OT: Network continually stalling

[Robert Baer]

Have NIC card replacing on-board Ethernet support now; made zero
difference WRT problems:
1) Say i attempt to login to my Google e-mail or other account OR change
pages while browsing (say looking for parts on Mouser website).
Data transmission and reception STOPS for an indeterminate amount of
time and may or may not continue for an indeterminate amount of time -
sometimes "forever".
2) In NGs, say i click on a posting to view it and not a damn thing
happens; must then click on a different posting and re-try the one i
want - doing that almost always selects and shows what i wanted.
3) In NGs, say i write a response and click on send; sometimes the
progress bar runs essentially forever. Most of the time closing down the
browser will fix that, but not always.

In all cases (AFAIK for NGs), absolutely ZERO packets are sent or
received.
Avast! e-mail help suggested the use of one of the tools listed at:
https://www.google.com/search?q=software+that+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=pl&client=firefox-a&hs=7wy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=software+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic&oq=software+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic&gs_l=serp.3...4238.5476.0.5980.4.3.1.0.0.0.66.183.3.3.0...0.0...1c.1.pJ8QTVS1X5A&pbx=1&fp=1&bpcl=35466521&biw=1920&bih=1040&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&cad=b&sei=Gf6KULvuGY62qQHF7YDICQ

Sorry about the l*o*n*g reference; that is what was given.
Using a short Google query "software monitors/logs network traffic"
gives a LOT more "hits", and it might me a "good idea" (according to
Martha Stewart) to avoid that if possible, as there are no "filters".

Does anyone KNOW which ones (a) work, (b) does NOT and CANNOT crash
the computer - most especially does NOT and CANNOT crash the OS?
Te second part is *VERY* important,as the last time i tried a
suggested malware "finder", everything was clobbered (would you believe
a black screen with a license violation message?).

[Jan Panteltje]

On a sunny day (Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:49 -0800) it happened Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote in <Y7Iis.3389$iq6....@newsfe21.iad>:

> Have NIC card replacing on-board Ethernet support now; made zero
>difference WRT problems:
>1) Say i attempt to login to my Google e-mail or other account OR change
>pages while browsing (say looking for parts on Mouser website).
> Data transmission and reception STOPS for an indeterminate amount of
>time and may or may not continue for an indeterminate amount of time -
>sometimes "forever".
>2) In NGs, say i click on a posting to view it and not a damn thing
>happens; must then click on a different posting and re-try the one i
>want - doing that almost always selects and shows what i wanted.
>3) In NGs, say i write a response and click on send; sometimes the
>progress bar runs essentially forever. Most of the time closing down the
>browser will fix that, but not always.

First thing I always do when shit happens is:
ping 8.8.8.8
if that works, network OK, check computer.
If not:
traceroute IP_ADDRESS
see where it stops.
ping it too.

OS system you use?
If designed by Microsoft it is probably normal.

[Martin Brown]

On 27/10/2012 05:00, Robert Baer wrote:
> Have NIC card replacing on-board Ethernet support now; made zero
> difference WRT problems:
> 1) Say i attempt to login to my Google e-mail or other account OR change
> pages while browsing (say looking for parts on Mouser website).
> Data transmission and reception STOPS for an indeterminate amount of
> time and may or may not continue for an indeterminate amount of time -
> sometimes "forever".

When you say "network" do you mean ethernet, ADSL or wet string?

If you are still on a dial-up modem then buffer overruns are the most
likely cause of trouble on a Winmodem.

ipconfig/all and then ping members of your own network in isolation and
only then try external connections and hopcheck them to see where it
goes wrong or stalls. DNS faults or routing problems at your ISP can
cause stalls but user error is by far the most likely explanation.

> 2) In NGs, say i click on a posting to view it and not a damn thing
> happens; must then click on a different posting and re-try the one i
> want - doing that almost always selects and shows what i wanted.
> 3) In NGs, say i write a response and click on send; sometimes the
> progress bar runs essentially forever. Most of the time closing down the
> browser will fix that, but not always.
>
> In all cases (AFAIK for NGs), absolutely ZERO packets are sent or
> received.
> Avast! e-mail help suggested the use of one of the tools listed at:
> https://www.google.com/search?q=software+that+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=pl&client=firefox-a&hs=7wy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=software+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic&oq=software+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic&gs_l=serp.3...4238.5476.0.5980.4.3.1.0.0.0.66.183.3.3.0...0.0...1c.1.pJ8QTVS1X5A&pbx=1&fp=1&bpcl=35466521&biw=1920&bih=1040&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&cad=b&sei=Gf6KULvuGY62qQHF7YDICQ
>
>
> Sorry about the l*o*n*g reference; that is what was given.
> Using a short Google query "software monitors/logs network traffic"
> gives a LOT more "hits", and it might me a "good idea" (according to
> Martha Stewart) to avoid that if possible, as there are no "filters".
>
> Does anyone KNOW which ones (a) work, (b) does NOT and CANNOT crash
> the computer - most especially does NOT and CANNOT crash the OS?
> Te second part is *VERY* important,as the last time i tried a
> suggested malware "finder", everything was clobbered (would you believe
> a black screen with a license violation message?).

Power tools in the hands of amateurs often result in collateral damage.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Tim Williams]

I've noticed over the last month or two, on RoadRunner at least, that I
often have to repeat a request before it will complete.

Examples:
- Here, on eternal-september.org, after a period of inactivity (say,
reading a long post, or writing one), the server times out and I have to
reconnect to download another message. Very often, the connection simply
hangs. Stop and restart the request, and it connects immediately.
- The first time I view a webpage in some length of time (hours to days
perhaps?), the webpage won't load. Refreshing (or re-clicking the link)
makes it go.
- Or, when loading a webpage, the design uses a separate "media" server
for images, which don't load, or only load partially. Refreshing
downloads all images immediately.

A traceroute won't help much because you have to catch it in the act -- if
you see something not working and tracert in response, it'll magically
work again. Or the first packet to the problem node will be dropped, but
all subsequent ones go fine.

I have a sneaking suspicion this kind of behavior has to do with those
monitoring and sharing-and-copyright-limiting actions you see in the news,
but I don't have a clue how one might prove that.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

"Robert Baer" <rober...@localnet.com> wrote in message
news:Y7Iis.3389$iq6....@newsfe21.iad...

[Nobody]

On Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:49 -0800, Robert Baer wrote:

> Does anyone KNOW which ones (a) work, (b) does NOT and CANNOT crash
> the computer - most especially does NOT and CANNOT crash the OS?

Capturing network packets requires a device driver. If there are any bugs
in that driver, it can crash the OS. So, there are no guarantees, but
that's true for any device driver, including the ones written by
Microsoft, Intel, nVidia et al.

For Windows, I would recommend wireshark:

http://www.wireshark.org/

It works, and it is probably the least likely to crash the OS (by virtue
of being mature, actively developed, and widely used).

[Robert Baer]

I ping Google when system is stalled; results look good but rarrely
does the ping "kick" it out of what i call snooze mode.
"traceroute" is not a recognized blahblah.. must be the spelling.
In any case, what do i use for IP_ADDRESS as it may be variable (soi
cannot make a batch program).
I now use Win2K, but used to NEVER have these problems.

[Robert Baer]

Martin Brown wrote:
> On 27/10/2012 05:00, Robert Baer wrote:
>> Have NIC card replacing on-board Ethernet support now; made zero
>> difference WRT problems:
>> 1) Say i attempt to login to my Google e-mail or other account OR change
>> pages while browsing (say looking for parts on Mouser website).
>> Data transmission and reception STOPS for an indeterminate amount of
>> time and may or may not continue for an indeterminate amount of time -
>> sometimes "forever".
>
> When you say "network" do you mean ethernet, ADSL or wet string?

* Ethernet direcly to Comcast modem.

>
> If you are still on a dial-up modem then buffer overruns are the most
> likely cause of trouble on a Winmodem.

* Damn! dial-up was many years ago and i have always told people to
NEVER use "Winmodem"..a TeleType would be far better..

>
> ipconfig/all and then ping members of your own network in isolation and
> only then try external connections and hopcheck them to see where it
> goes wrong or stalls. DNS faults or routing problems at your ISP can
> cause stalls but user error is by far the most likely explanation.

* See above, also the infamous and so-called "user error" cannot exist
in the modes i described.

[Robert Baer]

Tim Williams wrote:
> I've noticed over the last month or two, on RoadRunner at least, that I
> often have to repeat a request before it will complete.
>
> Examples:
> - Here, on eternal-september.org, after a period of inactivity (say,
> reading a long post, or writing one), the server times out and I have to
> reconnect to download another message. Very often, the connection simply
> hangs. Stop and restart the request, and it connects immediately.
> - The first time I view a webpage in some length of time (hours to days
> perhaps?), the webpage won't load. Refreshing (or re-clicking the link)
> makes it go.
> - Or, when loading a webpage, the design uses a separate "media" server
> for images, which don't load, or only load partially. Refreshing
> downloads all images immediately.
>
> A traceroute won't help much because you have to catch it in the act -- if
> you see something not working and tracert in response, it'll magically
> work again. Or the first packet to the problem node will be dropped, but
> all subsequent ones go fine.
>
> I have a sneaking suspicion this kind of behavior has to do with those
> monitoring and sharing-and-copyright-limiting actions you see in the news,
> but I don't have a clue how one might prove that.
>
> Tim
>

What you describe is rather close to what i see.
Thanks for the correct mispelling for traceroute..
I see that TraceRT Google has significant pauses before completing a
number of the lines shown.
As i vaguely remember in the (dim) past, before this problem, there
were almost no pauses - about a line per second with no flim-flam.

Do those pauses indicate a "shadow" relating to the problems i see?

[Robert Baer]

Thanks; will try that on a BACKUP copy. Decided to get ver 1.6
instead of latest 1.8 (32-bit,natch with hopes Win2K will allow it).

[John G]

Robert Baer has brought this to us :

You started out I thiink relatig this problem to News Groups.
Does your local ISP use a service from GigaNews as mine (IInet) here in
Aus does?
For the last week or more it has been very eratic much like you
describe with no apparent problems for Internet or Email.
Whatever the problem it seems to have been fixed now.

--
John G

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:23:55 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

> Thanks; will try that on a BACKUP copy. Decided to get ver 1.6
>instead of latest 1.8 (32-bit,natch with hopes Win2K will allow it).

Thanks for disclosing that you're using Windoze 2000. It really does
help to know what OS version you're using.

There's not enough info (i.e. numbers) to make a good guess as to the
culprit. However, my bad guess(tm) would be that you have a DNS
problem. Your primary DNS server probably is mistyped into your
router configuration, or mistyped into the W2K network configuration.
With the primary DNS lookup failing, the secondary DNS server takes
over. However, it does take about 15 seconds for the OS to give up on
the primary and switch to the secondary, resulting in the delays
you're seeing. (Yes, I've screwed up and done this to myself a few
times).

Try:
Power cycle your router to clear its DNS cache.
Start -> run -> cmd <enter>
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /all (look for the IP address of the DNS servers)
If they point to the IP address of your router, login to your router,
and check that you either have the DNS servers set automatically by
PPPoE or DHCP from the ISP, or that you have the correct static DNS
server IP addresses scribbled into the boxes.

As for Wireshark:
<http://www.wireshark.org/docs/wsug_html_chunked/ChIntroPlatforms.html>
Windows 2000 no longer works with Wireshark. The last known
version to work was Wireshark 1.2.x (which includes WinPcap
4.1.2). You still can get it from
<http://www.wireshark.org/download/win32/all-versions/>

--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[miso]

> As for Wireshark:
> <http://www.wireshark.org/docs/wsug_html_chunked/ChIntroPlatforms.html>
> Windows 2000 no longer works with Wireshark. The last known
> version to work was Wireshark 1.2.x (which includes WinPcap
> 4.1.2). You still can get it from
> <http://www.wireshark.org/download/win32/all-versions/>
>

I love when people run copies of windows that no longer have support.
That way they can become bots for hackers and screw up the internet for
the rest of us.

> http://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm

I've tried a few DNS evaluation schemes, but I like Steve Gibson's the
best. Note that some modems (cable/DSL) have a placeholder for the DNS,
but you don't want to use it if you have a router. Rather plug the DNS
addresses in the router.

If opendns turns out to be the best, I would use something else. I don't
like how opendns takes it upon itself to fire up a search engine if the
request can't be serviced. I rather have it fail because I probably
mistyped something. I can correct it faster than their search.

[Grant]

Try tracert for windoze

Grant.

[Jan Panteltje]

On a sunny day (Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:02:41 -0800) it happened Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote in <Llmjs.18857$c16....@newsfe10.iad>:

panteltje: ~ # traceroute google.com
traceroute to google.com (74.125.136.101), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 router (192.168.178.1) 0.249 ms 0.215 ms 0.233 ms
2 10.212.192.1 (10.212.192.1) 7.129 ms 7.179 ms 7.172 ms
3 sk-rc0001-ds102-vl202.core.as9143.net (213.51.138.129) 9.766 ms 14.201 ms 14.175 ms
4 gn-rc0002-cr102-ae12-0.core.as9143.net (213.51.157.10) 15.035 ms 15.034 ms 15.027 ms
5 asd-tr0409-cr102-ae2-0.core.as9143.net (213.51.158.36) 18.159 ms 18.051 ms 18.125 ms
6 72.14.211.107 (72.14.211.107) 18.132 ms 19.822 ms 18.035 ms
7 209.85.254.90 (209.85.254.90) 16.252 ms 209.85.254.95 (209.85.254.95) 13.671 ms 209.85.254.90 (209.85.254.90) 17.580 ms
8 209.85.255.70 (209.85.255.70) 18.385 ms 16.397 ms 209.85.255.72 (209.85.255.72) 14.461 ms
9 216.239.49.28 (216.239.49.28) 19.364 ms 216.239.49.36 (216.239.49.36) 19.399 ms 216.239.49.28 (216.239.49.28) 18.872 ms^C

If it gets stuck at say pint 5, then do a whois asd-tr0409-cr102-ae2-0.core.as9143.net, or ip_to_country -i 213.51.158.36

panteltje: ~ # ip_to_country -i 213.51.158.36
ip=213.51.158.36 (3576929828) "NL" "NETHERLANDS"

I wrote ip_to_country, its on my site (C code) is uses a database maintained by others.

> In any case, what do i use for IP_ADDRESS as it may be variable (soi
>cannot make a batch program).
> I now use Win2K, but used to NEVER have these problems.

OK, cannot help there..
You would not be sending a zillion spam emails and your computers used by some botnet?
I use 'snort' utility for network monitoring.
Not sure if it has a MS windows version.

[Michael A. Terrell]

Robert Baer wrote:
>
> Martin Brown wrote:
> > On 27/10/2012 05:00, Robert Baer wrote:
> >> Have NIC card replacing on-board Ethernet support now; made zero
> >> difference WRT problems:
> >> 1) Say i attempt to login to my Google e-mail or other account OR change
> >> pages while browsing (say looking for parts on Mouser website).
> >> Data transmission and reception STOPS for an indeterminate amount of
> >> time and may or may not continue for an indeterminate amount of time -
> >> sometimes "forever".
> >
> > When you say "network" do you mean ethernet, ADSL or wet string?
> * Ethernet direcly to Comcast modem.

Have you unplugged the cable modem to reset it?

[Michael A. Terrell]

He's using 'Teranews'

[Jamie]

This is interesting, I too run W2k for something's and this here is one
of them. I have been getting random network blank outs too.

But I got thinking of something however, I have an old, real old
switch on the network that this computer goes through. With the
use of the V6/V5 socket system, I wonder if there is an issue going on
for allocation of the 4 digit 8 bit network address to be translated
for those that are not using the newer network addresses?

It's just a thought and most likely has nothing to do with the problem,
but it's an interesting hypothesis and most likely has nothing to do
with it.

Jamie

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:24:42 -0700, miso <mi...@sushi.com> wrote:

>
>> As for Wireshark:
>> <http://www.wireshark.org/docs/wsug_html_chunked/ChIntroPlatforms.html>
>> Windows 2000 no longer works with Wireshark. The last known
>> version to work was Wireshark 1.2.x (which includes WinPcap
>> 4.1.2). You still can get it from
>> <http://www.wireshark.org/download/win32/all-versions/>

>I love when people run copies of windows that no longer have support.
>That way they can become bots for hackers and screw up the internet for
>the rest of us.

I support a few remote mountaintop weather stations and camera servers
currently running W2K. These are slowly being moved to XP or Linux
(currently undecided). No virus scanner and no problems with W2K for
many years. Biggest headache is getting the application vendors to
continue W2K support. 2nd biggest headache is that changing from
small footprint W2K to either XP or Linux requires a hardware upgrade.

>> http://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm
>
>I've tried a few DNS evaluation schemes, but I like Steve Gibson's the
>best.

I prefer Googles DNS benchmark program:
<http://code.google.com/p/namebench/>
Both programs should show any time delay for a new (non-cached) DNS
lookup, thus either proving or disproving my wild guess(tm).

>Note that some modems (cable/DSL) have a placeholder for the DNS,
>but you don't want to use it if you have a router. Rather plug the DNS
>addresses in the router.

Far too many consumer routers have unsufficient RAM to cache a large
number of DNS lookups. When the router DNS cache gets corrupted,
everyone on the network has problems. I try NOT to have the
workstations point to the router for DNS lookups, but rather have them
point directly to their favorite DNS server.

>If opendns turns out to be the best, I would use something else. I don't
>like how opendns takes it upon itself to fire up a search engine if the
>request can't be serviced. I rather have it fail because I probably
>mistyped something. I can correct it faster than their search.

Some of my customer use OpenDNS Family Shield DNS filtering service to
keep the kids out of known bad sites. Other than ocassional
weirdness, no problems.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:51:28 -0500, Jamie
<jamie_ka1lpa_not_v...@charter.net> wrote:

>This is interesting, I too run W2k for something's and this here is one
>of them. I have been getting random network blank outs too.

Sigh. It's contagious.

Dumb story: One day at work, I declared a problem that I was having
with a transmitter was "parasitic oscillations". Within a week, every
tech on the production line and some of the engineers were declaring
that their problems were due to parasitic oscillations, even though
they didn't have a clue what it was or how to fix it. A great
demonstration of the power of magic buzzwords and suggestions.

> But I got thinking of something however, I have an old, real old
>switch on the network that this computer goes through. With the
>use of the V6/V5 socket system, I wonder if there is an issue going on
>for allocation of the 4 digit 8 bit network address to be translated
>for those that are not using the newer network addresses?

Long ago, with a customer best forgotten, I had to deal with some
ancient 10baseT managed switches. The problem was that RAM was
expensive at the time, and the switch manufacturer didn't include
enough. For an ethernet switch to work, it needs to store a table of
MAC address to ethernet port numbers, so it knows where to shovel the
packets. If the table is too small, the switch should discard old
addresses to make room for new addresses. The process is quite fast,
and rarely causes a problem. Not with this switch. Instead of
clearing one entry, it would flush the entire table and start over.
Repopulating the table didn't take very long, but when faced with
another deluge of MAC addresses, it would almost continuously be
flushing the table. The result was with a few machines, it worked
just fine. However, once it crossed some threshold that caused the
table to be flushed, traffic through the switch was erratic, tended to
stall for anywhere between a few seconds to several minutes, or
created huge packet losses. It would work on my bench and at the
manufacturers test lab, but not at the customers. I found a MAC
address generator (originally used in a DoS denial of service attack)
to generate enough random MAC addresses to make it fall over, and
convince the manufacturer that it was their problem.

However, if "newer" means the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, there
should not be any problem at the switch level, which only works at ISO
Layer 2 with MAC addresses and not Layer 3 with IP addresses. At the
MAC address layer, IPv4 and IPv6 both look the same. If your LAN is
running a VLAN, you might have other problems if the switch can't
handle VLAN packets.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:07:58 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:

> Have you unplugged the cable modem to reset it?

Some (Arris) cable routers have a built in backup battery for the VoIP
part of the puzzle. Power cycling doesn't work. You have to take a
paper clip and punch the reset button in back.

If you suspect that the CMTS part of the puzzle is having a bad day,
that side can be "reset" by simply unplugging the coax cable, waiting
about 15 minutes, and plugging it back in. I'm not sure exactly how
long it really takes, but when I need a break, it's a convenient
excuse.

On Saturday morning, we have a local power outage that pulled the plug
on 17,000 customers. It's now Monday morning and my phones are
ringing furiously. UPS's with dead batteries, routers that reset
themselves to defaults, data corruption, blown LCD monitor, hung
computers, comatose switches and modems, etc. Life is good. Remind
me to send a thank you card to PG&E.

[miso]

I used that google DNS benchmarker originally, which is how i ended up
on opendns. Have you tried Steve Gibson's benchmarker? It took 37
minutes, but really flogged all the DNS servers thoroughly. In addition,
I pinged them to see if the timing is stable. Yes, I know pinging a DNS
is not the same as using one, but it is indicative of the connection. I
ended up using Level 3's DNS.

Gibson is Mr. Lean Code. The program is 164kbytes. He must program in
freakin' assembler.

Win2k is probably fine if you don't put email on the system, which is
unlikely on a remote system. It is the people with outdated windows on
their desktops that are a problem.

I limit email to one desktop and a Blackberry. Good luck hacking a FIPS
140-2 qualified device. I should do email on the linux box, but all the
old mail is on windows, and I like to look at the archive.

I don't know about Android, but you can buy quite a bit of software to
put on an iphone that in theory makes it as secure as a FIPS 140-2
device, but it doesn't get the actual rating. Some, but sadly not many,
enterprise iphone users go through that hassle. Still, it is just a
bandage for a device with poor native security.

And the address book is the prime target for any phone hacker. You get
control of email, you got it all these days.

[Michael A. Terrell]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:07:58 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
> <mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > Have you unplugged the cable modem to reset it?
>
> Some (Arris) cable routers have a built in backup battery for the VoIP
> part of the puzzle. Power cycling doesn't work. You have to take a
> paper clip and punch the reset button in back.
>
> If you suspect that the CMTS part of the puzzle is having a bad day,
> that side can be "reset" by simply unplugging the coax cable, waiting
> about 15 minutes, and plugging it back in. I'm not sure exactly how
> long it really takes, but when I need a break, it's a convenient
> excuse.

'Blighthouse' uses cheap Scientific Atlanta modems that need powered
down every couple months when they are new, and as often as once a week,
when they are old.

> On Saturday morning, we have a local power outage that pulled the plug
> on 17,000 customers. It's now Monday morning and my phones are
> ringing furiously. UPS's with dead batteries, routers that reset
> themselves to defaults, data corruption, blown LCD monitor, hung
> computers, comatose switches and modems, etc. Life is good. Remind
> me to send a thank you card to PG&E.

New glass mats, all around!!!


Send them a bill, for your time, too!

[Michael A. Terrell]

Someone managed to hack a Linksys WRG54T wireless router I had, and
had it running port scans on computers. The firewall was blocking the
attempts, but it stopped the network when it would kick in.

[Robert Baer]

Maybe the basic from: to: etc does not say; i use teranews as my ISP
seems to have decided to abandon NGs.
BUT.
The packet send/receive "burps" of inaction happen when i switch
pages / URLs.

[Robert Baer]

I have no eXplicit router; the NIC card (used to use motherboard
built-in Ethernet) goes directly to my Comcast modem; no way to change
or mis-type any address.

[Robert Baer]

Thanks; i replaced 1.6 with wireshark-win32-1.2.11.exe .

[Robert Baer]

Have used the reset button as well as unplugged it.
Will not hurt to try again for the Nth time...

[Robert Baer]

Steve Gibson has always used assembler since Day One back in the
early 1980s.
Total and absolute control with zero guesswork as to where code,
where data, and as how things were "managed".
Almost the exact opposite of what i have seen regarding "C".

[Robert Baer]

Will keep you posted..Hope N is a prime number that works..

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:51:09 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:

> New glass mats, all around!!!

Much as I like AGM batteries, I'm now tempted to try the new LiFePO4
drop in replacements. Expensive, but they're suppose to last much
longer. The extra cost of a service call every few years is about the
same as buying one of these batteries:
<http://www.all-battery.com/lifepo4_sla.aspx>
Only three genuine dead batteries today. Unfortunately, one of them
was in my office APC Backup UPS XS 1000. Argh.

> Send them a bill, for your time, too!

Of course I'll send them an invoice. I don't do this for the
entertainment value, although I must admit that it has been
entertaining at times:
<http://www.LearnByDestroying.com/nooze/support.txt>
This was from 1994, so the technology may have improved somewhat. I
just wish the customers would do the same.

[Jeff Liebermann]

So much for that wild guess(tm). Blundering forward...

1. Comcast offers a wide and confusing variety of service tiers. At
the bottom of the barrel is their 1 or 1.5 MBit/sec "Economy" service.
<http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15643>
One would think that it streams along at 1.5Mbits/sec. Nope. It
actually delivers about 6-10Mbits/sec in short bursts seperated by
long delays. This creates some rather bizarre symptoms, especially on
older operating systems. Connection timeout errors and hangs are most
common, but I've also seen a few DNS failures.

2. If you have one of the faster service tiers, you may need to
"tweak" some of your Windoze 2000 network settings to get decent
speeds and "smooth" downloads. Start here:
<http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks>
Of course, there be bugs and accidental regressions:
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263088>
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890345>

3. One of the best ways to troubleshoot problems is by substitution.
In this case, find someone with a suitable laptop running at least XP
or OS/X 10.5.xx or later. See if it has the same problems. If not,
your W2K box has a problem. However, if it exhibits the same
symptoms, look for a broken modem, miswired ethernet cable, crappy F
connector crimps, etc.

4. All Comcast cable modems have a diagnostics page. Go thee unto:
<http://192.168.100.1>
Check your signal levels and SNR to see if they're within spec. If
not, check everything between your cable modem and the POE (point of
entry). Look for bad F connector crimps and mouse chewed RG6/u coax.

gotta run...

[Martin Brown]

Teranews is overworked and under resourced. At busy times it will stall
and/or fail to validate a password etc. You get what you pay for -
Usenet is resource intensive and unprofitable. Teranews text is free.
You would get the same problems with AOIE or any other free server.

Preresolve a few major sites and when thing go sluggish traceroute them
from a DOS window to see where the bottleneck is. If your problem is
with DNS lookups then 173.194.67.106 is www.Google.com

You should get a ping time of 40ms or less.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Martin Brown]

On 30/10/2012 00:53, Robert Baer wrote:

> I have no eXplicit router; the NIC card (used to use motherboard
> built-in Ethernet) goes directly to my Comcast modem; no way to change
> or mis-type any address.

Ye Gods! What sort of software firewall are you running on the box?

I'd expect bare Win2k to last at most a few minutes connected directly
to the internet before being seriously compromised by roving malware.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Jasen Betts]

On 2012-10-27, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
> Have NIC card replacing on-board Ethernet support now; made zero
> difference WRT problems:
> 1) Say i attempt to login to my Google e-mail or other account OR change
> pages while browsing (say looking for parts on Mouser website).
> Data transmission and reception STOPS for an indeterminate amount of
> time and may or may not continue for an indeterminate amount of time -
> sometimes "forever".

> 2) In NGs, say i click on a posting to view it and not a damn thing
> happens; must then click on a different posting and re-try the one i
> want - doing that almost always selects and shows what i wanted.
> 3) In NGs, say i write a response and click on send; sometimes the
> progress bar runs essentially forever. Most of the time closing down the
> browser will fix that, but not always.
>

> In all cases (AFAIK for NGs), absolutely ZERO packets are sent or
> received.
> Avast! e-mail help suggested the use of one of the tools listed at:
> https://www.google.com/search?q=software+that+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=pl&client=firefox-a&hs=7wy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=software+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic&oq=software+monitors%2Flogs+network+traffic&gs_l=serp.3...4238.5476.0.5980.4.3.1.0.0.0.66.183.3.3.0...0.0...1c.1.pJ8QTVS1X5A&pbx=1&fp=1&bpcl=35466521&biw=1920&bih=1040&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&cad=b&sei=Gf6KULvuGY62qQHF7YDICQ
>
> Sorry about the l*o*n*g reference; that is what was given.
> Using a short Google query "software monitors/logs network traffic"
> gives a LOT more "hits", and it might me a "good idea" (according to
> Martha Stewart) to avoid that if possible, as there are no "filters".

>
> Does anyone KNOW which ones (a) work, (b) does NOT and CANNOT crash
> the computer - most especially does NOT and CANNOT crash the OS?

> Te second part is *VERY* important,as the last time i tried a
> suggested malware "finder", everything was clobbered (would you believe
> a black screen with a license violation message?).

Wireshark, the linux version is very good, I have not tried the
windows version exceopt in a virtual machine, never had it cause harm.

--
⚂⚃ 100% natural

[Robert Baer]

No joy.
Have Wireshark "installed" - even tho it is not running, all of a
sudden, logging into gmail or going to any other URL "froze" badly for a
while; now back to "normal" balkiness.

[Robert Baer]

Well, i also have problems going from page to page (log intogmail,in
ebay from search to sell, etc etc.

[Robert Baer]

And pray tell, how do i check that?
I see absolutely no unknown programs running.
How can i check - the last time i tried a "suggested" malware check
program, my OS and HD got trashed.
Oh, and BTW, have been running Win2Kfor at least a year with no
problems until recently.

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:53:35 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> I have no eXplicit router; the NIC card (used to use motherboard
>> built-in Ethernet) goes directly to my Comcast modem; no way to change
>> or mis-type any address.
>
> So much for that wild guess(tm). Blundering forward...
>
> 1. Comcast offers a wide and confusing variety of service tiers. At
> the bottom of the barrel is their 1 or 1.5 MBit/sec "Economy" service.
> <http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15643>
> One would think that it streams along at 1.5Mbits/sec. Nope. It
> actually delivers about 6-10Mbits/sec in short bursts seperated by
> long delays. This creates some rather bizarre symptoms, especially on
> older operating systems. Connection timeout errors and hangs are most
> common, but I've also seen a few DNS failures.

* Have that lowest tier; back a ways, when had no problems the speed
test showed data rates a bit in excess of specified rates; Comcast guy
then and now say that is unusual and all was/is OK..

>
> 2. If you have one of the faster service tiers, you may need to
> "tweak" some of your Windoze 2000 network settings to get decent
> speeds and "smooth" downloads. Start here:
> <http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks>
> Of course, there be bugs and accidental regressions:
> <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263088>
> <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890345>
>
> 3. One of the best ways to troubleshoot problems is by substitution.
> In this case, find someone with a suitable laptop running at least XP
> or OS/X 10.5.xx or later. See if it has the same problems. If not,
> your W2K box has a problem. However, if it exhibits the same
> symptoms, look for a broken modem, miswired ethernet cable, crappy F
> connector crimps, etc.
>
> 4. All Comcast cable modems have a diagnostics page. Go thee unto:
> <http://192.168.100.1>
> Check your signal levels and SNR to see if they're within spec. If
> not, check everything between your cable modem and the POE (point of
> entry). Look for bad F connector crimps and mouse chewed RG6/u coax.
>
> gotta run...

Thanx for suggestions..will try some, especially that diagnostics page.
Got Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 installed.
What bugs the shit out of me is that i always see MS Visual C++
redistributable installed AND I HATE "C" and did _NOT_ install that
shit!!! I remove it and some time later it re-appears.

[Martin Brown]

On 31/10/2012 04:26, Robert Baer wrote:
> Martin Brown wrote:
>> On 30/10/2012 00:53, Robert Baer wrote:
>>
>>> I have no eXplicit router; the NIC card (used to use motherboard
>>> built-in Ethernet) goes directly to my Comcast modem; no way to change
>>> or mis-type any address.
>>
>> Ye Gods! What sort of software firewall are you running on the box?
>>
>> I'd expect bare Win2k to last at most a few minutes connected directly
>> to the internet before being seriously compromised by roving malware.
>>
> And pray tell, how do i check that?
> I see absolutely no unknown programs running.

You won't. Anything that gets in will hide itself as a rootkit.

Win2k has exceptionally bad TCP/IP vulnerabilities that ISTR MS could
not and would not fix. It is madness to use it on broadband even behind
a good hardware firewall if you care about security.

> How can i check - the last time i tried a "suggested" malware check
> program, my OS and HD got trashed.

You could get a clue.

> Oh, and BTW, have been running Win2Kfor at least a year with no
> problems until recently.
>

Very surprising since it is like going to sea in a sieve.
How long have you been on broadband?

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Martin Brown]

A web browser does far too many things behind the scenes.

Test the integrity for the network connection first!

You are as thick as two short planks. I refer you to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000#Security

Since by the sounds of it you are clueless and *wide* open to the
Internet on an ancient OS most of your available bandwidth is by now
occupied sending out Russian bride/Vigara/Gucci Watch spam. Are you
running a proper firewall or relying on the junk that MS provide.

I honestly can't think of a more inappropriate OS to connect directly to
the internet.

Routers are very cheap these days and will keep a fair proportion of
hostile malware traffic at bay (but change the PW from its default!).

A DNS fault is still quite likely as a cause of many pages stalling. The
fastest check is to put the numerical values dotted quad form directly
into the browser. No DNS lookup - straight to the site.

But basically since TCP/IP on Win2k is hopelessly broken...
*USE A BETTER OPERATING SYSTEM!*

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Michael A. Terrell]

Robert Baer wrote:
>
> What bugs the shit out of me is that I always see MS Visual C++

> redistributable installed AND I HATE "C" and did _NOT_ install that
> shit!!! I remove it and some time later it re-appears.

'MS Visual C++ redistributable' is required to run programs written
with MS Visual C++. It is not the software to write in 'C++'.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:44:09 -0800, Robert Baer

<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:53:35 -0800, Robert Baer
>> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I have no eXplicit router; the NIC card (used to use motherboard
>>> built-in Ethernet) goes directly to my Comcast modem; no way to change
>>> or mis-type any address.
>>
>> So much for that wild guess(tm). Blundering forward...
>>
>> 1. Comcast offers a wide and confusing variety of service tiers. At
>> the bottom of the barrel is their 1 or 1.5 MBit/sec "Economy" service.
>> <http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15643>
>> One would think that it streams along at 1.5Mbits/sec. Nope. It
>> actually delivers about 6-10Mbits/sec in short bursts seperated by
>> long delays. This creates some rather bizarre symptoms, especially on
>> older operating systems. Connection timeout errors and hangs are most
>> common, but I've also seen a few DNS failures.

>* Have that lowest tier; back a ways, when had no problems the speed
>test showed data rates a bit in excess of specified rates; Comcast guy
>then and now say that is unusual and all was/is OK..

The speed test will not show a problem. Think of it this way. You
want to water your lawn. Ideally, you should have a steady stream
from the water hose. Not too light or it takes forever. Not too
heavy or you drill holes in the lawn and produce mud. An even
controlled stream is also the way Comcast should be delivering your
1.5Mbit/sec data. However, with the 1.5Mbit/sec service, their lawn
is watered by a rather heavy burst of water, followed by a long pause
of no water, followed by another heavy burst, and the next delay, etc.
The average water delivery rate is the same as the controlled stream,
but do you think you could effectively water your lawn this way? I
don't.

About a year ago, I dealt with 3 such Comcast customers with service
at 1Mbits/sec. In all cases, I could not make them stream, could not
get reliable operation, and received erratic reports of weird failures
(usually network timeouts) and browser stalls. In the past, the rated
speed as only 1Mbit/sec. In response to user complaints about
timeouts, Comcast increased the speed to 1.5Mbits/sec which admittedly
improved things somewhat. However, it didn't totally fix the
problems. All 3 customers were force to upgrade to the next highest
service tier, which eliminated all the timeout problem.

> Thanx for suggestions..will try some, especially that diagnostics page.
> Got Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 installed.
> What bugs the shit out of me is that i always see MS Visual C++
> redistributable installed AND I HATE "C" and did _NOT_ install that
> shit!!! I remove it and some time later it re-appears.

It's a runtime library for programs written in C so that every program
doesn't need to include duplicated libraries. There are quite a few
programs that require these libraries and that will download them when
needed. You should leave them installed.

You should also buy a (wireless) router. Running a Windoze 2000 box
directly onto your unspecified model Comcast cable modem is an open
invitation for a robotic attack using well known exploits. a software
firewall is also a good solution, if you can find one for Windoze
2000.

If you have antique hardware, no money, but want to upgrade to at
least Windoze XP, look into WinFLP:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCs>
CD ISO images and serial numbers can be found in all the usual places.
However, while I use W2K for single application platforms (i.e.
weather stations and camera servers), it's really not suitable for
general purpose computing. In addition to buying a router, I suggest
you seriously consider upgrading to something later.

Oh... my favored (wireless) router of the week:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/300686989026>
$35

[Robert Baer]

Got Wireshark loaded; don't know how to get it running..

[Robert Baer]

Copy & Paste from Touchstone, unmod:

Status
HW/FW Versions
Event Log
CM State
Advanced

RF Parameters
Downstream
DCID Freq Power SNR Modulation Octets Correcteds Uncorrectables
Downstream 1 79 603.00 MHz -0.34 dBmV 36.84 dB 256QAM 276734681 9551 7885
Downstream 2 77 591.00 MHz -1.06 dBmV 36.17 dB 256QAM 53130513 11753 8013
Downstream 3 78 597.00 MHz -0.42 dBmV 36.61 dB 256QAM 52686551 11012 6412
Downstream 4 80 609.00 MHz -0.48 dBmV 37.09 dB 256QAM 54006344 9570 4598
Reset FEC Counters
Upstream
UCID Freq Power Channel Type Symbol Rate Modulation
Upstream 3 1 30.60 MHz 42.50 dBmV DOCSIS2.0 (ATDMA) 5120 kSym/s 64QAM
Upstream 4 3 37.00 MHz 43.00 dBmV DOCSIS2.0 (ATDMA) 5120 kSym/s 64QAM

Status
System Uptime: 2 d: 0 h: 55 m
Computers Detected: staticCPE(1), dynamicCPE(1)
CM Status: Telephony-Reg Complete
Time and Date: Wed 2012-10-31 17:59:43

Interface Parameters
Interface Name Provisioned State Speed (Mbps) MAC address
LAN Enabled Up 1000(Full) 00:15:D0:D9:73:71
CABLE Enabled Up ----- 00:15:D0:D9:73:72
MTA Pass Up ----- 00:15:D0:D9:73:73

***
How do i interpret signal levels and SNR?

[josephkk]

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:44:09 -0800, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com>
wrote:

>

>> 4. All Comcast cable modems have a diagnostics page. Go thee unto:
>> <http://192.168.100.1>
>> Check your signal levels and SNR to see if they're within spec. If
>> not, check everything between your cable modem and the POE (point of
>> entry). Look for bad F connector crimps and mouse chewed RG6/u coax.
>>
>> gotta run...
>
> Thanx for suggestions..will try some, especially that diagnostics page.
> Got Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 installed.
> What bugs the shit out of me is that i always see MS Visual C++
>redistributable installed AND I HATE "C" and did _NOT_ install that
>shit!!! I remove it and some time later it re-appears.

Something you need to understand, the redistributable package is necessary
to the smooth operation of your system. It is precompiled binaries that
"help" MS "C" programs work properly, such as MSOffice. It largely is the
many and varied advanced controls and dialogs common to many programs.

?-)

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:06:11 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

> Copy & Paste from Touchstone, unmod:

First, a short rant. If you expect to get help with your problem, it
would be very helpful if you would kindly supply numbers instead of
trade names. There are five different Arris Touchstone cable modems.
What MODEL NUMBER do you have? You also haven't bothered to disclose
anything about your computah hardware. It was almost accidental that
you mentioned that you're running W2K. I have no idea who is your
service provider, although I assumed Comcast and you didn't object. If
you can't supply enough information to produce a useful answer
(especially if it's in the wrong newsgroup), please do not expect
useful answers. At best, you'll get a guess(tm). End of rant.

>Downstream
> DCID Freq Power SNR Mod Octets Correcteds Uncorrectables

>Downstream 1 79 603.00 MHz -0.34 dBmV 36.84 dB 256QAM 276734681 9551 7885
>Downstream 2 77 591.00 MHz -1.06 dBmV 36.17 dB 256QAM 53130513 11753 8013
>Downstream 3 78 597.00 MHz -0.42 dBmV 36.61 dB 256QAM 52686551 11012 6412
>Downstream 4 80 609.00 MHz -0.48 dBmV 37.09 dB 256QAM 54006344 9570 4598
>

>Upstream
> UCID Freq Power Channel Type Symbol Rate Modulation
>Upstream 3 1 30.60 MHz 42.50 dBmV DOCSIS2.0 (ATDMA) 5120 kSym/s 64QAM
>Upstream 4 3 37.00 MHz 43.00 dBmV DOCSIS2.0 (ATDMA) 5120 kSym/s 64QAM

> How do i interpret signal levels and SNR?

<http://www.dslreports.com/faq/16085>
<http://www.dslreports.com/faq/16220>

Upstream signal is about 42dBmV
Acceptable range for ATDMA is 8 to 55 dBmV. No problem.

Downstream signal is about -1dBmV, which is tolerable.
Acceptable range is -10dBmV to +10dBmV. No problem.

Downstream SNR is about 36dB
Acceptable range 256QAM is anything greater than 30dB. No problem.

FEC, corrected and uncorrected are suppose to be no worse than about
5% of data received. You're running at about 0.04%, so that's not a
problem.

Offhand, I would say that there's nothing wrong with your cable
service, service levels, or unspecified model Arris cable modem.

That leaves the CAT5 cable, your possibly antique computah hardware,
or most likely your bad choice of operating system. Drag someone over
to your place that has a modern laptop and try the same tests. If
that works, either fix your computer, upgrade your OS, or get
something more modern.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:54:49 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

> Got Wireshark loaded; don't know how to get it running..

Ok, you don't or won't read the docs.

Wireshark. Getting started videos:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlc0Wwnwxrs>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnkCKI96QCE>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLTa29iovU> (3 parts)
The last one seems best. Pay attention to the filters section as you
probably will want to try filtering by port 53 DNS.

Frankly, methinks you may be working over your current abilities.
Unless you have some exprience with how normal and correct traffic
patterns appear, you probably won't recognize any anomalies. Because
of this, performance problems will be difficult to troublehshoot. It's
much like trying to troubleshoot freeway vehicle traffic congestion,
by taking a short video of the local traffic, and using that to
reverse engineer how that traffic became so congested. That's
possible, but not easy.

[Martin Brown]

RTFM.

BTW Messing about at TCP/IP level on Win2k is unwise (clueless).
Win2k TCP/IP stack is known to be terminally broken!

See
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/MS09-048

I quote verbatim:

Top of section
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update


If Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 is listed as an affected
product, why is Microsoft not issuing an update for it?
The architecture to properly support TCP/IP protection does not exist on
Microsoft Windows 2000 systems, making it infeasible to build the fix
for Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 to eliminate the
vulnerability. To do so would require rearchitecting a very significant
amount of the Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 operating system,
not just the affected component. The product of such a rearchitecture
effort would be sufficiently incompatible with Microsoft Windows 2000
Service Pack 4 that there would be no assurance that applications
designed to run on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 would continue
to operate on the updated system. The impact of a denial of service
attack is that a system would become unresponsive due to memory
consumption. However, a successful attack requires a sustained flood of
specially crafted TCP packets, and the system will recover once the
flood ceases. Microsoft recommends that customers running Microsoft
Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 use a firewall to block access to the
affected ports and limit the attack surface from untrusted networks.


You are ignoring basics and jumping in the deep end with power tools
that you clearly don't understand or have any hope of understanding.
Using a known to be severely broken OS just compounds matters.

Come to think of it you haven't told us what patch level you are
running. I wouldn't put it past you to have no updates applied.

Teranews text will stall at certain times of day when it is busy - US is
awake. You can make it worse by opening lots of streams at once. Some
days it can be tetchy about posting too but it will recover.

What DNS are you using and have you tested ping times and hopchecks to
known external resolved numeric dotted quad sites when it is slow.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:53:35 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> I have no eXplicit router; the NIC card (used to use motherboard
>> built-in Ethernet) goes directly to my Comcast modem; no way to change
>> or mis-type any address.
>
> So much for that wild guess(tm). Blundering forward...
>
> 1. Comcast offers a wide and confusing variety of service tiers. At
> the bottom of the barrel is their 1 or 1.5 MBit/sec "Economy" service.
> <http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15643>
> One would think that it streams along at 1.5Mbits/sec. Nope. It
> actually delivers about 6-10Mbits/sec in short bursts seperated by
> long delays. This creates some rather bizarre symptoms, especially on
> older operating systems. Connection timeout errors and hangs are most
> common, but I've also seen a few DNS failures.
>
> 2. If you have one of the faster service tiers, you may need to
> "tweak" some of your Windoze 2000 network settings to get decent
> speeds and "smooth" downloads. Start here:
> <http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks>

** IMPOSSIBLE to use. The most recent _32_bit version of JRE i could
find was 6U25; 6U26 etc are 64-bit. And the G-D thing insists i do not
have Java loaded!

[Robert Baer]

About a year or so.
Tested speed: ping: 5-15mSec, Download: 24.54Mbps, Upload: 3.83Mbps.
Ran twice just now,,fairly consistent.

[Robert Baer]

So you are saying that some program i have needs that POS and so it
is "automatically loaded?

[Robert Baer]

Oh!. Thanks. Had been running Office 2003 Student,then that "malware
finder" program totally trashed the OS and HD.
So had to re-build the HD from scratch, and thus lost the "activation".
Real shit.
So i loaded Office 2000 Pro to have useability for Nerd, Hexcell etc.
Office 2000 Pro does not need the activation BS - but from what you
say,i guess it "needs" that stupid re-distributable.

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:06:11 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>

>> Copy& Paste from Touchstone, unmod:

Arris Model TM702G/CT P/N TM02AHDG7CT.
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS, presumably the most modern MB that
will directly run IDE hard drives (damn CD/DVD interface is SATA which
means some of my older software cannot install because said software
uses its own DOS IDE driver (and all but one of them work with SATA).
Now i _could_ go back to Win98SE...
**
I would like to use _one_ OS for everything..off-line work; lotza
programs i have are old and reliable - only one needs impossible to get
activation.
The i could re-boot to a different OS for online (Win7 maybe).
Switching back and forth is a PITA and then some..

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:54:49 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> Got Wireshark loaded; don't know how to get it running..
>
> Ok, you don't or won't read the docs.
>
> Wireshark. Getting started videos:
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlc0Wwnwxrs>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnkCKI96QCE>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLTa29iovU> (3 parts)
> The last one seems best. Pay attention to the filters section as you
> probably will want to try filtering by port 53 DNS.
>
> Frankly, methinks you may be working over your current abilities.

* Check; do not know anything about how the info goes back and forth;
most especially do not understand the (apparently) thousands of "ports".
Zilch about traffic patterns - except see ZERO packets transferred
during those "freezes".

[Robert Baer]

As i mentioned, have done ping and tracert checks when zero packets
moving and all looks OK and the "freeze" is not affected.

[Martin Brown]

On 03/11/2012 08:30, Robert Baer wrote:
> Martin Brown wrote:
>>

>> Come to think of it you haven't told us what patch level you are
>> running. I wouldn't put it past you to have no updates applied.
>>
>> Teranews text will stall at certain times of day when it is busy - US is
>> awake. You can make it worse by opening lots of streams at once. Some
>> days it can be tetchy about posting too but it will recover.
>>
>> What DNS are you using and have you tested ping times and hopchecks to
>> known external resolved numeric dotted quad sites when it is slow.
>>
> As i mentioned, have done ping and tracert checks when zero packets
> moving and all looks OK and the "freeze" is not affected.

I cannot actually parse that sentence unambiguously. I conclude that you
cannot be helped since you will not provide adequate information!

I don't recall seeing that you said you had tried. It was suggested and
you ignored it and then grumbled that you couldn't setup wireshark.

You could at least try to learn the terminology.

If ping and traceroute are working to known external *resolved*
addresses then the link data protocol is working and packets *are* flowing.

The problem therefore is almost certainly DNS related or some other
misconfiguration of your system. Why am I not surprised?

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Jasen Betts]

On 2012-10-31, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>> I'd expect bare Win2k to last at most a few minutes connected directly
>> to the internet before being seriously compromised by roving malware.
>>
> And pray tell, how do i check that?

With stealth viruses theres's no way way to tell short of booting from
known clean media an doing an in-depth analysis. (assuming the BIOS
hasn't been compromised too).

> Oh, and BTW, have been running Win2Kfor at least a year with no
> problems until recently.

No, W2K has been NLS for longer than that, just that hasn't been a
problem for you until recently.

--
⚂⚃ 100% natural

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---

[Jasen Betts]

On 2012-11-03, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

I agree that the visaul C++ runtime it a pieceo of shit, it's about 12
years out of date, but last time I checked it was the only C rntime
available.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:21:33 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

> Arris Model TM702G/CT P/N TM02AHDG7CT.

Good modem. DOCSIS 3.0 with VoIP. If it ever hangs or acts weird,
punch the reset button with a paper clip in back as the built in
battery will prevent reboots using the "pull the power plug" method.
Diags show no modem or cable network errors, so it's probably not the
modem causing the stalls. However, since you have the slowest
1.5Mbit/sec Comcast(????) service, you still have some potential
problems with "bursty" data.

> Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS, presumably the most modern MB that
>will directly run IDE hard drives (damn CD/DVD interface is SATA which
>means some of my older software cannot install because said software
>uses its own DOS IDE driver (and all but one of them work with SATA).

<http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2NMX_SE_Plus/>
Asus makes generally good mother boards. That one looks like it came
out of an HP or Compaq computer. I don't like AMD processors, but
that's just a personal preference. They work. All the current
motherboards are SATA. The added boost in performance over PATA is
well worth the effort. How you managed to find PCIe drivers and dual
core CPU support for Windoze 2000 will remain a mystery.

> Now i _could_ go back to Win98SE...

You could also go back to an abacus or slide rule. In a past life,
whenever we had a teething problem with new processes or production
line problems, there was always some clueless manager that would
pronounce that the solution was to go back to the previous methods,
which were known to work. I invariably had to convince them that this
would effectively created an arrested growth situation, where nothing
would progress beyond that point. It's the same with your computer.
If you like working with stone age technology, by all means, please do
so. However, do not complain when it doesn't work with the latest
cable modems or software. You're still stuck at Windoze 2000 level of
performance, features, and technology. Put a jet engine in a
Volkswagen and what do you get? A Volkswagen.

> I would like to use _one_ OS for everything..off-line work; lotza
>programs i have are old and reliable - only one needs impossible to get
>activation.

Well, you've just experienced your first difficulty which is going to
be difficult to solve with Windoze 2000. In effect, you have the tail
wagging the dog. Instead of utilizing the latest advances in hardware
and operating system, you're letting your attachment to old software
drive your computing decisions. There's nothing wrong with doing
that, except for the not so minor detail that you can't do it forever.
I still support SCO Xenix customers running an OS that officially died
in about 1989. Also SCO ODT 3.0, which officially died in about 1995.
Not too long ago, I supported a Apple Lisa Xenix running a machine
shop CAD program. The difference is that they're NOT using these old
machines for general purpose computing. They're running a single
legacy application needed to keep paranoid lawyers and reactionary
owners happy. The general purpose computing was done on various
modern desktops and laptops. I suggest you consider doing the same.
If you have some antique application that you've become firmly
attached to using, usually as a result of having borrowed it from a
former employer, then dedicate a machine (or virtual machine)
specifically to running that program under Windoze 2000, and buy
something modern to run the current stuff. Machines are cheap. Your
time tinkering with antique operating systems is not so cheap.

> The i could re-boot to a different OS for online (Win7 maybe).
> Switching back and forth is a PITA and then some..

Or, you could run a virtual machine for the Windoze 2000 stuff on
Windoze 7 (or Windoze 8). What's important is that you actually try a
machine with a modern operating system on your cable modem setup and
service, and determine whether it's the computer, OS, or something
else. Decisions based on testing tend to produce better results than
decisions based on speculation.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:44:50 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

>> 2. If you have one of the faster service tiers, you may need to
>> "tweak" some of your Windoze 2000 network settings to get decent
>> speeds and "smooth" downloads. Start here:
>> <http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks>

>** IMPOSSIBLE to use. The most recent _32_bit version of JRE i could
>find was 6U25; 6U26 etc are 64-bit. And the G-D thing insists i do not
>have Java loaded!

The last version that worked with W2K is Java 6 update 27.
I presume that you're familiar with "old apps" web sites such as:
<http://www.oldapps.com/java.php?system=Windows_2000>
<http://www.oldversion.com/Java-Platform.html>
Note that there are different versions for 32 and 64 bits. If it's
complaining that you're not running a 64 bit OS, it's possible that
you've downloaded the wrong version.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:55:38 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

> Tested speed: ping: 5-15mSec, Download: 24.54Mbps, Upload: 3.83Mbps.
> Ran twice just now,,fairly consistent.

I thought you said that you had the slowest 1.5Mbits/sec service.

[Robert Baer]

I cannot afford the $$$ for a "modern" motherboard PLUS SATA drives.
I have a LOT of PATA drives, some over 10 years old and all are
reliable (i check them out with Spinrite often).
So, due to $$$ i am staying with the hardware - - and with luck most
of the old software will run under Win7.
I could find absolutely NO WAY to have icons smaller than the
"default" ("100%"); larger ("150%") yes, but _not_ smaller.
With that icon size, i can put only 50 shortcuts on a desktop; i need
around 70.
Possible work-around: Is there any way to have a shortcut to a
_second_ desktop where others can exist?
**
Virtual Machine:
I have seen a lot of talk about that, in that there seems to be a
number of people using a VM approach so as to make switching between
OSes easier, faster and _maybe_ give some isolation and protection.
Does that mean i have to $pend lot of money to get a VM that i know
nothing about and then find it does not allow a given OS, or worse,allow
a given OS but with limitations in usage?
Fer eggzample, the command box in Win2K "and up" is a DOS VM
emulation that is partly crippled: no direct I/O to serial, parallel,
video or memory.

Does one boot to Super Duper VeeEmm Ultra DEluxe, then load Win2K as
if one had a blank HD, then load Win7 also as if the rest of the HD was
empty?
If so, does one then see the familiar DOS-looking boot choice menu?
And does a "shutdown" in one of the OSes get you back to that menu?

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:44:50 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>>> 2. If you have one of the faster service tiers, you may need to
>>> "tweak" some of your Windoze 2000 network settings to get decent
>>> speeds and "smooth" downloads. Start here:
>>> <http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks>
>
>> ** IMPOSSIBLE to use. The most recent _32_bit version of JRE i could
>> find was 6U25; 6U26 etc are 64-bit. And the G-D thing insists i do not
>> have Java loaded!
>
> The last version that worked with W2K is Java 6 update 27.
> I presume that you're familiar with "old apps" web sites such as:
> <http://www.oldapps.com/java.php?system=Windows_2000>
> <http://www.oldversion.com/Java-Platform.html>
> Note that there are different versions for 32 and 64 bits. If it's
> complaining that you're not running a 64 bit OS, it's possible that
> you've downloaded the wrong version.
>
>

I have learned that lesson the hard way; i can access almost any
update number i want and find if it is 32-bit or 64-bit before
downloading; version 25 was the most recent 32-bit and version 26 was
64-bit; i quit searching at that and downloaded version 25 and it runs,
but did not work.
Tried a few times,and _then_ got the message the damn thing (Java)
was disabled (!!).
So,enabled got me:
Tweak Tester Result
We have collected information from your trial download and upload.
Service:
Download Speed kbit/s:
(the download speed advertised for your line)
Operating System:
Connection:

1. Your Tweakable Settings
Receive Window (RWIN): 65535
Window Scaling: off
Path MTU Discovery: ON
RFC1323 Window Scaling: OFF
RFC1323 Time Stamping: OFF
Selective Acks: ON
MSS requested: 1460
TTL:
(less any hops behind firewall)
129
TTL remaining: 116
TOS flags: none set

2. Test Download
Actual data bytes sent: 1024001
Actual data packets: 703
Max packet sent (MTU): 1500
Max packet recd (MTU): 1470
Retransmitted packets: 0
sacks you sent: 0
pushed data pkts: 91
data transmit time: 2.225 secs
our max idletime: 228.9 ms
transfer rate: 403264 bytes/sec
transfer rate: 3226 kbits/sec
transfer efficiency: 100%

3. ICMP (ping) check
Minimum ping: 82.52 ms
Maximum ping: 87.98 ms
Ping stability:
83.62 87.98 84.38 82.97 86.23 86.32 82.52 86.23 87.93 84.14
4. Notes and Recommendations Choose RWIN between 236520 and 629260 (FAQ
#586)
If you have GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize registry entry (do a REGEDIT Find)
then change it to -1 (decimal)
download/use DRTCP .. (FAQ #578)
Read the tweak FAQ

Observations:
Upload packet less than your MTU (FAQ #1492)
Good data stream (no/few rexmits)

Observations:
Looking good
*************
So....
1) What is this RWIN?
2) That GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize does not exist.
3) Should i get and run DrTcp like the reccomendation states?

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:55:38 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> Tested speed: ping: 5-15mSec, Download: 24.54Mbps, Upload: 3.83Mbps.
>> Ran twice just now,,fairly consistent.
>
> I thought you said that you had the slowest 1.5Mbits/sec service.
>

Correct; that is what i am paying for; the Comcast guy was amazed
that i was running faster.
The card i bought (no name,no Id,"software" CD was Z-rated in that
NOTHING could read it) "Reads" as a Realtek RTL8169 NIC and according to
the double-monitor network icon, the LAN is running at the impossible
1Gb/Sec.
Obviously if true it is in VERY short bursts to the modem (magnum
bullets into the lawn).

[Michael A. Terrell]

Robert Baer wrote:

> I could find absolutely NO WAY to have icons smaller than the
> "default" ("100%"); larger ("150%") yes, but _not_ smaller.
>

> With that icon size, I can put only 50 shortcuts on a desktop; i
> need around 70.


Put them in folders. I have four folders on the desktop of each
computer:

Disk utilities

Graphics

Internet

Misc

I turn on the 'Desktop Toolbar' and with just two clicks I can open
any shortcut in any folder. You turn it on by right clicking the bottom
bar, select toolbars, then click on 'DESKTOP'.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:37:40 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

> I cannot afford the $$$ for a "modern" motherboard PLUS SATA drives.

Your existing motherboard:
<http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2NMX_SE_Plus/>
has provisions for 2 SATA drives. 120GB SATA drives are about $20 on
eBay:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/190748507247>

PC2-6400 RAM is about $10/GByte. You'll need at least 2GB. 4 sticks
will be about $40 total (on eBay).

> I have a LOT of PATA drives, some over 10 years old and all are
>reliable (i check them out with Spinrite often).

I've been fooled by the S.M.A.R.T. error counters, but in general,
they work. I suggest you install and run SpeedFan, which runs on
Windoze 2000:
<http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php>
Hit the "S.M.A.R.T." tab, and run the online report. Save the URL or
print the report. Retest the drive after it's been used for a few
weeks to see if it's generating any new errors. If yes, your drive
will soon be a door stop.

> So, due to $$$ i am staying with the hardware - - and with luck most
>of the old software will run under Win7.

You can check what will run on Windoze 7 at:
<http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/win7/CompatCenter/Home?Language=en-US>

> I could find absolutely NO WAY to have icons smaller than the
>"default" ("100%"); larger ("150%") yes, but _not_ smaller.
> With that icon size, i can put only 50 shortcuts on a desktop; i need
>around 70.

Here's my desktop:
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/crud/desktop.jpg>
1920x1200 dots. About 375 icons with room for another 90 icons.
Monitor and graphics card resolution has a big effect on how many
icon's you park on the desktop. Incidentally, all of those icons are
programs I run regularly. All the folders are work in progress.

> Possible work-around: Is there any way to have a shortcut to a
>_second_ desktop where others can exist?

<http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net>

> Virtual Machine:
> I have seen a lot of talk about that, in that there seems to be a
>number of people using a VM approach so as to make switching between
>OSes easier, faster and _maybe_ give some isolation and protection.

Yep. It works. There are several options. I'm partial to:
<http://www.vmware.com/products/player/>
My favorite application is to run an XP VM when cruising the porno
sites. If I download something destructive, all I lose is the VM
image. I can reload it from my server, and try again. It does take a
while to build a good image. You can take your existing W2K system,
build an image file:
<http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/>
and run it as a virtual machine on something modern. Interestingly,
the performance running under the VM is often considerably better than
in the native environment. Another use is that I have a Mercedes Benz
service shop manual, which only runs on OS/2. So, I have an OS/2
environment specifically for running this one program. You might
consider that if your only real justification for running Windoze 2000
is some legacy application.

> Does that mean i have to $pend lot of money to get a VM that i know
>nothing about and then find it does not allow a given OS, or worse,allow
>a given OS but with limitations in usage?

No. However, it does mean that you'll need to upgrade your existing
machinery to something that will run the VM. That could be very
little money if you do it right. At the very minimum, it should run
XP. For that, I suggest any vintage Dell computer. Install XP from
the Dell CD, and it will not ask for a serial number to license the
operating system. You just saved some money.

> Fer eggzample, the command box in Win2K "and up" is a DOS VM
>emulation that is partly crippled: no direct I/O to serial, parallel,
>video or memory.

Why the deleted expletive would you want direct I/O? The whole
purpose of the hardware abstraction layer is to virtualize the
hardware so that you don't have peek and poke numbers into registers
to make things go clunk.

> Does one boot to Super Duper VeeEmm Ultra DEluxe, then load Win2K as
>if one had a blank HD, then load Win7 also as if the rest of the HD was
>empty?
> If so, does one then see the familiar DOS-looking boot choice menu?
> And does a "shutdown" in one of the OSes get you back to that menu?

Sigh. Read about how a virtual machine works. Then ask some better
questions.
<http://www.vmware.com/virtualization/what-is-virtualization.html>
With luck, it may also fix your network stalling problem.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:00:44 -0800, Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

>3. ICMP (ping) check
> Minimum ping: 82.52 ms
>Maximum ping: 87.98 ms
>Ping stability:
>83.62 87.98 84.38 82.97 86.23 86.32 82.52 86.23 87.93 84.14

What? You're on a 6Mbit/sec cable connection and you're getting 85
msec latency to dslreports? It should be about 15 msec.

Download and install:
<http://www.visualroute.com>
It's a graphical version of traceroute (err... tracert on Windoze).
Try various well known servers, such as www.google.com and try to
determine if the 85msec is a one time oddity, or if it's an indication
that something is broken somewhere. For example, if your WAN side
default gateway is pointing to some evil hackers man in the middle
server, instead of your unspecified ISP's gateway, that might explain
the long delay.

>4. Notes and Recommendations Choose RWIN between 236520 and 629260 (FAQ
>#586)
> If you have GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize registry entry (do a REGEDIT Find)
>then change it to -1 (decimal)
> download/use DRTCP .. (FAQ #578)
> Read the tweak FAQ

So did you do these? DRTCP is at:
<http://www.dslreports.com/drtcp>

>1) What is this RWIN?

Receive window. It's the number of packets that can be sent before
your network stack decides to sit and wait for an acknowledgement that
the packets were correctly received.

>2) That GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize does not exist.

The -1 just turns it off which effectively sets it to automatic. If
my rapidly failing memory and limited patience are still functional,
it means that you are far behind on Windoze 2000 updates.

>3) Should i get and run DrTcp like the reccomendation states?

Of course. When you first run it, make a note of what the various
boxes contain. If you make a mess, you can put it back to these
values.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:21:16 -0800, Robert Baer

<rober...@localnet.com> wrote:

>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:55:38 -0800, Robert Baer
>> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Tested speed: ping: 5-15mSec, Download: 24.54Mbps, Upload: 3.83Mbps.
>>> Ran twice just now,,fairly consistent.
>>
>> I thought you said that you had the slowest 1.5Mbits/sec service.
>>
> Correct; that is what i am paying for; the Comcast guy was amazed
>that i was running faster.

Ok. You're on Comcast. I'm not amazed. The 1.0 and 1.5Mbit/sec
service tier doesn't work well and creates the dreaded calls to
Comcast tech support. My guess(tm), it they upgraded everyone to the
next higher tier rather than fix the problems. Keep your eye on the
billing amount. You may get a surprise.

> The card i bought (no name,no Id,"software" CD was Z-rated in that
>NOTHING could read it) "Reads" as a Realtek RTL8169 NIC and according to
>the double-monitor network icon, the LAN is running at the impossible
>1Gb/Sec.

No, the ethernet interface speed is 1GBit/sec (1000baseT). The Arris
TM702G has a 10/100/1000 Mbits/sec interface, as does your no-name
ethernet card. However, that doesn't mean that you're moving data at
1GBit/sec as you're limited by the speed of the internet. It doesn't
hurt to leave it at 1GBit/sec.

Incidentally, if you want to see what kind of speed your interface is
capable of providing, try JPerf or IPerf.
<http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/lanwan-howto/30408-measuring-network-performance-jperf>
<http://code.google.com/p/xjperf/>
<http://openmaniak.com/iperf.php>
The catch is that you'll need two computers to do the measurement.

> Obviously if true it is in VERY short bursts to the modem (magnum
>bullets into the lawn).

Yeah, something like that. Delivering your 6 to 24 Mbits/sec on a
1000Mbits/sec line, will produce long pauses between packets. That's
not a problem, unless you have a home made ethernet cable, with all
the wires on the wrong pins. I've had to deal with performance issues
that turned out to be nothing more than a wrong or miswired ethernet
cable. If you recall, I've suggested twice that you check this, which
you've ignored.

Anyway, I'm getting bored with this topic. I do this type of work all
day, and really prefer to read about electronic design, instead of
fixing yet another PC or networking problem. Good luck.

[Martin Brown]

On 03/11/2012 15:32, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:21:33 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> Arris Model TM702G/CT P/N TM02AHDG7CT.
>
> Good modem. DOCSIS 3.0 with VoIP. If it ever hangs or acts weird,
> punch the reset button with a paper clip in back as the built in
> battery will prevent reboots using the "pull the power plug" method.

[snip]

> .
>
>> Now i _could_ go back to Win98SE...
>
> You could also go back to an abacus or slide rule. In a past life,
> whenever we had a teething problem with new processes or production
> line problems, there was always some clueless manager that would
> pronounce that the solution was to go back to the previous methods,
> which were known to work. I invariably had to convince them that this
> would effectively created an arrested growth situation, where nothing
> would progress beyond that point. It's the same with your computer.
> If you like working with stone age technology, by all means, please do
> so. However, do not complain when it doesn't work with the latest
> cable modems or software. You're still stuck at Windoze 2000 level of
> performance, features, and technology. Put a jet engine in a
> Volkswagen and what do you get? A Volkswagen.

Actually you get a Volkswagen travelling upside down on its roof at
least until the first bend and then you just have a load of bent metal.

>
>> I would like to use _one_ OS for everything..off-line work; lotza
>> programs i have are old and reliable - only one needs impossible to get
>> activation.
>
> Well, you've just experienced your first difficulty which is going to
> be difficult to solve with Windoze 2000. In effect, you have the tail
> wagging the dog. Instead of utilizing the latest advances in hardware
> and operating system, you're letting your attachment to old software
> drive your computing decisions. There's nothing wrong with doing
> that, except for the not so minor detail that you can't do it forever.

Win2000 is a terrible choice of anything to connect to the internet.
It has a fantastically broken TCP/IP stack that is open to abuse.

> Or, you could run a virtual machine for the Windoze 2000 stuff on
> Windoze 7 (or Windoze 8). What's important is that you actually try a
> machine with a modern operating system on your cable modem setup and
> service, and determine whether it's the computer, OS, or something
> else. Decisions based on testing tend to produce better results than
> decisions based on speculation.

Win7 should even be smart enough to configure the modem close to
optimally and can run guest OS's as virtual images. The thing is that
comparatively few old programs will not run at all on more modern OS's.
Although their installers may baulk at installing on a 64bit OS.

There are at least two reasonably competent free VM programs for
Windows. Probably more. But most old software will run on later versions
of the OS unless it peaks and pokes at bare metal hardware.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[josephkk]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:08:14 -0800, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com>

As i understand it, yes. Makes me want to barf. Have you some
understanding why i went to Linux now?

?-)

[rickman]

On 11/3/2012 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:21:33 -0800, Robert Baer

>> Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS, presumably the most modern MB that
>> will directly run IDE hard drives (damn CD/DVD interface is SATA which
>> means some of my older software cannot install because said software
>> uses its own DOS IDE driver (and all but one of them work with SATA).
>
> <http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2NMX_SE_Plus/>
> Asus makes generally good mother boards. That one looks like it came
> out of an HP or Compaq computer. I don't like AMD processors, but
> that's just a personal preference. They work. All the current
> motherboards are SATA. The added boost in performance over PATA is
> well worth the effort. How you managed to find PCIe drivers and dual
> core CPU support for Windoze 2000 will remain a mystery.

Hey! Win2000 has had multiprocessor support from day one. They used to
be two chips on a board, but is that really any different? lol Then
there was the hyperthreading which seemed to work like dual cores to the
OS at least...

>> I would like to use _one_ OS for everything..off-line work; lotza
>> programs i have are old and reliable - only one needs impossible to get
>> activation.
>
> Well, you've just experienced your first difficulty which is going to
> be difficult to solve with Windoze 2000. In effect, you have the tail
> wagging the dog. Instead of utilizing the latest advances in hardware
> and operating system, you're letting your attachment to old software
> drive your computing decisions. There's nothing wrong with doing
> that, except for the not so minor detail that you can't do it forever.
> I still support SCO Xenix customers running an OS that officially died
> in about 1989. Also SCO ODT 3.0, which officially died in about 1995.
> Not too long ago, I supported a Apple Lisa Xenix running a machine
> shop CAD program.

Why is it that the software wears out before the hardware? There's
something wrong with that concept.

>> The i could re-boot to a different OS for online (Win7 maybe).
>> Switching back and forth is a PITA and then some..
>
> Or, you could run a virtual machine for the Windoze 2000 stuff on
> Windoze 7 (or Windoze 8). What's important is that you actually try a
> machine with a modern operating system on your cable modem setup and
> service, and determine whether it's the computer, OS, or something
> else. Decisions based on testing tend to produce better results than
> decisions based on speculation.

At this point I am a laptop sort of guy, otherwise my next OS would be
Linux. I'm due for a hardware upgrade soon and you can't get laptops
without Windows like you can boxes. Other than this laptop, I don't
think I've bought a copy of Windows since Win95. I don't feel at all
bad about it either.

I understand someone once tried getting a refund on the cost of Windows
by claiming the EULA required a full refund of the software cost if he
objected to the license on first bootup. I believe this guy eventually
got his $50 or so, but they have since changed policy so that you can't
do that anymore. But this may be urban legend, I don't know.

Rick

[rickman]

Here is my two cents worth. I have used Win2k for some 10 years,
although that machine hasn't been on the Internet for some three or four
years now. I had a rootkit virus once and it was NO FUN! I finally got
rid of it using SuperAntiSpyware. You can use it for free and even get
support through their forums. I found their response time of 1-2 hours
was better than the once a day support I could get through Sophos, a
company that only sells AVS to businesses. If you want to pay, it is
only $20 or $30. I don't think you can trash your system with it very
easily.

I think the threat is real. Win2k no longer gets updates to security
problems and when "they" find problems in the newer systems, those
problems are likely in Win2k as well. It is pretty easy to deal with
this problem. You just have to acknowledge that you have a problem.
Maybe you aren't infected with a virus yet... the keyword being *yet*!
But why not deal with it now and get that off the table?

Rick

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:08:09 -0400, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Hey! Win2000 has had multiprocessor support from day one. They used to
>be two chips on a board, but is that really any different? lol Then
>there was the hyperthreading which seemed to work like dual cores to the
>OS at least...

Dual CPU, Dual Core, and Hyperthreading are not quite the same.
However, you are correct. Windoze 2000 supports dual core and dual
processor. Hyperthreading is not supported.
<http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=104934>

>Why is it that the software wears out before the hardware? There's
>something wrong with that concept.

For ever advance in hardware performance, there is an equal and
opposite advance in software bloat, features, functions, and
performance negating all the hardware improvements. It's been like
this since the IBM PC 5150 was introduced in 1981. The original XT
hard disk took about 3-5 minutes to boot. Roll forward 30 years, and
a flashy new Turbo Sludgebuster PC takes 3-5 minutes to boot. This is
not progress.

>At this point I am a laptop sort of guy, otherwise my next OS would be
>Linux.

Desktops are faster. Fast is fun.

Nothing wrong with Linux on a laptop. I have several running various
Ubuntu mutations (and one running Backtrack-Linux 5 R3). However,
it's always best to check for surprises:
<http://www.linux-laptop.net>

>I'm due for a hardware upgrade soon and you can't get laptops
>without Windows like you can boxes.

Ummm....
<http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp.html>
<http://linuxpreloaded.com>
There are plenty other small vendors that will supply Linux
pre-installed on various laptops. I just wish the big vendors would
go back to selling no-OS laptops. Dell was shipping a few odd models
with FreeDOS, that could easily be upgraded to Linux, but stopped
doing that a few years ago. The problem was that there was little
cost savings in buying a laptop without Windoze, probably due to the
radical differences in quantities sold. I resold a few Linux boxes
with the Windoze OS and reinstallation partitions backed up,
vaporized, and overscribbled with Linux.

>Other than this laptop, I don't
>think I've bought a copy of Windows since Win95. I don't feel at all
>bad about it either.

No problem. Power users should run power operating systems. However,
most of my customers are permanent beginners and cheap, which
translates into a Windoze user. I run what my customers user which
means Windoze. Just follow the money.

>I understand someone once tried getting a refund on the cost of Windows
>by claiming the EULA required a full refund of the software cost if he
>objected to the license on first bootup. I believe this guy eventually
>got his $50 or so, but they have since changed policy so that you can't
>do that anymore. But this may be urban legend, I don't know.

It was very real. Note that the few documented refunds came from the
vendors, not from Microsoft. I suspect the vendors just wanted to
make the claimants go away:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_refund>

>Rick

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 19:30:22 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com>
wrote:

>On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:00:44 -0800, Robert Baer
><rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>>3. ICMP (ping) check
>> Minimum ping: 82.52 ms
>>Maximum ping: 87.98 ms
>>Ping stability:
>>83.62 87.98 84.38 82.97 86.23 86.32 82.52 86.23 87.93 84.14
>
>What? You're on a 6Mbit/sec cable connection and you're getting 85
>msec latency to dslreports? It should be about 15 msec.

Well, maybe 85 msec isn't that horrible. DSLreports uses two servers
to test ping responses, lq1.dslreports.com in Kansas, and
lq2.dslreports.com in Calif. Running traceroute to Kansas from
California, I get:

>C:\>tracert lq1.dslreports.com
>Tracing route to ny-monitor.dslreports.com [74.208.229.54] over a maximum of 30 hops:
> 1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
> 2 19 ms 19 ms 19 ms dsl-63-249-85-gateway.static.cruzio.com [63.249.85.1]
> 3 43 ms 17 ms 17 ms 114.at-5-0-0.gw3.200p-sf.sonic.net [74.220.64.17]
> 4 18 ms 19 ms 18 ms 0.ae2.gw.200p-sf.sonic.net [70.36.211.53]
> 5 19 ms 19 ms 19 ms 0.xe-5-1-0.gw3.equinix-sj.sonic.net [208.106.27.121]
> 6 20 ms 20 ms 18 ms sonicnet-customer.xo.com [216.156.84.101]
> 7 41 ms 31 ms 35 ms 207.88.14.233.ptr.us.xo.net [207.88.14.233]
> 8 78 ms 83 ms 86 ms te0-5-4-0.rar3.denver-co.us.xo.net [207.88.12.85]
> 9 78 ms 83 ms 82 ms te-4-1-0.rar3.chicago-il.us.xo.net [207.88.12.21]
> 10 75 ms 82 ms 76 ms 207.88.14.194.ptr.us.xo.net [207.88.14.194]
> 11 77 ms 76 ms 76 ms 206.111.2.10.ptr.us.xo.net [206.111.2.10]
> 12 87 ms 87 ms 85 ms te-2-4.bb-d.ws.mkc.us.oneandone.net [74.208.1.54]
> 13 88 ms 86 ms 87 ms ae-11.bb-d.ga.mkc.us.oneandone.net [74.208.1.73]
> 14 88 ms 87 ms 88 ms ae-10.bb-d.slr.lxa.us.oneandone.net [74.208.1.65]
> 15 87 ms 87 ms 87 ms ae-11.gw-distp-a.slr.lxa.oneandone.net [74.208.1.117]
> 16 90 ms 89 ms 88 ms ae-1.gw-prtr-r5-a.slr.lxa.oneandone.net [74.208.1.167]
> 17 87 ms 87 ms 87 ms u15150124.onlinehome-server.com [74.208.229.54]

Nice big jump at xo.net in Denver. DSLreports should have tried both
servers. However, for some unknown reason, they reported numbers from
the slower server, resulting in larger than normal latency. Also note
that the target destination is a shared host on 1and1.com. (I also
use 1and1.com).

Never mind looking for problems causing the long latency. We're back
down to it being either the CAT5 cable, or the W2K computah.

[rickman]

On 11/4/2012 5:57 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:08:09 -0400, rickman<gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hey! Win2000 has had multiprocessor support from day one. They used to
>> be two chips on a board, but is that really any different? lol Then
>> there was the hyperthreading which seemed to work like dual cores to the
>> OS at least...
>
> Dual CPU, Dual Core, and Hyperthreading are not quite the same.
> However, you are correct. Windoze 2000 supports dual core and dual
> processor. Hyperthreading is not supported.
> <http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=104934>

I never had any until I got my laptop, so I didn't reallize W2k didn't
support hyperthreading. I don't know just how useful it was anyway. I
guess it was something which is usually better than nothing. Now they
can't figure out what to do with the ever increasing number of
transistors they can cram on a die of the same size. I guess it just
doesn't fit their business model to make smaller die, lol!

>> Why is it that the software wears out before the hardware? There's
>> something wrong with that concept.
>
> For ever advance in hardware performance, there is an equal and
> opposite advance in software bloat, features, functions, and
> performance negating all the hardware improvements. It's been like
> this since the IBM PC 5150 was introduced in 1981. The original XT
> hard disk took about 3-5 minutes to boot. Roll forward 30 years, and
> a flashy new Turbo Sludgebuster PC takes 3-5 minutes to boot. This is
> not progress.

That is one reason I like my laptop, sleep mode comes up in... 15
seconds including the log in time...

>> At this point I am a laptop sort of guy, otherwise my next OS would be
>> Linux.
>
> Desktops are faster. Fast is fun.

Desktops are FAR slower. Just the drive back home is so much longer
than the time it takes to turn the desktop back on! lol

> Nothing wrong with Linux on a laptop. I have several running various
> Ubuntu mutations (and one running Backtrack-Linux 5 R3). However,
> it's always best to check for surprises:
> <http://www.linux-laptop.net>

I haven't been brave enough or willing to deal with the frustration of
learning a new system from scratch. Also, I can get "support" on most
things Windows at the drop of a hat while my experience with Linux
derived software has been poor. I don't know how much Linux proper
would be different, but its scary out there in uncharted waters. Isn't
the world flat and I'd fall of the edge?

>> I'm due for a hardware upgrade soon and you can't get laptops
>> without Windows like you can boxes.
>
> Ummm....
> <http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp.html>
> <http://linuxpreloaded.com>
> There are plenty other small vendors that will supply Linux
> pre-installed on various laptops. I just wish the big vendors would
> go back to selling no-OS laptops. Dell was shipping a few odd models
> with FreeDOS, that could easily be upgraded to Linux, but stopped
> doing that a few years ago. The problem was that there was little
> cost savings in buying a laptop without Windoze, probably due to the
> radical differences in quantities sold. I resold a few Linux boxes
> with the Windoze OS and reinstallation partitions backed up,
> vaporized, and overscribbled with Linux.

Ok I can't find *affordable* laptops without Windows. My current 17"
machine was $450, IIRC and a new one with an i5 and 6 GB/750 GB is
around $700-800. I don't see anything close to that in these pages.

>> Other than this laptop, I don't
>> think I've bought a copy of Windows since Win95. I don't feel at all
>> bad about it either.
>
> No problem. Power users should run power operating systems. However,
> most of my customers are permanent beginners and cheap, which
> translates into a Windoze user. I run what my customers user which
> means Windoze. Just follow the money.

I might be willing to pay for a Linux laptop if I knew what I was doing
and felt confident. But I don't have the time to spend on months of
learning curve. Not to mention that some of the software I run isn't
supported by Linux. LogicPort for example. The FPGA software I use
costs more on Linux, go figure!

>> I understand someone once tried getting a refund on the cost of Windows
>> by claiming the EULA required a full refund of the software cost if he
>> objected to the license on first bootup. I believe this guy eventually
>> got his $50 or so, but they have since changed policy so that you can't
>> do that anymore. But this may be urban legend, I don't know.
>
> It was very real. Note that the few documented refunds came from the
> vendors, not from Microsoft. I suspect the vendors just wanted to
> make the claimants go away:
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_refund>

I believe they should be able to recoup this from MSoft, right? But
didn't they find a way to stop that? I don't get it myself. If you
can't see the EULA until you buy it, how can they stick you with it?

Here in MD and VA they passed laws giving the online website contracts
by default (meaning if you come to our site, you have implicitly agreed
to our terms even if you don't know anything about them) the full force
of a written contract. Do you know the meaning of "indemnify"? It is
in many of these online agreements... but I ramble...

Rick

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:

> On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:54:49 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> Got Wireshark loaded; don't know how to get it running..
>

> Ok, you don't or won't read the docs.
>
> Wireshark. Getting started videos:
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlc0Wwnwxrs>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnkCKI96QCE>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLTa29iovU> (3 parts)
> The last one seems best. Pay attention to the filters section as you
> probably will want to try filtering by port 53 DNS.
>
> Frankly, methinks you may be working over your current abilities.

> Unless you have some exprience with how normal and correct traffic
> patterns appear, you probably won't recognize any anomalies. Because
> of this, performance problems will be difficult to troublehshoot. It's
> much like trying to troubleshoot freeway vehicle traffic congestion,
> by taking a short video of the local traffic, and using that to
> reverse engineer how that traffic became so congested. That's
> possible, but not easy.
>
>

Looked at those; noticed that there is some kind of (unrecognizable)
time stamp at each (captured) point, and that "number" does increase.
What i would be interested is in finding what happens (if anything)
when i see a "stall" in page switching, so in a crude sense, that
(unrecognizable) time stamp might be useful.
But i saw those (captured) points fly by fast and yet there were some
large differences in a few of those time points.
Methinks it would be too much guessing to find a "stall" section in
the (captured) points, so i am going to not try.
Those "stall" points do not happen very often; just are nasty
sometimes when they do happen.

[Robert Baer]

Hmm..worth fiddling with.
Desktop has shortcuts to folders as well as programs now; would need
some re-arranging.
Since i will be the only one here doing that, i will then become the
Lone arRanger.

[Robert Baer]

Well!!
At last a _real_ reason for HD "images" which certainly are almost
worse than useless for backups,as if master HD dies, the image cannot be
directly used to boot and run the OS(es).
*
Seems i build a Symple, single OS like Win7 on an empty HD with
minimal junk (programs, data,etc), then load the VM program, and convert
OSes from other HDs into virtual images for later selection via the VM.
One could even have one VM selection as Win7.

Have not read it all, but maybe Win7 virtual might run even if VM was
running in XP.
***
Oh, yes, i have been $pending a bit of time loading a Win7 partition
with my junk and found a !NUMBER! of crappy shit:
* Defrag: why does it take so many passes; other OSes show that a
"defragmented" partition is most decidedly NOT.
* Recycle bin: (1) "Custom Size" does NOT work; (2) "do not move to bin"
is TOTALLY ignored - so why the F is that there?
* Bitches about some "unknown" hardware but absolutely NO way to find
WTF it might be and impossible to delete.
* Ctrl-Alt-Del is sooooo involved as to make it crappy.
* Majority of my programs are disliked so much that a "solution" is
hinted, and following those "hints" is like running around in circles
getting NOWHERE. All but a few of those run OK.
* Creating a shortcut NEVER goes where you first place it (!!!!!!!)
* WTF is a UAC?
* Have a working driver for Canon BJC-4100 (works in all OSes from
Win95, Win98SE, Win2K) but fails with install error. Dammit! i want to
use my damn printer as the ink is cheap.
* No driver for my Mustek 1200 UB PLus; the BabyBird (GooGull) lies
saying there is a Vista driver that will work in Win7. No such driver,
and i sure as hell am NOT going to load some unknown "driver manager"
that "automatically finds the latest driver" for everything including
the kitchen sink (well, not quite, but the damn claims are rather
..err.. hyper.

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:00:44 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> 3. ICMP (ping) check
>> Minimum ping: 82.52 ms
>> Maximum ping: 87.98 ms
>> Ping stability:
>> 83.62 87.98 84.38 82.97 86.23 86.32 82.52 86.23 87.93 84.14
>
> What? You're on a 6Mbit/sec cable connection and you're getting 85
> msec latency to dslreports? It should be about 15 msec.
>
> Download and install:
> <http://www.visualroute.com>

* Will not work / run in Win2K.

> It's a graphical version of traceroute (err... tracert on Windoze).
> Try various well known servers, such as www.google.com and try to
> determine if the 85msec is a one time oddity, or if it's an indication
> that something is broken somewhere. For example, if your WAN side
> default gateway is pointing to some evil hackers man in the middle
> server, instead of your unspecified ISP's gateway, that might explain
> the long delay.
>
>> 4. Notes and Recommendations Choose RWIN between 236520 and 629260 (FAQ
>> #586)

* Where the F is "RWIN" or how do i change / access it?

>> If you have GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize registry entry (do a REGEDIT Find)
>> then change it to -1 (decimal)
>> download/use DRTCP .. (FAQ #578)
>> Read the tweak FAQ
>
> So did you do these? DRTCP is at:
> <http://www.dslreports.com/drtcp>

* Downloaded that; saw exactly like the green box that URL shows; see
absolutely nothing else - so a waste of time.

>
>> 1) What is this RWIN?
>
> Receive window. It's the number of packets that can be sent before
> your network stack decides to sit and wait for an acknowledgement that
> the packets were correctly received.
>
>> 2) That GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize does not exist.
>
> The -1 just turns it off which effectively sets it to automatic. If
> my rapidly failing memory and limited patience are still functional,
> it means that you are far behind on Windoze 2000 updates.
>
>> 3) Should i get and run DrTcp like the reccomendation states?
>
> Of course. When you first run it, make a note of what the various
> boxes contain. If you make a mess, you can put it back to these
> values.
>

* Does not seem to do anything.

[Robert Baer]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:21:16 -0800, Robert Baer
> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>
>> Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>> On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:55:38 -0800, Robert Baer
>>> <rober...@localnet.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Tested speed: ping: 5-15mSec, Download: 24.54Mbps, Upload: 3.83Mbps.
>>>> Ran twice just now,,fairly consistent.
>>>
>>> I thought you said that you had the slowest 1.5Mbits/sec service.
>>>
>> Correct; that is what i am paying for; the Comcast guy was amazed
>> that i was running faster.
>
> Ok. You're on Comcast. I'm not amazed. The 1.0 and 1.5Mbit/sec
> service tier doesn't work well and creates the dreaded calls to
> Comcast tech support. My guess(tm), it they upgraded everyone to the
> next higher tier rather than fix the problems. Keep your eye on the
> billing amount. You may get a surprise.

* Billing has been stable and at their quoted $ for the quoted speed.
Definitely not complaining..

>
>> The card i bought (no name,no Id,"software" CD was Z-rated in that
>> NOTHING could read it) "Reads" as a Realtek RTL8169 NIC and according to
>> the double-monitor network icon, the LAN is running at the impossible
>> 1Gb/Sec.
>
> No, the ethernet interface speed is 1GBit/sec (1000baseT). The Arris
> TM702G has a 10/100/1000 Mbits/sec interface, as does your no-name
> ethernet card. However, that doesn't mean that you're moving data at
> 1GBit/sec as you're limited by the speed of the internet. It doesn't
> hurt to leave it at 1GBit/sec.

* Yeah; that is why i said "absurd" re: 1Gbit/Sec.

>
> Incidentally, if you want to see what kind of speed your interface is
> capable of providing, try JPerf or IPerf.
> <http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/lanwan-howto/30408-measuring-network-performance-jperf>
> <http://code.google.com/p/xjperf/>
> <http://openmaniak.com/iperf.php>
> The catch is that you'll need two computers to do the measurement.
>
>> Obviously if true it is in VERY short bursts to the modem (magnum
>> bullets into the lawn).
>
> Yeah, something like that. Delivering your 6 to 24 Mbits/sec on a
> 1000Mbits/sec line, will produce long pauses between packets. That's
> not a problem, unless you have a home made ethernet cable, with all
> the wires on the wrong pins. I've had to deal with performance issues
> that turned out to be nothing more than a wrong or miswired ethernet
> cable. If you recall, I've suggested twice that you check this, which
> you've ignored.

* Not ignored; the Comcast guys have replaced it twice already.

[Robert Baer]

rickman wrote:
> On 11/3/2012 3:55 AM, Robert Baer wrote:
>> Martin Brown wrote:
>>> On 31/10/2012 04:26, Robert Baer wrote:
>>>> How can i check - the last time i tried a "suggested" malware check
>>>> program, my OS and HD got trashed.
>>>
>>> You could get a clue.
>>>
>>>> Oh, and BTW, have been running Win2Kfor at least a year with no
>>>> problems until recently.
>>>>
>>> Very surprising since it is like going to sea in a sieve.
>>> How long have you been on broadband?
>>>
>> About a year or so.
>> Tested speed: ping: 5-15mSec, Download: 24.54Mbps, Upload: 3.83Mbps.
>> Ran twice just now,,fairly consistent.
>
> Here is my two cents worth. I have used Win2k for some 10 years,
> although that machine hasn't been on the Internet for some three or four
> years now. I had a rootkit virus once and it was NO FUN! I finally got
> rid of it using SuperAntiSpyware. You can use it for free and even get
> support through their forums. I found their response time of 1-2 hours
> was better than the once a day support I could get through Sophos, a
> company that only sells AVS to businesses. If you want to pay, it is
> only $20 or $30. I don't think you can trash your system with it very
> easily.

* Loaded the Pro version and did a quick scan; zero threats found.
Thanks.

>
> I think the threat is real. Win2k no longer gets updates to security
> problems and when "they" find problems in the newer systems, those
> problems are likely in Win2k as well. It is pretty easy to deal with
> this problem. You just have to acknowledge that you have a problem.
> Maybe you aren't infected with a virus yet... the keyword being *yet*!
> But why not deal with it now and get that off the table?
>
> Rick

Check.

[Robert Baer]

* I have a HD with Win7 (actually 2 copies), but purposely 32-bit.

>
> There are at least two reasonably competent free VM programs for
> Windows. Probably more. But most old software will run on later versions
> of the OS unless it peaks and pokes at bare metal hardware.
>
>

Yes, Win7 did a lot of pissant complaining, but almost all loaded and
run OK.

[Robert Baer]

Am voting the Win2K OS.

[Robert Baer]

rickman wrote:
> On 11/4/2012 5:57 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> On Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:08:09 -0400, rickman<gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hey! Win2000 has had multiprocessor support from day one. They used to
>>> be two chips on a board, but is that really any different? lol Then
>>> there was the hyperthreading which seemed to work like dual cores to the
>>> OS at least...
>>
>> Dual CPU, Dual Core, and Hyperthreading are not quite the same.
>> However, you are correct. Windoze 2000 supports dual core and dual
>> processor. Hyperthreading is not supported.
>> <http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=104934>
>
> I never had any until I got my laptop, so I didn't reallize W2k didn't
> support hyperthreading. I don't know just how useful it was anyway. I
> guess it was something which is usually better than nothing. Now they
> can't figure out what to do with the ever increasing number of
> transistors they can cram on a die of the same size. I guess it just
> doesn't fit their business model to make smaller die, lol!

* Nobody believes in KISS..
With the small size, a RISC chip would go faster than a screaming
banshee and use about a watt or two.. GREEN as all heck!

* I believe the legal definition of a (legally) valid contract is that
it is a written description where there has been a MEETING of the minds
- implying that BOTH parties are satisfied with that written compromise.
Therefore, ALL "shrink-wrap" contracts are not legal and technically
un-enforceable.
BUT,, remember the golden rule: "he who has the gold, rules".

>
> Here in MD and VA they passed laws giving the online website contracts
> by default (meaning if you come to our site, you have implicitly agreed
> to our terms even if you don't know anything about them) the full force
> of a written contract. Do you know the meaning of "indemnify"? It is in
> many of these online agreements... but I ramble...

* "indemnify" .. .. again, "he who has the gold, rules" (and picks YOUR
pockets with that word)
.
>
> Rick

[Jan Panteltje]

On a sunny day (Sun, 04 Nov 2012 21:09:37 -0800) it happened Robert Baer
<rober...@localnet.com> wrote in <nSHls.3843$sz4...@newsfe11.iad>:

> Looked at those; noticed that there is some kind of (unrecognizable)
>time stamp at each (captured) point, and that "number" does increase.
> What i would be interested is in finding what happens (if anything)
>when i see a "stall" in page switching, so in a crude sense, that
>(unrecognizable) time stamp might be useful.

Just a flash idea, when that 'stall' happens does your hard disk light come one?
IOW Are you by any change swapping to disk because memory is full?
Can MS windows even swap? I vaguely remember it has some swap file...
hehe

[Michael A. Terrell]

Robert Baer wrote:

>
> Michael A. Terrell wrote:
> >
> > I turn on the 'Desktop Toolbar' and with just two clicks I can open
> > any shortcut in any folder. You turn it on by right clicking the bottom
> > bar, select toolbars, then click on 'DESKTOP'.
>
> Hmm..worth fiddling with.
> Desktop has shortcuts to folders as well as programs now; would need
> some re-arranging.

Just create the folders and drag the existing shortcuts into the
proper folder.

[josephkk]

On Sun, 04 Nov 2012 21:55:25 -0800, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com>
wrote:

>

>* Creating a shortcut NEVER goes where you first place it (!!!!!!!)
>* WTF is a UAC?

User access controls, however the meaning is sideways, it controls what
users have access to what but no ordinary user has any input to it.

>* Have a working driver for Canon BJC-4100 (works in all OSes from
>Win95, Win98SE, Win2K) but fails with install error. Dammit! i want to
>use my damn printer as the ink is cheap.

Tought shit in the M$ environments, you know why.

>* No driver for my Mustek 1200 UB PLus; the BabyBird (GooGull) lies
>saying there is a Vista driver that will work in Win7. No such driver,
>and i sure as hell am NOT going to load some unknown "driver manager"
>that "automatically finds the latest driver" for everything including
>the kitchen sink (well, not quite, but the damn claims are rather
>..err.. hyper.

Bog, that is really legacy equipment. If you want support for such,
change to Linux. No whining either. You, in particular, will have a LOT
of problems getting your legacy apps replaced, or only kind of sort, of
working in wine. Suck it up or quit computing.

?-)

[Martin Brown]

You could always do it with multiple boot disks.

> Have not read it all, but maybe Win7 virtual might run even if VM was
> running in XP.
> ***
> Oh, yes, i have been $pending a bit of time loading a Win7 partition
> with my junk and found a !NUMBER! of crappy shit:
> * Defrag: why does it take so many passes; other OSes show that a
> "defragmented" partition is most decidedly NOT.

Defrag these days is largely irrelevant unless you run the disk
extremely close to filling up and delete old material at random.

> * Recycle bin: (1) "Custom Size" does NOT work; (2) "do not move to bin"
> is TOTALLY ignored - so why the F is that there?
> * Bitches about some "unknown" hardware but absolutely NO way to find
> WTF it might be and impossible to delete.

RTFM

> * Ctrl-Alt-Del is sooooo involved as to make it crappy.
> * Majority of my programs are disliked so much that a "solution" is
> hinted, and following those "hints" is like running around in circles
> getting NOWHERE. All but a few of those run OK.

What? Try again in *English*

> * Creating a shortcut NEVER goes where you first place it (!!!!!!!)
> * WTF is a UAC?

User Account Control to prevent Users from doing stupid things.

> * Have a working driver for Canon BJC-4100 (works in all OSes from
> Win95, Win98SE, Win2K) but fails with install error. Dammit! i want to
> use my damn printer as the ink is cheap.

Then use on suitably geriatric hardware. Out of luck on Win7 it is not
supported (though 4400 driver might be worth a punt).

> * No driver for my Mustek 1200 UB PLus; the BabyBird (GooGull) lies
> saying there is a Vista driver that will work in Win7. No such driver,
> and i sure as hell am NOT going to load some unknown "driver manager"
> that "automatically finds the latest driver" for everything including
> the kitchen sink (well, not quite, but the damn claims are rather
> ..err.. hyper.

There are third party scanner drivers Michael Terrell pointed to one
such when I grumbled about HP5300C being dropped from Vista.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Michael A. Terrell]

Martin Brown wrote:
>
> There are third party scanner drivers Michael Terrell pointed to one
> such when I grumbled about HP5300C being dropped from Vista.

http://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/mustek_1200_ub_plus.html

[Michael A. Terrell]

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:51:09 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
> <mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > New glass mats, all around!!!
>
> Much as I like AGM batteries, I'm now tempted to try the new LiFePO4
> drop in replacements. Expensive, but they're suppose to last much
> longer. The extra cost of a service call every few years is about the
> same as buying one of these batteries:
> <http://www.all-battery.com/lifepo4_sla.aspx>
> Only three genuine dead batteries today. Unfortunately, one of them
> was in my office APC Backup UPS XS 1000. Argh.


I picked up an APC Backup UPS XS 1000 a few days ago for $8. The
connectors had burnt off inside the battery pack. Not really worth
fixing, if I have to buy a new battery cartridge from APC.