webcamnow - warning!

[boron]

If you chat at www.webcamnow.com it's essential to make sure your main hard drive is not accessible (or make sure you don't offend anybody!). I lost 13 gigabytes of data while chatting at the site. You might be also be interested to know that they can take snaps with your webcam without your knowledge. These pictures will be stored in C:\Documents and Settings\****\Local Settings\Application Data (if I remember correctly). If you want to see these you will firstly have to click - tools, folder options, view then tick display the contents of system folders, choose show hidden files and folders and untick hide protected operating system files. You should assume that webcamnow has access to all your data and can do anything it wants with your hard drive. I believe firewalls and antivirus programs are no impediment (zone alarm pro might decrease your vulnerability). I should mention that for the above to be relevant you may have to install webcamnow software (ie they probably wouldn't be able to operate your camera unless you had set it up for broadcasting. Don't think it's only webcamnow you have to worry about, whenever you are connected to a web site there is potential for your data being accessed, manipulated or deleted. The only safe way to compute is to never go online with your main hard drive.

 

[Topper]

The only safe way to compute is to never go online with your main hard drive.

Not exactly practical for most users is it.


Considering how we have all survived since the heady days of Dos 3 or was it 5 and all the Bill Gates Loopholes in every version of Windows since time immemorial we've done OK but thanks for the warning anyhow.

 

[boron]

Not exactly practical for most users is it.


Considering how we have all survived since the heady days of Dos 3 or was it 5 and all the Bill Gates Loopholes in every version of Windows since time immemorial we've done OK but thanks for the warning anyhow.

Qualifications: I should mention that at webcamnow I was always drunk, often belligerent and obnoxious and I was in the habit of attacking their site (by means of multiple instances of Internet Explorer). I was once warned about possible deletion of data by a fellow chatter who may or may not have been associated with webcamnow. The main problem I had with the site was that it is so addictive (you can find paradise at webcamnow) and it's very easy to become a satellite orbiting around planet webcamnow.

 

[boron]

Quote..... 1.2Mtr Polar MTG yes it has been on the arc for 15 years and is still driven by a modified wiper motor from a Ford Anglia. It's like me sad but effective.
I have this idea that its theoretically impossible to accurately follow the clerk belt with any (single motor) mount. It's perfectly obvious what is necessary - a motorised mount which adjusts up and down, left and right and remembers the position of every satellite it detects a signal from. You would set it up to scan the whole sky (ie everywhere that satellites might be) it would start off at about horizon level and pedantically cover every inch of sky automatically.

 

[boron]

Thanks for the response toppervte33h. This is hopeless - I keep getting a blank page (maybe my postings are too long). Also I can't edit my postings.

 

[boron]

Part 1: I think of the single hard drive computer as a totally ridiculous idea (apart from laptops which are used as second computers). If you have 50,000 pictures and let's say every interesting piece of TV or video footage you have ever saved as well as all your e-mails and computer data to date - you can't risk losing it all (it would be a total disaster). The solution is very simple. You get two removable hard drive bays (£6 each from www.cclcomputers.biz excluding carriage) plus an 80 gigabyte hard drive (say Maxtor) at £37. All you then have to do is remove the 40 wire hard drive lead connector from the back of your present hard drive along with your hard drive's power plug. Remove your hard drive. Place the two hard drive bays in vacant slots and connect up the hard drive connectors to the back (your hard drive lead will have three connector plugs, one of which will be attached to the motherboard) also connect the the power plugs

 

[boron]

Part 2: Apply WD40 to all connectors as they can be devilishly difficult to remove otherwise. Remove hard drive connector plugs by holding the plug and wiggling it until it comes loose. Operate the handle on the front of the bay to disconnect the top (80 gigabyte) hard drive which will be the master and turn the key on the front to switch off the power supply to it.......continued Your 80 gigabyte hard drive will always be disconnected (as above) when you are online. You would use it to store backup data and for any offline activities. I find that if I have my top hard drive connected, the one in the lower bay will seize up. When both hard drive bays are connected and switched on your 80 gigabyte one would be master and your present hard drive would be slave. Master / slave settings are determined by the position of the jumpers switch at the rear of the hard drive.

 

[boron]

Part 3: You can have any number of hard drives with this system and you never need to throw away old ones. I think of CDRWs and CDRs as absolute trash, they cannot be relied on to safely store data. Ideally should have one hard drive containing your important data, stored somewhere where it would survive a house fire or theft. Computer noise is increased by the integral fans in the bays, also these fans have a shorter life than say your processor cooling fan as they don't have ballbearings. They will eventually become very noisy as the bearings wear but replacement of the bays is very cheap.

 

[Topper]

Try immodium

If any more tsunamis happen and the earth wobbles any more thus causing a second minute change in speed of rotation of the earth we may have to alter our watches (well at least those of us who know what time of day it is ).

 

[boron]

Try immodium

If any more tsunamis happen and the earth wobbles any more thus causing a second minute change in speed of rotation of the earth we may have to alter our watches (well at least those of us who know what time of day it is ).

pretty limp

 

[BGonaSTICK]

Thanks for the contributions everyone. I'll wind this up now, while we're all still friends.