefits. It includes a link which is not a link to Adobe, but to an address in China that was registered [on] 4/18/2011."

Latest Hacked ESP: CheetahMail (http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2011/04/latest_hacked_esp_cheetahmail.php)

All right then, news concerning Facebook fans, regarding planned and already implemented (activity encryption by way of HTTPS), and "bully reporting."

Facebook Expands 'Social Reporting,' Security Tools (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383833,00.asp)

Some bad news regarding Windows' built-in security tools:

Researchers Show Methods To Stop Windows Security Suites (http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2011/04/researchers_show_methods_to_st.php)

[Tetracapillactomist]

Sony: PlayStation Network Hack Nabbed Personal Info, Maybe Credit Cards (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384353,00.asp)

[texlaw1992]

I saw that yesterday for the first time - it explains why I haven't been able to connect to the network in days. The last 2+ weeks have been all about "Yakuza 4" on the PS3, and my Sryth grinding is bound to be neglected for another week or so until I'm finished.

[Tetracapillactomist]

I know there are PS2/3 gamers on here, so I grabbed that headline as soon as I was sent it. Not much to be done about it, though you could reset a few things in PSN, even ask for a new card with new numbers to be issued if you're worried - especially if you have at least one separate card for online transactions, purchases, that is not used for paying essential bills and banking (otherwise you'll have to advise each company of the change - unless the bank, or third-party institution takes care of it for you automatically).

(I know I'm not saying anything new, but still...)

[Tetracapillactomist]

All right then, this is more serious than I - or most - thought, so it warrants a new post: apparently all PSN subscriber data (from names through credit card #s to passwords (!?!) were stored unencrypted by Sony... (any comment I'd make here - even as a person who does not own a single proprietary gaming console and is therefore relatively unbiased - would need to be censored, so I won't bother).

Sony now advises that customers to lodge fraud alert with credit bureaus (you may want to seriously think about the option in the preceding post as well, it may well be worth going through that smaller hassle if it helps avert a potentially greater one) - and check PS blog for further info...

How the PlayStation Network was Hacked (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2384369,00.asp)

[texlaw1992]

They issued a press release saying all the data was encrypted. There's already a class-action lawsuit on file in California. I guess I'm also one of the ones potentially hacked (curse you Red Dead Revolver that I just had to buy Undead Nightmare).

[Lightwielder]

Good thing I don't play Playstation games online, then. Single-Player(or the occasional same-screen co-op or versus games) is sufficient for me, usually.

[zmflavius]

Osama Bin Laden is dead.

[texlaw1992]

Some guest on CNN said that with Bin Laden's death, the war on terror was over.

Not quite, but now it has no field marshal.

Congrats to the US military for a pinpoint operation.

[Tetracapillactomist]

As expected, the U.S. State Department issued warnings about a possible flare-up of violence directed against U.S targets in retaliation for bin Laden's killing.

(Al-Zawahri is expected step into the role of leader of al-Qa'ida.)

[thingirl]

I never wished for a man's death, but there are some obituaries that I smile at.

Just to put it in perspective, 9/11 was 9 days before my 6th birthday...

[spencer]

I wish that there was some way to have taken him alive. I would have loved for him to stand trial here, though I doubt he would have survived to the trial.

[Tetracapillactomist]

OK then, continuing with the more factual stuff:

"Cyber Scammers Rush to Capitalize on Bin Laden's Death" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384788,00.asp)
"Have you received emails or seen Facebook links that promise video footage of Osama bin Laden's death, photos of the body, or any other bin Laden-related tidbits? Chances are, the messages are spam and, unless you're looking to infect your PC with a virus, it's best to delete."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384788,00.asp

"How to Avoid Spear Phishing Attacks" (re. SONY PSN HACK) (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384601,00.asp)
"It's not clear exactly how much personal data the perpetrators of the Sony PlayStation Network hack obtained, but is definitely much worse that the Epsilon data breach earlier this month. The Epsilon breach just exposed names and email addresses, information that's easy enough to obtain. The PSN breach exposed full names, passwords, email addresses, home addresses, and purchase history. It may have exposed credit card numbers as well, though Sony reports that the credit card data was encrypted."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384601,00.asp

"Using Protection" (on FACEBOOK) (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384580,00.asp)
"This free browser add-on disables scam and virus links on any Facebook page you view."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384580,00.asp

[Tetracapillactomist]

Been sitting on this for two days on account of Father Flu, so it's old news...

Report: PlayStation Network Might Not Be Back Until May 31 (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385082,00.asp)

Sony Blames Anonymous For PlayStation Network Attack (http://www.itproportal.com/2011/05/05/sony-blames-anonymous-playstation-netwrok-attack/)
This second one is even older, but there's a reason... Just something familiar...http://www.srythforum.com/picture.php?albumid=42&pictureid=369 Can't quite put my finger on it...
(:D)

[Oldschool]

Hmmm..... that does look eerily familiar. :D

[Badstench]

Batten down the hatches folks.

According to a self-proffessed prophet of the scriptures, the world is going to end on May 21, which, by my calendar, gives us 3 days to make our peace with his God.

But he was more specific than just giving us a date... he actually said that the beginning of the end of the world would start in New Zealand (this is an American speaking, I would remind you). And once New Zealand felt the fury of God's power, it would pass to Australia, then Africa, then up to Asia and across to the Middle East, and so and so forth.

My question... is the 21st of May reckoned by New Zealand or America, because if it's the latter, then it's actually May 22 in New Zealand. Given that truism, his prediction is slightly askew.

[texlaw1992]

Suffice it to say that I plan to make it to my 44th birthday on May 26, so there.

[thingirl]

I agree. Harold Clamping is a nut job and a half. I'm gonna go to Church on Sunday laughing my head off at this guy. :) Did you know that he predicted the same thing almost 17 years ago? He predicted that the world would end on September 6th, 1994.

[Tetracapillactomist]

I was on my way here, got called away, and missed all the fun of a carney doing funhouse prophesying, it seems... Oh, well...

And now for something completely different - something much less important than the end of human civilisation, but it's just another day on the high seas at low tide...

First, some bits relating to Facebook and Google and Dropbox products security and privacy issues...
"Beware the Facebook "Dislike" Button Scam" (http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2011/05/beware_the_facebook_dislike_bu.php)
"Researchers: 99 Percent of Android Devices Open To Security Risk" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385486,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05079TX1K0000992)
"Should Facebook Data Be Private By Default?" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385475,00.asp)
"Did Dropbox Mislead Customers? Researcher Wants FTC to Investigate" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385489,00.asp)

Some more PSN items...
"Sony's Stringer Talks PlayStation Security, Anonymous" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385516,00.asp)
"Sony Unveils PlayStation Network 'Welcome Back' Package" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385466,00.asp)

And a reminder not to believe the hype, or the sales pitch, unless you bait your hook with giant sturgeon roe...
"Slaying the Cable Monster: Why HDMI Brands Don't Matter" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385272,00.asp)

(edit: huh, another twenty-sixer... come to think of it, the only other one I can think of with that day - regardless which month, so it's a wide enough net - is family...)

[Lightwielder]

Batten down the hatches folks.

According to a self-proffessed prophet of the scriptures, the world is going to end on May 21, which, by my calendar, gives us 3 days to make our peace with his God.

But he was more specific than just giving us a date... he actually said that the beginning of the end of the world would start in New Zealand (this is an American speaking, I would remind you). And once New Zealand felt the fury of God's power, it would pass to Australia, then Africa, then up to Asia and across to the Middle East, and so and so forth.

My question... is the 21st of May reckoned by New Zealand or America, because if it's the latter, then it's actually May 22 in New Zealand. Given that truism, his prediction is slightly askew.

Actually, I heard that he predicted that a massive earthquake will occur at 6:00 PM to start it all off, and will continue for 5 hours. Still leaves the question...which time zone?

I just prefer to go with the idea of being ready for my Lord's return at any time, not awaiting a specific day with anticipation.

[thingirl]

Oh yeah, the earthquake... I think he said it would start at 6:00 PM in each timezone. I did a bit of research and one of the main ways this works is by using the prophesy in Daniel 12 about the 3 different amount of days. And so it's X days from then... And (Correct me Tex if I'm wrong) the Jewish day starts at sunset.

And so it (most stuff says either the earthquake or the Rapture) will start at the end of the days. And he's averaging sunset and saying 6:00. What's supposed to happen is that it'll start at the international date line and follow the sun westwards from there. So the answer is it'll happen at 6:00 in every time zone.

Although the thing I don't get is why the date line? IIRC that and the prime meridian were just lines drawn so that humans could track time. Shouldn't it be based on and start in the time in either Jerusalem or eastern Iraq/western Iran or the ruins of the city of Babylon (where Daniel lived for most of his life and where he had that vision)?

However, I agree with Lightweilder: I know that we're living in the end times and that Jesus will come back some time. However, we most likely won't know when he will come back and so I plan on just being ready.

[texlaw1992]

The Jewish calendar is lunar, not solar, so I have no idea where he's getting his dates. Let's just say I'm not worrying about it.

I think every generation seems to think they're living in the "end times."
Somehow the world and universe persevere nonetheless.

[Oldschool]

While we're off topic :rolleyes: the current discussion reminds me of a song by Petra based on the book of Romans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6EOp73Dt9c

Petra definitely one of the pioneers of Christian Rock and one of my favs. After 30 plus years they finally disbanded but have since reunited but I'm not sure if it's permanent as it might be a reunion tour related to an album.

And I can't help but think of White Zombie's Thunder Kiss '65 (especially the opening) when I hear this and vice versa. And I don't want to explore what that says about me. :rolleyes:

[Tetracapillactomist]

And naturally, as human beings, we think we're the centre of the entire universe... But that might just be slightly presumptuous. :)

Approximately as Tex said, there may have been as many predictions of this nature as there were human generations able of abstract spiritual thought and of conceiving the concept of "the end of times." There is always a palpable willingness - even desire - of throwing in the towel and giving up the ghost.

A hope of death undying... Of eternal life. Or eternal death. Of the ascended undead or revenant. Of spirit without the fetters of flesh...

Oh, well, fret not: if the rapture should indefinitely be postponed, humanity still has a chance for extinction; should it really make an effort in that direction, I'm sure it will be able to bring about the so wistfully aspired-for 'end of times' without any need for divine intervention...

In fact, no specific effort is required, only inaction, really... In terms of overpopulation, we're in the last minute run of the twelfth hour.

In any enclosed community of biological organisms (such as we are enclosed by the space and resource limitations of this only life-supporting planet of which we know), there comes a moment, if population growth goes unchecked, of having reached critical mass, and a point of no return. Reaching that point guarantees that the community - perhaps the entire species - will go not into a sharp decline, but go extinct by eating itself out of food and space.

Ecce homo... lugubris...

But enough of this cheerful subject for today - in these parts, even the wicked need to rest... So... sweet dreams, everyone! :D

Anyway, in case of terminal rapture of this cheerful, blue bauble-bubble and bladder of life, I know I'll be 'left behind.'

Am half counting on running into Arwen, who also chose to be left behind... ;)

(Don't you start with me, Young Ned - I'm not in the mood for another bubble of mine to be burst! :D Keep your fiction facts to yourself or I swear I'm cutting off my ears and gouging out my eyes so I can go on living in blissful ignorance or ignorant bliss... :))

[texlaw1992]

It looks like only Jews were saved.

The nice thing about heaven - it's based in large part on what you were doing at the time of ascension. Since I was playing Sryth, I'm in "Sryth Heaven."

In Sryth Heaven, Rhaknar's Mad is finished and there's no one-level-per-day limit. No spoilers, but levels 44 and 49 have much to commend themselves.

Take care mortals, and happy Srything!

[Tetracapillactomist]

It looks like only Jews were saved.

The nice thing about heaven - it's based in large part on what you were doing at the time of ascension. Since I was playing Sryth, I'm in "Sryth Heaven."

In Sryth Heaven, Rhaknar's Mad is finished and there's no one-level-per-day limit. No spoilers, but levels 44 and 49 have much to commend themselves.

Take care mortals, and happy Srything!

Congratulations, Tex, you've made it! :) You've hit the spiritual jackpot!!!

Keep us informed, will you? :)

If you don't mind (I'm sure the GM won't), can I address your ascended, exalted entity with further enquiries?

I promise to be humble about it, and polite! :)

Wishing you a stellar rise among the ranks of those already ascended,

I thank you in advance.

Respectfully yours,

TC, also known by the full real-world name of

(... oh, but you already know that, up there! :D)

EDIT... Hey! Wait a minute!!! Aren't you ahead of schedule?!? :) Wait for us! We may yet join you... Or not... I sat down to play Sryth, BTW - just in case I do make the cut... :)

[spencer]

It looks like only Jews were saved.

The nice thing about heaven - it's based in large part on what you were doing at the time of ascension. Since I was playing Sryth, I'm in "Sryth Heaven."

In Sryth Heaven, Rhaknar's Mad is finished and there's no one-level-per-day limit. No spoilers, but levels 44 and 49 have much to commend themselves.

Take care mortals, and happy Srything!

LOL, nice one!! Come on, give it up, post the stats for the Sword of Merzekk and how many pages does the Tome of Attainment have?

[Tetracapillactomist]

All right, I 'futzed' (eh? :D) around trying to decide whether this should go here, or in "chat" proper, but in the end, it might just merit a spot on the serious (um... well, mostly) side of things...

"Stop being duped by the 3D scam" (http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/stop-being-duped-by-the-3d-scam/7983?tag=nl.e099)

[Tetracapillactomist]

Well, there's poetry in pain - and Sony has plenty of it (pain, that is)...

"Latest Sony Hack Targets Japan Music Site" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385813,00.asp)

[Tetracapillactomist]

"HP Recalls 162,000 Laptop Batteries" (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386176,00.asp)

[Tesability]

Pffftt! I swear the Powers that Be (whomEVER they may be) are LAUGHING at me.

The computer I had been using for a good while, scrapped when we got this computer I'm using now. A few days after, not this computer, but the other good computer we had crapped out, leaving us with one computer!

How the hell did this happen? Public Service Announcement time: if you ever display ANY interest in the Nexon-owned game "Mabinogi", DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT. It screws up your computer while installed and kills it when uninstalled after a couple of days. It does this by rewriting parts of your BIOS, damaging it to the point that if you have a Nvidia Graphics card of some sort, you can kiss your computer goodbye, because it won't start up. It'll turn on, but it will never truly start up because those files will be gone!

Yes, it's that game that killed a computer here! If it doesn't kill a computer, it royally-screws over its performance ability, from what I have heard through the game's official forums. In both cases, the only way to get the computer back up to snuff is by reformatting the computer and reinstalling the OS.

EDIT: I was WONDERING where this post went! I was starting to think I didn't hit the 'send' button or something! And FYI, folks, this nailed a Windows 7 computer that, when we bought it, did NOT come with a Windows 7 operating disk, so we can't reformat and reinstall the thing. Facepalm moment, we didn't realize this until after the 30-day return policy was already up for the thing.

[Tetracapillactomist]

Well, sorry to hear that, Tes. Sounds then as if your BIOS might me all right...

In fact, it might just be the Windows boot.ini file that may have been damaged (erroneously rewritten, displaced, deleted, renamed...), or the registry key pointing to it... (Eh, haven't used XP in a while... that's the file that tells the system which Windows to look for, and where it is - without that simple little thing, a tiny text file, no starting up of Windows.)

For now (possibly), but for the future (definitely), you should keep a copy (on another PC, maybe in a folder named "other PCs boot files," or on a disk) of these files in your XP installation:

Boot.ini
NTLDR
Ntdetect.com


(Go to 'My Computer,' double-click the drive C icon to access the root directory, and find them there - but first, in 'Folder options' -> 'View' tab, make sure you have 'Show hidden files, folder, and drives,' checked, and 'Hide protected operating system files (Recommended),' as well as 'Hide extensions for known file types' unchecked. You can also create a simple start-up disk by copying those three XP files to a floppy disk... Yeah... Floppy disks... Well, they're still used in XP, sort of...)

That's one good reason to have at least three separate accounts on any computer, any individual installation of Windows (two separate administrative accounts, and at least one limited-access standard user account), and even two separate Windows installations, so you can access one account via another, and the files of one installed operating system via the other one, so you can check on things gone wrong in the main one from the secondary.

At the very least you can set aside a separate drive partition, large enough to receive a secondary Windows installation if and when needed, just to provide that temporary access for you, so things can be fixed without reformatting, or at least some files can be grabbed for backup, before wiping everything.

(Could be other things of course, and some copy protection schemes do muck about with boot sectors, root files, etc. Rough thing in any case... )

[Tetracapillactomist]

Dear Steam Users and Steam Forum Users,

Our Steam forums were defaced on the evening of Sunday, November 6. We began investigating and found that the intrusion goes beyond the Steam forums.

We learned that intruders obtained access to a Steam database in addition to the forums. This database contained information including user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses, billing addresses and encrypted credit card information.

We do not have evidence that encrypted credit card numbers or personally identifying information were taken by the intruders, or that the protection on credit card numbers or passwords was cracked. We are still investigating.

We don't have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you should watch your credit card activity and statements closely.

While we only know of a few forum accounts that have been compromised, all forum users will be required to change their passwords the next time they login. If you have used your Steam forum password on other accounts you should change those passwords as well.

We do not know of any compromised Steam accounts, so we are not planning to force a change of Steam account passwords (which are separate from forum passwords). However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to change that as well, especially if it is the same as your Steam forum account password.

We will reopen the forums as soon as we can.

I am truly sorry this happened, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Gabe.

("Gabe" = Gabe Newell)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396246,00.asp#fbid=d2q7shNt4LY

[Tetracapillactomist]

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