Internet Explorer

Yikes! For some reason I have lost my connection to IE. It just happened all of a sudden. What should I do? If I have to reinstall IE will I lose my favorites, etc.? I'll appreciate any help! (FYI--I get a message "this page cannot be displayed ").

 

No, you will not lose the favorites. Have you tried the IE Repair Tool? Start\Run, type in msinfo32, hit enter, go to Tools\Internet Explorer Repair Tool.
Are you online when you get the message?

 

I don't know what your OS is but for win2K the favorites are safe -----nodnod, k.)))))) They are saved here!

C:/Documents and Settings/*your account name*/Favorites

In fact, you never know what wondoze will do, so I think its best to copy that entire folder, that way your favorites will be saved somewhere, and you'll be able to bring them back up even if you parents/kid brother/wife/freindly neighborhood hacker gose into your comp and starts deleteing them.

And as for IE...well...get rid of it! Who wants or needs Internet Exploder anyway, its loaded up so full of spyware you may as well stick a Microsoft Surveillence Camera on your celing aiming directly at your PC screen... Spooky isn't it. Go to

www.mozilla.org

and get Mozilla, a better browser. No spyware, and you can still use those same favorites! Plus your safer from viruses!

BDBD

 

What spyware?

Hmmm.

 

Hmmm, seeing as that MS reached a settlement with the DOJ about their spyware earlier this summer, and some people still actually don't want to believe they are doing it.


This article below will provide one example, but please know that this is just one within a plethora of examples I could have come up with...


http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,9615,00.asp


They are on trial for doing things like this for some pretty good reasons! Yes, they are hurting you! YOU!


Warning the link below may be effensive to some people. If you are offended easily, read no further. Now, see what kind of info about you your computer has been periodically reporting back to MS.


I wonder if this board can post html links...

http://www.f__kmicrosoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml

Replace the __ above with whatever you may think appropriate and read all about MS's really hidden files on your computer!

Where do you want to go today?

BDBD

 

Ummm the only thing that was found to be even remotely like spyware in MS stuff was WMP, and that's cause it connected to the internet and send out info..which I don't even care anyway...but IE was never found to have it. The only problem with it is that there are legal battles about it being too intergrated into the OS, that's all..stop trying to scare the **** out of people.

 

I checked out that site and found this paragraph which seemed to sum it all up:

"It's obvious that many of the accusations against Microsoft are overstated. Yes, the company could be using arcane data-synchronization tricks to sneak personal data off your hard drive. But doing so would be blatantly illegal, and none of the security experts I spoke with could find a shred of evidence that anything like that is taking place. "

If MS is gathering all this personal data (and what personal data would they gather that's so important? They don't need credit card numbers, they already have money and if they want to read email from Aunt Martha on that shocking pink stationery and/or look at the pics of her grandkids, great! Let them suffer...I had to), where are the thousands of people they'll need to sort through it all? I know....MS is going to buy Montana, turn it into a vast server farm and hire the entire population of the state to examine all that personal information to find...well, whatever it is that's so important.

I also found this: "In the interim, if you worry about someone figuring out which DVDs and CDs you play, I suggest that you run Windows Media Player offline. The same is true of any other media-player that you might use, since most employ similar caching schemes." Whoa! MS, Real Networks, Apple and whoever's monitoring Winamp knowing what disks I use? Now THERE'S something to strike terror into the heart of....errr...somebody other than I.

 

I think you'll find that this was an anti-trust/monopoly matter and had nothing whatsoever to do with spyware!

Maybe because "it" is nothing other than the propogated poo of paranoiacs?

... contains unsubstantiated speculation as to the function of one or two of WMP's more obscure "features ". The article does not concern IE. Nor does the article assert that WMP is actually spyware!

Erm ... not quite. The article actually explains that IE stores some information deeply within the OS (which is of no real concern unless a person is worried about other users of that computer finding out about his/her secret visits to www.sexyfarmyardfun.com). The article does not assert (or even hint) that that "buried" information is harvested by MS!

Sorry, but the above is total, utter and complete codswallop!

Ask yourself this: if MS (via IE) was really breaching its PP's, do you not think that this would long ago have been discovered by one of the many professionals who spend a significant amount of time hacking away at IE in an attempt to discover new security flaws?

Use Google and search for "<enter your favourite software here> + spyware" and you'll almost certainly find inane ramblings which claim that that software is invading people's privacy. Oooh ... look ... Mozilla is spyware too

Miz wrote:

That, Miz, is but the tip of the iceberg. I have heard from a reliable source (if Daizy can be described in such terms) that MS have incorporated within all post-95 OS's a mechanism which allows for the subliminal delivery of the following message:-

Diabolical stuff, eh?

 

Basically as I've been saying, since the poster said IE is spyware it's not. I laughed because I've read that article about the index.dat a long time ago. It just stores your addresses in that file, that in itself is not spyware. Do a search on google for a program called delindex and this will take care of those files and delete them for those that are truly paranoid

 

Remember brett, that the one big landmake antitrust case against MS is not the only legal issue that they are involved in. Everything I have posted here is true, I do hope you look into the matter further. i'll continue to provide info, so don't worry. There are many issues in the landmark case, the big one everybody hears about.

First off, WMP is spyware:
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,50567,00.html



I'll give you more articles explaining MS Spyware.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/865851

and

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/1442831


They have reached settlements about there cases. The big case is about bullying smaller companies into restrictive practices using their monopoly power, and bundeling software to crush all competition. The case against them in the EU involves sabotaging competeing software. Now you said alot, including mozilla being spyware? The link you posted was to a post on another web forum, not an article thats roots can be traced. OK, Mozilla is open-source. It does not have spyware, and if it did, you could take it out of the code yourself.

Kevin, I'm not trying to scare the **** out of people, I'm just trying to keep them informed. There are alternatives to WMP IE, etc. And if someone does use IE, I do suggest they run delindex as well. No, this index.dat is not new, my only question is why are they doing it? But anyway lets please refrain from comments like these

"since the poster said IE is spyware it's not. "


I expected some people to deny these things, this is a windows forum after all.

BDBD

 

Not one of the links you have thus far posted relates to IE

 

Not true. Check em again.

But you probably won't check them twice, and even if you do, I doubt you will with an open mind. I think you already have it stuck in your head that IE and WMP are best and thats not going to change no matter what is shown to you. Thats the way MS wants people to be. Its true that there is no proof that MS is using index.dat for spying purposes. There's really no telling what they use it for or if they use it at all. But I don't see why they would make it in the first place if they were not going to use it. And if they were to use it, we would never know. I would rather not worry about it at all, and since there are web browsers that out-perform IE and done collect your history in a hidden file, I'm not using IE. If you're goign to stick with IE unconditionally, thats up to you, but many people would like to know about privacy issues, and about alternatives.

BDBD

 

Absolutely true. Many people find it fascinating......
Thing is? I didn't read anywhere in this thread that anyone asked?

I believe all pkl wanted to know was if they'd lose their favourites and how to regain their connection?

Now.....speaking of which? How goes the battle pkl?

Daizy

 

You're probably right. I do tend to have a rather closed mind when it comes to conspiracy theories and urban legends (except, that is, the one about Daizy having to shave her body on a bi-weekly basis in order to conceal the signs of her sasquatch ancestory).

Nope. Still can't see it. I see assertions relating to WMP, Passport and XP's activation process. Nothing relating to IE though.

Well, if you were to load up Ethereal, or a similar tool, you'd have a fair old idea as to what data is leaving your system.

It'd certainly be nice if Nutscrape, Mozilla or one of the others were to outperform IE. Alas, that's not the case (hmmm ... well ... maybe Opera does ... but there are other issues attached to that browser) and this is one of the reasons that IE has the biggest share of the browser market.

True. However, they'd be even more appreciative if the information presented were accurate.

 

Makin' friends again are ya, my all-wet Manx?

 

Somehow I get the feeling that you made up you mind that the consipracy theories were not true even before you read the articles. The information posted is indeed accurate. You don't have to believe it if you don't want to. I'm not as trusting of MS though, and neither are most people, the FTC, DOJ, and EU. Want to see witch link dealt with IE? I'll post it again:

MS hidden files

You will find the words Internet Explorer many times throughout it. Nutscape you say? Thats a good one. I guess as to which browser is best, it really is a matter of personal opinion. But I have you to find anyone who has really tried Mozilla and Opera with an open mind and went back to IE. Opera wins the speed race hands down. I don't know what issues you are talking about, but the only drawbacks are A: the lack of customizability (which IE also lacks), and the ad window (which is small and out of the way, so its not a big issue). Mozilla is #1 IMO. The only drawback is that it dosn't display pages that same way as IE. Now I don't see that as a problem. The only pages that won't work right in Moz are pages made by MS and ones specifically designed for IE. Just like a page designed for Moz/Nutscape won't show up perfectly in IE. That is not as much a browser issue as it is a issue with the design of the web site in question. The only reason IE has market share is because of the bundeling with windows, and thats the only reason. Remember MS had a desktop OS monopoly long before Netscape, IE and even Windows existed.

I have stated well documented facts, I guarentee they are quite accurate.

BDBD

 

That article (as I said before) does not in any way assert or support your contention that IE is spyware!

BTW - why is it that you are perfectly willing to accept Opera's claims that its browser is not spyware despite its association with Cydoor? From Opera:-

Opera communicates with the ad service in order to be able to retrieve advertising content. When you install Opera, your browser connects to a registration server and receives a unique identifying number. This ID is not personally identifying, and is only used to communicate with the ad-related service as the browser occasionally sends and receives banner-related information.

I'm not suggesting that Opera is spyware (I know that it isn't), but it seems peculiar that you are willing to accept the assertions of one company but not those of another.

And as for the link to RP in your sig ... ha ... RealNetworks can hardly be described as a champion of privacy rights, can it now?

You wrote:

Me. I rather liked Opera but disliked the fact that I was unable to access every site via a single browser and so reverted to IE.

The articles are accurate; your interpretation of them is not.

Why not be daring - load IE, load Ethereal, monitor the traffic for a few days and then post back with the results?

 

I don't claim that RealPlayer is the champion of privacy rights, I see it as the lesser of two evils. Real is much more honest about the fact that the collect information than MS has been. MS was forced to change their privacy statemant by the FTC because they were fibbing to the public...again. WMP tracks where the user goes, and links it to an individual ID, Real dosn't do this.

For example if 1000 people went to www.thisvideo.com/thisvideo/vid.asf
using RP, RP would track that 1000 people went to www.thisvideo.com/thisvideo/vid.asf , but not track who they are. Real would know that 1000 people went, but not that you went. 　WMP on the other hand would report exactly who it was who was visiting the site. They would knows exactly where you went.

This is a big distinction. But my real beef with WMP is the DRM, if you don't know what it is, I suggest you find out, its going to be a big big issue in years to come. Whats going on today is just the tip of the iceberg. Its gonna get ugly fast.

Opera does not store your complete history in a secret file, IE does this. In my opinion thats spyware. I do not know what MS is doing with these files, but I don't like it. Seeing as that Opera outpaces IE, and Mozilla just rocks, I feel no desire to use IE at all. I don't know what you are talking about when you say you are not able to access every single site using a single browser, could you explain further. Anyhow I think most people would like to know about alternatives to IE, and would certainly like to know how IE tracks them. Of course not everyone does, but I think most people agree that Moz and Opera are better browsers.

BDBD

 

My arse they have! Read this and this.

Hogwash. Do you really think that MS are interested in knowing that you've just downloaded a copy of "I'm a Barbie Girl "?

Whilst WMP is currently the only player to ship with an integrated DRM solution, DRM is, in fact, a generic term and is not exclusive to MS; there are several players in the market (pardon the pun). What is it that you find so distasteful about the idea of rights protection?

"Spyware" is software which passes information to a third party without your knowledge. IE does not do this and, therefore, is not "spyware ".

Opera has no support (native or otherwise) for ActiveX. Whilst this is, in some ways, a good thing, it does mean that certain sites will not work.

I notice that you gave no answer to the question, why is it that you are perfectly willing to accept Opera's claims that its browser is not spyware despite its association with Cydoor?

 

The links you posted are 3 years old. Real has improved its privacy statement since then. MS has done the same thing, this year. Real keeps no sort of personal identification with the history information they collect, WMP does. I know Real isn't perfect, they are just the lesser of two evils. And the player is nice and universal.

I don't know what they do with it. But they do collect it. Its been proven beyone a reasonable doubt, MS has even admitted to it. You don't believe it. Just a little closed minded and biased don't you think?

Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge.
Look Here

IE does this. Anyhow, I don't want this to boil down to a debate as to the meaning of the word "spyware ". IE secretly collects your web history and stores it in a hidden file that MS told nobody about. Who knows what MS does with this info, they havn't told anybody. I don't like that.

Rights protection? Whose rights? Ours or the media industry's. When a media player is or any other piece of software is developed, it should be made in ways that are beneficial to the customer. DRM is not, the only party that benefits from DRM is MS and other large enterprises. I don't like the idea of huge mega rich companys getting MS to make a media player just how they want it so they can keep a tab on whatever we do. You may like that kind of thing, but I'm not going there. No, I'm not doing anything illegal, but neither were Napster or Audiogalaxy. I don't like the idea of having a player that tells me what I can play and what I can't, I think it should be the other way around. As of yet, MS has not been taking this much control, but they sure have the ability now with WMP, and the rights to, according to its EULA. I tell you one thing, it certainly won't protect *your* rights.

Active X is of course a MS technology. Active X belongs to Microsoft. MS has kept it away from all compeditors making it almost impossible for them to get it to work with their browser (would need reverse engineering). Java on the other hand is an open technology that anyone can use. Active X is a ploy for MS to increase their Monopoly further. A business tool. Also, it is a security hazzard. I can do without it. Java is better anyways. But I do give you credit for this point. When talking about compatibility with MS's own proprietary tech, IE does win out. If MS doesn't want any other browsers to support it, they have ways of stopping them.

First I use Mozilla, 2nd Opera's association with Cydoor has nothing to do with spyware, it only has to do with Opera's advertizing. Opera does not secretly collect information about its users. There is no evidence of Opera doing this. Mozilla is even better, its open-source, and therefore pretty much guarenteed to be spyware free.