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Post by Cranky on Sept 11, 2003 9:19:28 GMT -5
I wanted to get my hands on Levon that Billy Clippard sang. Apparantly the files are huge and the only way you can do it is by something like Kazaa. Well, I am not about to subject my computer to the world of virusus so what are my options? Is there any peer to peer that is safe? Does anyone have a quality recording of Levon and the Gordon Lightfoot song Billy sang? By the way, it's not for me, it's for my hamster. I am too old and evil to listen to music.  |
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Post by MC Habber on Sept 11, 2003 13:40:53 GMT -5
Lol, I thought this was going to be a lecture about the ethics of "Using Kazaa or equivilant programs" ;D You're not going to get any viruses if you have a virus scanner and use Kazaa (lite) responsibly (ie. don't download anything that looks suspicious or has an extension other than .mp3), and Kazaa is probably the most likely to find what you're looking for. You could also try SoulSeek, but the transfer speeds are lousy. If you're really worried about viruses, you could always ask somebody else who already uses a p2p program to get the file for you and send it to you using msn or equivalent, or email it using a file splitter. Safe from viruses or safe from the recording industry... |
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Post by The New Guy on Sept 11, 2003 14:20:56 GMT -5
www.kazaa-lite.comAll the functionality of Kazaa, none of the spyware (just so you know, the biggest issue with Kazaa was that it had spyware. It doesn't have the functionality to execute a program remotely. You need Windows XP to do that. But back on topic, as long as you limit yourself to data files like jpg's or mp3's, virii usually aren't a problem) Andrew
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Post by PTH on Sept 11, 2003 18:43:07 GMT -5
WinMX is pretty good for music downloads ( but useless for movies), and has zero spyware.
Still, I think it's worth being careful, and I got myself a firewall and anti-virus, just in case. Both have been fun toys to date, but nothing more.
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Post by Cranky on Sept 12, 2003 0:14:56 GMT -5
www.kazaa-lite.comAll the functionality of Kazaa, none of the spyware (just so you know, the biggest issue with Kazaa was that it had spyware. It doesn't have the functionality to execute a program remotely. You need Windows XP to do that. But back on topic, as long as you limit yourself to data files like jpg's or mp3's, virii usually aren't a problem) Andrew Doh..... I am running windows XP. Does that mean that Kazaa can execute programs on my XP machine? What am I missing? BTW, guys, thanks for the help. |
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Post by MC Habber on Sept 12, 2003 1:32:27 GMT -5
Doh..... I am running windows XP. Does that mean that Kazaa can execute programs on my XP machine? What am I missing? BTW, guys, thanks for the help. No, I think he was referring to XP's built in ability to run programs on other XP machines ("Remote Assistance"). Kazaa Lite will not cause any programs to run remotely. You can also get Kazaa Lite here: doa2.host.sk/BTW, I've been disappointed in WinMX, but some people like it. |
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Post by MC Habber on Sept 12, 2003 1:39:00 GMT -5
Still, I think it's worth being careful, and I got myself a firewall and anti-virus, just in case. Both have been fun toys to date, but nothing more. I think *everyone* who uses the internet should have a firewall (I recommend Sygate Personal Firewall), primarily in order to protect against trojans, but anti-virus, while a very good idea, is not so much of a must to me, because most viruses won't do any real damage if you have a firewall. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Sept 13, 2003 9:42:07 GMT -5
I think *everyone* who uses the internet should have a firewall (I recommend Sygate Personal Firewall), primarily in order to protect against trojans, but anti-virus, while a very good idea, is not so much of a must to me, because most viruses won't do any real damage if you have a firewall. Agree 100%. Better safe than sorry. Sygate is the firewall I prefer over other free solutions. smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htmdownload link for the free version is at the bottom of the page Being the paranoid clown that I am, I also use an anti-virus program. Thereis an very robust free progarm available at: www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.phpAnd don't forget to regularly backup your data. dimarcotech.com/ |
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Post by PTH on Sept 13, 2003 12:28:32 GMT -5
I think *everyone* who uses the internet should have a firewall (I recommend Sygate Personal Firewall), primarily in order to protect against trojans, but anti-virus, while a very good idea, is not so much of a must to me, because most viruses won't do any real damage if you have a firewall. Well, this is my first firewall, so I know you can live without it. The anti-virus is useful for anyone doing file sharing, sometimes files aren't all kosher - not that it's ever given me any trouble. And an anti-virus can automatically check your ingoing and outgoing mail. Another useful utility is Ad-aware, that finds spyware on your computer. For backing up data, I find a CD burner is simple yet effective :-) |
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Post by PTH on Sept 13, 2003 12:36:28 GMT -5
Agree 100%. Better safe than sorry. Sygate is the firewall I prefer over other free solutions. smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htmdownload link for the free version is at the bottom of the page I've been using ZoneAlarm, which I'm lukewarm on, I can't see to configure much with it. Same as me. Like I said, a CD burner rules - at least for home use. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Sept 13, 2003 12:46:16 GMT -5
I've been using ZoneAlarm, which I'm lukewarm on, I can't see to configure much with it. IMO ZoneAlarm is doodoo. I tried it, tinyfirewall and Sygate. Love the latter. Give it a try. The data storage link was an underhanded plug for a startup I'm involved with. |
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Post by Andrew on Sept 13, 2003 16:17:45 GMT -5
Well, this is my first firewall, so I know you can live without it. I thought I could live without one until I was hacked and had a bot installed on my computer. My ISP cut off my connection and called me up to notify me that my computer was being used as a "zombie". I had to re-format before they'd restore my connection. If you've got a few bucks, a physical firewall is the best measure of security. Linksys makes some good cable / dsl routers that do the trick. The router assumes the external IP address - which is assigned by your ISP. The router then assigns internal IP addresses to all connected computers: keeping them hidden from the internet. The other advantage to the router is that you can connect multiple computers while only paying your ISP for the one address. |
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Post by The New Guy on Sept 14, 2003 0:30:20 GMT -5
I've always found Black Ice Defender to be a decent Firewall, however in the interests of curbing my *cough*criminal*cough* activity (not to mention the fact that it doesn't jive well with XP sometimes) I've switched to Agnitum Outpost Firewall. It's OpenSource (IIRC) and you can program your own plugins if you are so inclined. It kept me from knowing that my girlfriend had gotten MSBlaster for two weeks (well... that and I run a dual boot on my box with Linux) because it would kill the program every time it tried to start up as an unauthorized network process. As for virii scanners, the big ones (Norton, McAffe) are becoming more and more useless as time goes by. Hard drives are too big, and with virii like MSBlaster the prefered vector of attack is no longer e-mail (which I'll admit they do a pretty darn good job of covering... of course you can get roughly the same result with two grains of sense and an aversion to Microsoft products) but proper ports. If you've really got an aversion to keeping products on your PC, www.antivirus.com has a nice online virus scanner. Later, Andrew |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 14, 2003 1:22:36 GMT -5
IMO ZoneAlarm is doodoo. I tried it, tinyfirewall and Sygate. Love the latter. Give it a try. The data storage link was an underhanded plug for a startup I'm involved with. What's wrong with Zonealarm? I have been using it for almost 3 years without problems and I am surprised to hear this. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Sept 14, 2003 4:29:20 GMT -5
What's wrong with Zonealarm? I have been using it for almost 3 years without problems and I am surprised to hear this. Well, to be precise, it was doodoo for *me*. It kept interrupting network processes, and I did get hacked a few times with it properly configured and in place. But hey, "mileage may vary." The main thing is that it does the job for you, and you are happy with it. Re email: Send and receive plain text messages only, no HTML. Delete *all* received attachments, excluding those you have arranged beforehand to receive (even then, scan). Whatever anti-virus prog you use, update its database once a week. If it doesn't have an updateable db, or provides updates at unacceptably long intervals (say once a month), switch to a more aggressive product. Want to see what junk sinks hooks into your system, and get rid of it? Someone mentioned Ad-ware. I suggest going a step beyond and dl'ing and installing Spybot: www.safer-networking.org/ |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 14, 2003 13:56:51 GMT -5
Well, to be precise, it was doodoo for *me*. It kept interrupting network processes, and I did get hacked a few times with it properly configured and in place. But hey, "mileage may vary." The main thing is that it does the job for you, and you are happy with it. Re email: Send and receive plain text messages only, no HTML. Delete *all* received attachments, excluding those you have arranged beforehand to receive (even then, scan). Whatever anti-virus prog you use, update its database once a week. If it doesn't have an updateable db, or provides updates at unacceptably long intervals (say once a month), switch to a more aggressive product. Want to see what junk sinks hooks into your system, and get rid of it? Someone mentioned Ad-ware. I suggest going a step beyond and dl'ing and installing Spybot: www.safer-networking.org/I founf thart you have to be careful with new programs. They tend to jump in and try to cennect to the net. If you are not careful with what you approve in ZA, you could end up letting them have access free access and bypass ZA. I also endorse Spybot. It's deadly against add ware. Also Irfanview as a picture viewer (for those nudies  ). |
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Post by MC Habber on Sept 14, 2003 22:05:25 GMT -5
For backing up data, I find a CD burner is simple yet effective :-) By Jan Libbenga Posted: 01/09/2003 at 20:32 GMT Keeping data CDs in the dark for two years isn't a good idea. According to the Dutch magazine PC Active some CD-Rs degrade in months, even at room temperature without sunlight. PC Active tested data disks from 30 manufacturers that were recorded 20 months ago. Several data CDs developed serious errors, or became virtually unreadable. A graphic shows what can happen when CD-Rs are left too long in the drawer. The colours of the CD-R on the right indicate the severity of the errors; white specifies that the disk can be read well, red that it can't be read. Some manufacturers claim that their CDs are good for at least 10 years, if you keep them out of the sunlight. Some even say that their CDs will last up to a century; but the Dutch test seems to suggest that CD-R is the wrong medium to store photos, music or data files for posterity. It makes you wonder how the various DVD disk formats stack up. PC Active believes that different dye systems used for CD-R disks are the root of the evil. Some dyes are more stable than others. The most stable dyes are used primarily in premium brands. A combination of heat and light and marginal drives also contributes to the deterioration. Higher recording speeds are not the issue. PC Active tested 30 brands, some of them sold exclusively through a Dutch chemist chain. Unfortunately, the article seems to focus on white label CD-Rs, and doesn't mention any premium brands that performed well. ®<br> |
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Post by MC Habber on Sept 14, 2003 22:08:46 GMT -5
I've always found Black Ice Defender to be a decent Firewall I read that BID isn't a real firewall because it doesn't block outbound connections (ie. it assumes that any program on your computer should be able to access the internet), but that was some time ago; it may have been updated since. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Sept 14, 2003 22:26:29 GMT -5
I read that BID isn't a real firewall because it doesn't block outbound connections (ie. it assumes that any program on your computer should be able to access the internet), but that was some time ago; it may have been updated since. Spyware heaven, if true. |
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Post by seventeen on Sept 14, 2003 23:33:28 GMT -5
Since I'm such a computer neanderthal I use a Mac. What are you guys all talking about?
(Don't bother replying, that's just my smartass way of saying, virii, what virii?, since no respectable hacker would bother with 3% of the computer market). Still, it keeps my life simple.
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). 