Shamus_McFartfinger

Nope. The fact that he posted here confirms that DNS works fine. If his DNS server (at his ISP) wasn't working properly he wouldn't be able to use a web browser as there would be no way to translate "www" addresses into IP addresses.

Yeah. I thought that might be the case when you mentioned the Microsoft site. Logically, there's a problem with "OldDVDs' ISP not wanting to talk to the XBox site.

You realise that ImgBurn isn't a DVD ripper, yeah?

The bandwidth should be good as it's sitting on my ISPs HD. The file itself looks to be just an installer like some of the Windows updates. You know the ones - run the file and it installs over the internet. Kodak do it with their camera software too. As for being blacklisted - Well, ISPs rely on DNS blacklists to ban traffic from suspected spammers. If an updated list blocks IPs in the range of 202.140.223.0 to 203.200.123.123 (for example), all inbound or outbound traffic within that range will be discarded. If an innocent business or individual owns/rents an IP within this range, they may not be able to contact websites hosted on that ISP. The reverse is also true. If a number of IP addresses are being blocked by a users' ISP, they will not be able to contact it - even if it's legitimate. It's happened to me on a couple of occasions when the "powers that be" have gotten it wrong and I've been unable to connect to a particular site when all others work fine.

Not knowing what version of the program you wanted (there's 3 of them), I've downloaded the XP SP/2 version and am uploading it to my webspace for you. I'm convinced your ISP is blocking IP ranges which, unfortunately, is also where the XBox site lives. Anyhow, grab it from my place at: http://users.tpg.com.au/adsldxhe/xboxxpsp2-enu.exe If it's not a the right version, leave a post here and I'll grab the correct one for you.

Sounds like your ISP has the IP address of the above site in its blacklist.

Hi there. Have you got a log from the bottom window handy? It'll look something like this: I 17:19:15 ImgBurn Version 1.1.0.5 Beta started! I 17:19:15 Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600 : Service Pack 2) I 17:19:15 Initialising SPTI... I 17:19:15 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices... I 17:19:15 Found 1 DVD?RW! I 00:16:23 Close Request Acknowledged I 00:16:23 Closing Down... I 00:16:23 Shutting down SPTI... I 00:16:23 ImgBurn closed! or this: I 23:50:06 ImgBurn Version 1.1.0.5 Beta started! I 23:50:06 Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600 : Service Pack 2) I 23:50:06 Initialising SPTI... I 23:50:06 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices... I 23:50:06 Found 1 DVD?RW! I 23:50:27 Operation Started! I 23:50:27 Source File: P:\MY.ISO I 23:50:27 Source File Sectors: 2,285,862 (MODE1/2048) I 23:50:27 Source File Size: 4,681,445,376 bytes I 23:50:27 Source File Implementation Identifier: DVD Shrink I 23:50:27 Destination Device: [1:1:0] TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H552U US07 (F:) (ATA) I 23:50:27 Destination Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: RITEKG05) (Speeds: 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x) I 23:50:27 Destination Media Sectors: 2,298,496 I 23:50:27 Write Mode: DVD I 23:50:27 Write Type: DAO I 23:50:27 Write Speed: MAX I 23:50:27 Link Size: Auto I 23:50:27 Test Mode: No I 23:50:27 BURN-Proof: Enabled I 23:50:27 Filling Buffer... I 23:50:30 Writing LeadIn... I 23:50:48 Writing Image... I 23:58:26 Synchronising Cache... I 23:58:38 Exporting Graph Data... I 23:58:38 Graph Data File: O:\_ibg\TSSTcorp_CD-DVDW_TS-H552U_US07.ibg I 23:58:38 Export Successfully Completed! I 23:58:38 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:08:11 I 23:58:38 Average Write Rate: 9,981 KB/s (7.2x) - Maximum Write Rate: 11,155 KB/s (8.1x) I 23:58:38 Cycling Tray before Verify... W 23:58:46 Waiting for device to become ready... I 23:59:00 Device ready! I 23:59:00 Operation Started! I 23:59:00 Source Device: [1:1:0] TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H552U US07 (F:) (ATA) I 23:59:00 Source Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: RITEKG05) (Speeds: 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x) I 23:59:00 Image File: P:\MY.ISO I 23:59:00 Image File Sectors: 2,285,862 (MODE1/2048) I 23:59:00 Image File Size: 4,681,445,376 bytes I 23:59:00 Image File Implementation Identifier: DVD Shrink I 23:59:01 Verifying Sectors... I 00:08:38 Exporting Graph Data... I 00:08:39 Graph Data File: O:\_ibg\TSSTcorp_CD-DVDW_TS-H552U_US07.ibg I 00:08:39 Export Successfully Completed! I 00:08:39 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:09:34 I 00:08:39 Average Verify Rate: 7,964 KB/s (5.8x) - Maximum Verify Rate: 11,641 KB/s (8.4x) I 17:04:39 Close Request Acknowledged I 17:04:39 Closing Down... I 17:04:39 Shutting down SPTI... I 17:04:39 ImgBurn closed!

LOL!!

I'm possibly the most paranoid person here when it comes to security. (It took more than a year for me to use cookies on the old forum and I use a dedicated browser just for this one). What scares me the most is not knowing what services should and should not be running. I just don't know. So, looking at it from my perspective, you can see why I'm a little reluctant.

For what purpose? To keep a crappy NAS alive? What else do I gain? I already have a dhcp server on the router. My DLink switch LINK HERE routes packets as well as (or possibly better) than a server. I easily access any share on my network. Being self-taught, things work pretty well. I have no idea how to run a server. I don't need one for email or a website or FTP. What else is there that I need? There's only myself and the handbrake here (Mrs Shamus) so security isn't an issue. Then there's other stuff I know nothing about such as services that need administering/turning off. Active directories? Roaming accounts? And all sorts of other crap Lightning_UK! mentioned that didn't stick in memory. You can understand my reluctance to spend the next 2 years learning how it works when everything does what it's supposed to at the moment. The exception, of course, is the chunk of crap that is the Netgear SC101.

what's user friendly about networking? Installing a NAS has very little to do with networking as very, very little has to be known about networking to install it. It says as much on the box. Installation is dead easy but it ceases to be a "home product" the moment I have to tweak the registry and run a cron just to keep it awake.

From what I've read I'd agree with you re: Browsemaster. My machines don't "flake out" though as most stay up for weeks at a time. The only drive that dissapears is the Netgear.

Nope. No server OS or domain. Just a normal gumby workgroup with shared drives. I actually have w2k server but I keep un-installing it as I know nothing about 90% of it. What can I do with a domain that I can't do already with my (albeit crappy) network? If there's something to be gained by running a dedicated server, then I'd probably sit down and learn how it's done. The netgear works when it feels like it. It's supposed to be a "user-friendly" storage unit that's easily installed and then forgotten about. It should not require me to have a degree in computer science just to keep it running. Yeah?

Happy birthday, ya old git! WooHoo!

Hmm... can't seem to be able to get the properties for File and Printer Sharing on any machine as it's ghosted (and I couldn't be bothered tracking it down when everything works as it is). To answer your question, I have 9 machines on my network but 2 are missing from the list below. 1 - A linux box running Mandriva that I haven't worked out how to add to Windows Workgroups yet. (I can access Windows shares from linux but I don't know how to access linux shares from Windows). 2 - A small file server running w2k. (A KVM switch crapped itself tonight and I have no way of viewing it, so it's off ATM). The 2 AXIS machines are CD/DVD servers (4 x CD in one and 2 x CD & 4 X DVD in the other) Link here for a dodgy photo of one. http://users.tpg.com.au/adsldxhe/new.toy.jpg The rest are normal PCs. The "P4" in the list runs WinXP Pro. Everything else runs W2k. Is that what you wished to know?

BrowseMaster? You mean a file manager? I use Turbo Navigator which you can find here: http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32/turbonavigator.html

Yeah. It probably wouldn't even work. Wait a minute........ it doesn't work properly now. <cough>

There's heaps of great tools and advice for things scattered around the net. One of my favourites for many years is www.analogx.com. Probably one of the most prolific software authors around. No spyware or trojans. Just really good software that works.

Argh! These things were driving me nuts so I went looking for a cure and found how to eliminate the buggers. Works like a charm.

The monthy updates aren't monthly and I'm using supported drives. <sigh>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4630910.stm The 20th anniversary of the first PC virus falls this month. It was during the opening weeks of 1986 that the first PC virus, called Brain, was discovered in the wild. Though it achieved fame because it was the first of its type, the virus was not widespread as it could only travel by hitching a ride on floppy disks swapped between users. Now 20 years after they first appeared there are more than 150,000 malicious programs in existence. The origins of the Brain virus are disputed. It is thought to have been created by a Pakistani software firm to help protect the software it created and sold. The virus was discovered in January 1986 but may have been written some time before that as it used a relatively slow method to travel. Brain was known as a "boot-sector" virus because of the area on a floppy disk it hid on. By concealing itself in this region, the virus could ensure that it would be installed every time that floppy disk was used on another computer. The Brain virus is now extinct. Although Brain was the first PC virus, it was not the first malicious computer program. That honour goes to the Elk Cloner virus written by Richard Skrenta which infected Apple II machines. The term computer virus dates from 1984 and was coined by US computer scientist Fred Cohen. Since Brain first appeared, the number of viruses and other malicious programs in circulation has grown enormously. Microsoft's Windows operating system is the favourite target of virus writers. The growth of local computer networks, e-mail and the internet has fuelled this rise and now it can take only hours for a new virus to appear and infect thousands. There are also many different types of viruses that use varying attack types to infect machines. The reasons people write viruses has also changed. "The most significant change has been the evolution of virus writing hobbyists into criminally operated gangs bent on financial gain," said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure. This week the FBI released figures which suggest that 84% of US businesses were attacked by viruses, spyware and other malicious programs in 2005. On average, dealing with the attack cost US businesses $24,000, said the FBI.

Needing more storage space I went and bought one of these beasties about 2 months ago thinking it would suit my needs perfectly. Ongoing, unsolved problems plague this unit to this day and I thought I'd have a quick rant warning anyone wanting to purchase what has become known affectionately as "The Toaster" in the Netgear support forums. Anyone wanting to see what the hell I'm talking about can see the unit itself here: http://www.netgear.com/products/details/SC101.php From the site above you can read about how great it is. Below are some of the things causing me (and many hundreds of others), pure grief. 1. Runs incredibly hot. I mean really hot. Hot enough to fry an egg. There's no fans and the attached heatsinks are useless. The latest firmware solves this problem by putting the drives to sleep (allowing them to cool down), but this presents another problem as outlined below. 2. Often the drives refuse to wake up. This causes 2 more problems. a.) All applications such as Windows Explorer, Turbo Navigator (file managers) hang because the drive has dissapeared. The only ways to get around this are to unplug the power from the drive and plug it back in. After a casual 2 minutes or so the drive re-appears. Or you have to reboot. b.) The unit uses a DHCP server to get an IP address (available on almost any router). If the drives go to sleep the unit can "drop off" the network. It then proceeds to blast my lan looking for a DHCP server. Not only does it create enough network traffic to bring my gigabit lan to its knees, my router and firewalls on all machines report an attack on the network which my router then faithfully alerts me to via an email. I'd love my ISP to ask me why I sent 8,000 emails to myself. 3. To stop the unit falling asleep (dropping off my network and then blasting it), I run a cron utility on one machine to copy a single file (the same file every time), onto the unit every 5 minutes. This usually works but it creates a problem. Obviously, if the drives are being contiually written to then are aren't being allowed to sleep which brings us back to point 1 (running bloody hot). 4. Crap network speed. I've had to install 2 network cards in one PC because one of them will only transfer files at around 300~800 kb (kilobits) a second but this card will go at 35MB/sec over the lan. The other card (also gigabit) transfers files to the Netgear at 5~7MB/sec but only 10MB/sec over the lan. Go figure. 5. Once setting the drive letter (drive S: for example) with the Disk Management Service, the drive can appear as a different drive letter after reboot. 6. Mirrored drives can just "dissapear". You can rebuild them but you can't recover them. 7. Custom file system. If the unit dies, there's no way to recover the data. 8. The Netgear support site isn't run by netgear. No chance of any help there. What a piece of crap and waste of money. I'll be pulling the drives out of it tomorrow (2 x 400gig Barracudas) and putting them into a PC and throwing the Netgear in the bin.

Yeah I figured that out awhile back...my PC is currently on loan to my father in law so I don't get much time to cathc up on these things. So now I am getting things back up to speed, and trying to do all my updating so I can "Back Up" My collection of DVDs. So does anybody have any suggestions on what program I might use to help me complete the "circle" Stick with what you know.

I had a lively debate with a salesman a couple of weeks ago when I bought a DVD recorder. This knucklehead tried to convince me that he needed my personal details for "warranty purposes". "Fine", I said and gave him the name "Mr A. Customer". He said he needed a real name. "Fine", I again said and gave the name Mr. E. Presley. After supplying a few more names he rejected outright, he lost his sense of humour and demanded to know my name. In a rare moment of maturity and subtlety I told him I didn't give a flying fuck what name he puts on the sales receipt. My receipt is my warranty, not my name on a sales slip to be entered into a database. Not knowing how to deal with me, he calls over the floor manager in an attempt to impress on me how important my name is for warranty purposes. Over he walks in self-assured confidence. A man who knows his job. A man who knows how to deal with uncooperative customers. A man who explained to me that they need my details for warranty purposes. A name they need to attach to a sales receipt. By this time, I had lost my sense of humour and proceeded to passionately describe my feelings regarding their sales policy and the misleading of customers over said policy. After a rather short debate, I held out my hand in an offer of peace and asked the manager his name. He shook my hand and told me. At this point I spun around to the salesman and told him to "put that fucker on the receipt so I can get the fuck out of here." Failure. He refused. Seeing my colour turn blood-red, he offered to give me a hand-written receipt (as the computers won't work without a name), which I took before quickly leaving. All in all, a complete debacle but it's one less database I'm on. You wouldn't give your name to a stranger on the street so why should you give it to a stranger in a shop with the ability to target you for advertising or to onsell your details to others? <rant off>

Yep - and all it needs is a precedent. And it's not just law enforcement. Imagine, if you will, KMart collecting demographic information on products by state, city and suburb. Used car salesmen banging on your door just because you viewed an automotive auction site. Having your letterbox stuffed with holiday brochures and other assorted crap because you searched online for airfares. Having church groups at the door solely because you might spend time in an atheist forum. The ramifications of this "request" being passed in parliament are broad and far reaching. <steps off soapbox>