The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Computers => Topic started by: sneakypete on December 02, 2019, 06:10:19 pm
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Anybody else had this happen? I was writing a reply to post on TBR when it happened. Not only my screen was locked and blocked with that message,but my computer was frozen and I had to cut the power to close the screen. Mozilla also gave me a phone number to call,but I just shut it all down before copying it.
BTW,the screen was kinda orange,if that makes any difference.
When I rebooted,the Chase Bank logon screen was the only site visable. The sign-in boxes were both blank,though. Truth to tell,I thought it was a hoax to try to get me to call that number,but I got a little spooked when I booted back up and waiting for the software to completely load before opening the browser again and seeing the Chase Bank sign-on.
Just got through running System Mechanic,which told me my memory was low (38 percent),but I think I have a memory stick going bad,or possibly the motherboard. System Mechanic restores the memory,but it doesn't last long.
I am currently running Zone Alarm in the background,but it will probably be a couple of hours before it's done and I get a report.
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:2popcorn:
I never got any warnings like that, but I did have Norton lock up my computer when I got a bum file. I had to reset the A/C power to get it to boot, and when I did Norton told me why it was locked up. This was years ago.
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:2popcorn:
I never got any warnings like that, but I did have Norton lock up my computer when I got a bum file. I had to reset the A/C power to get it to boot, and when I did Norton told me why it was locked up. This was years ago.
@Cyber Liberty
Thanks,it was the first time I ever saw anything like that,too.
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I've seen it recently @sneakypete on a friends PC with Win 10 and he was using Firefox as his browser. The scam/hoax saved a screenshot of an infected computer to his desktop background and locking up his Firefox, making it appear that he was infected. I reset the desktop image and told him to quit using Firefox. He had recently downloaded a newer version of Firefox right before it happened.
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I've seen it recently @sneakypete on a friends PC with Win 10 and he was using Firefox as his browser. The scam/hoax saved a screenshot of an infected computer to his desktop background and locking up his Firefox, making it appear that he was infected. I reset the desktop image and told him to quit using Firefox. He had recently downloaded a newer version of Firefox right before it happened.
@corbe
Thanks,it's back up and running normally again. None of my bank accounts have been touched and none of the passwords have been changed. Already ran System Mechanic and am currently running Zone Alarm in the background.
Also,I did NOT call that phone number.
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@corbe @Cyber Liberty
I received a email from Netflix asking me if I wanted to reset my password,so I did. There was a link there that showed me my recent Netflix use with days,dates,and hours,so I trusted it and did reset that password.
So far that is the only one. I hit the power switch on my computer in less than a minute after the screen locked,and let it sit with no power for several minutes before rebooting it.
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I would strongly recommend never using a link from an Email to change passwords unless you specifically went to the particular site and initiated the change directly and the Email is only a confirmation of your access to the Email account on record.
Always use either your bookmarks or type in the address directly to go to a site to make security changes.
Regarding your event of this thread, that has all the earmarks of a fake virus infection to get you to act in a way that actually gets you infected. When that happens, the only safe thing to do is shut off the computer promptly. You can try to close the browser first but if it won't let you, shut the computer down quickly. Don't call the phone number! That only identifies you to them.
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@corbe @Cyber Liberty
I received a email from Netflix asking me if I wanted to reset my password,so I did. There was a link there that showed me my recent Netflix use with days,dates,and hours,so I trusted it and did reset that password.
So far that is the only one. I hit the power switch on my computer in less than a minute after the screen locked,and let it sit with no power for several minutes before rebooting it.
I would recommend resetting you password again only this time doing it directly through the Netflix's Web site and not use the Email link.
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I would recommend resetting you password again only this time doing it directly through the Netflix's Web site and not use the Email link.
Also check your emails from netflix telling you of a sign in from another location. I while back someone was signing in on our accout from NC. We don't know anyone there. So we changed our password.
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I would recommend resetting you password again only this time doing it directly through the Netflix's Web site and not use the Email link.
@DB
Thanks! I plan on doing just that in a few days. Netflix is basically harmless financially,so I am using it to "test" the security of my system. I will check it every day for the next few days to see if any movies or series were ordered that I didn't order,just like I check my actual bank accounts every day to make sure there is no money spent I didn't spend.
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Also check your emails from netflix telling you of a sign in from another location. I while back someone was signing in on our accout from NC. We don't know anyone there. So we changed our password.
@The Ghost
Thanks for the suggestion! So far that hasn't happened.
I am not TOO worried because I am the anal type that has different passwords for every account I have,and most of them have different email addresses and screen names. Someone might bust into one of my accounts,but they are not going to get much.
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@The Ghost
Thanks for the suggestion! So far that hasn't happened.
I am not TOO worried because I am the anal type that has different passwords for every account I have,and most of them have different email addresses and screen names. Someone might bust into one of my accounts,but they are not going to get much.
888high58888
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Sounds like a scam ad to me.
Clear your caches.
Clear your cookies.
Clear your history.
And anything else Firefox will let you "clear out".
Then try again.
Also...
I wouldn't accept any spontaneously-appearing "invitation to reset my password" that required me to click to respond to it.
I'd close the browser (Safari on the Mac), then go directly to the site, and see if I could log in...
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Sounds like a scam ad to me.
@Fishrrman
Thanks. I did all that,starting with just shutting off the power switch on my computer instead of shutting everything down normally. I waited several minutes to make sure everything had shut down before I rebooted,and immediately ran System Mechanic,Zone Alarm,and Spybot. None found anything other than low memory,so I opened Firefox again and started checking my programs with accounts. The only one I found suspicious was Netscape,and that was because Netscape send me a email telling me to change my password due to suspicious activity. I guess not having my phone number screwed up the hackers plans to sign on as me.
Anyhow,just got through running all three virus programs again,and all came through squeaky-clean,so I guess I am good to go.
I was just wondering if this had happened to anyone else,and was hoping my post would keep it from happening to anyone else by alerting them.
You know,it might be handy to have a "suspicious activity" thread in the computer section so people can post there to ask questions and to warn others?
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As said above, definitely looks like a scam but one has concern about private info. That is understandable.
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UPDATE!
The chemo fog lifted a little in my brain this afternoon when I was once again finding it impossible to spell words on Firefox,and I said to myself,"Self,why not try TBR using another browser,and see if the problem goes away,or persists?",so that's what I did.
MS Edge works perfectly,and I can instantly go back to Firefox,and can't type two words in a row.
Tried to update Firefox,and get a message saying it is up to date. I am now thinking there is a code problem between Mozilla and Microsoft.
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UPDATE!
The chemo fog lifted a little in my brain this afternoon when I was once again finding it impossible to spell words on Firefox,and I said to myself,"Self,why not try TBR using another browser,and see if the problem goes away,or persists?",so that's what I did.
MS Edge works perfectly,and I can instantly go back to Firefox,and can't type two words in a row.
Tried to update Firefox,and get a message saying it is up to date. I am now thinking there is a code problem between Mozilla and Microsoft.
I'd uninstall Firefox and delete its profile folder and then reinstall it. Something is real messed up with it.
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I'd uninstall Firefox and delete its profile folder and then reinstall it. Something is real messed up with it.
@sneakypete
Not that yet.
Reset firefox:
Mash ALT to reveal the menu (top left)
Help=>Troubleshooting information
In the top right quadrant there is a dialog box with a couple buttons
Choose 'Refresh Firefox'
You will lose all add-ons and firefox will reinstall to factory specs, but you will not lose bookmarks or most preferences.
If that does not bring joy, then the problem is in the profile, and that is easy enough to delete and rebuild... Let me know if that is needed before the fact.
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@sneakypete
Not that yet.
Reset firefox:
Mash ALT to reveal the menu (top left)
Help=>Troubleshooting information
In the top right quadrant there is a dialog box with a couple buttons
Choose 'Refresh Firefox'
You will lose all add-ons and firefox will reinstall to factory specs, but you will not lose bookmarks or most preferences.
If that does not bring joy, then the problem is in the profile, and that is easy enough to delete and rebuild... Let me know if that is needed before the fact.
@roamer_1
Thanks! Just found this thread again (damn chemo brain!),and I will try what you suggested and see if that clears up my "low memory" problem almost every day. Sometimes I can go all day with no problems,and the next day I have to run System Mechanic to restore my memory,which was down into the 30 something range. The problem is 30 minutes later I am having to do it again.
Thanks to my confusion I have no faith in my ability to determine if it is a memory block,them motherboard,my HHD,or my software,and there is no way I am taking it apart and just ordering replacement parts until I install the right one.
Because of this I am thinking about buying a new laptop. Will start a new thread here about it to get opinions.
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@roamer_1
Thanks! Just found this thread again (damn chemo brain!),and I will try what you suggested and see if that clears up my "low memory" problem almost every day. Sometimes I can go all day with no problems,and the next day I have to run System Mechanic to restore my memory,which was down into the 30 something range. The problem is 30 minutes later I am having to do it again.
Thanks to my confusion I have no faith in my ability to determine if it is a memory block,them motherboard,my HHD,or my software,and there is no way I am taking it apart and just ordering replacement parts until I install the right one.
@sneakypete
It ain't all that hard... But if your brain fog is too thick to travel reliably, you need to find you a geek teenage kid you can trust. Most every family has one. If yours don't, maybe a neighbor kid. :shrug:
Because of this I am thinking about buying a new laptop. Will start a new thread here about it to get opinions.
Well, if you do, take your old one in to a shop and get it repaired ... Then you have a spare for when the new one gets worked on... It is an easy thing to set up a means to push your data between two machines - Then if one is giving you fits, you can use the other until the first gets fixed.
Shoot, I have eight (EIGHT!!) boxes running here at any given moment, and I STILL have a spare laptop laying around for emergency purposes. :beer:
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@sneakypete
It ain't all that hard... But if your brain fog is too thick to travel reliably, you need to find you a geek teenage kid you can trust. Most every family has one. If yours don't, maybe a neighbor kid. :shrug:
I don't even have a neighborhood,much less a neighborhood kid. What kids there are around here don't work on their own computers,or anything else. They either have their mama do it for them,or send it off to have it done by a pro. Repairing something is for tradespeople,not future executives or people who inherit hundreds of acres of operating farms ,don'tchaknow?
Well, if you do, take your old one in to a shop and get it repaired ... Then you have a spare for when the new one gets worked on..
I found a replacement battery for my old HP on Amazon,and it's supposed to be here on Monday. Truth to tell,I just remembered as I was sitting here typing this that I have a more modern laptop (cheap,small one) out on my desk in my workshop. Been sick so long that I haven't been in the shop "office" for so long I had forgotten about it. Still,starting on Monday I will have a spare laptop in the house and 1 in the shop. I bought the one in the shop while on a road trip and forgot to bring my regular laptop with me. IIRC,cost me less than 200 bucks on sale,with Win 10 already installed. Maybe 13 inch? MUCH smaller and lighter than my old HP,and probably even faster.
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Thread for new laptop.
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,388241.msg2125825/topicseen.html#new (http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,388241.msg2125825/topicseen.html#new)
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I don't even have a neighborhood,much less a neighborhood kid. What kids there are around here don't work on their own computers,or anything else. They either have their mama do it for them,or send it off to have it done by a pro. Repairing something is for tradespeople,not future executives or people who inherit hundreds of acres of operating farms ,don'tchaknow?
Well, being in the biz, I know my way around... I am hardly ever at the Best Buy, or Staples, or any of the tech joints you might be taking your stuff to... I deal a lot with back alley shops like my own. Most of the real operators are introverted a$$holes like me, and don't function well with a 25 dollar smile and a name tag... And once you get to know em, tend to wheel and deal with others that are players in the game...
It ain't no different that auto shops... If you are a high performance car guy, you likely know that you can get just about anything you might want, knowing the right back alley guy with the right stuff in his toy box. For pennies on the dollar too.
It's the same thing in pooters. Find a good guy and he'll set you up right. Shoot, brother, it's a damn shame you ain't here. If you were, and came now and then to bullshalate on my porch, I'd set you right for a few beers and a pizza.
I found a replacement battery for my old HP on Amazon,and it's supposed to be here on Monday. Truth to tell,I just remembered as I was sitting here typing this that I have a more modern laptop (cheap,small one) out on my desk in my workshop. Been sick so long that I haven't been in the shop "office" for so long I had forgotten about it. Still,starting on Monday I will have a spare laptop in the house and 1 in the shop. I bought the one in the shop while on a road trip and forgot to bring my regular laptop with me. IIRC,cost me less than 200 bucks on sale,with Win 10 already installed. Maybe 13 inch? MUCH smaller and lighter than my old HP,and probably even faster.
I am dickin around with a netbook right now... It is experimental really, and under powered, so i am messin with a lite-weight linux on it... But kinda the same sort of thing... I want something better than a phone for travel, and I like the clam-shell and keyboard form-factor.
I kinda went away from it to tablets, which my tablet is alright and all... I use the crap out of it out in the shop, in the kitchen, and likely it will be playing Coast2Coast or some such when I am going to sleep at night... But, it is Droid, and mainly just a big dumb ol phone (w/o the phone) - Great to talk to, and get results, great for appointments and such... alright for internet surfing (way better than the phone for that)... But I surely do miss the keyboard.
So I am probably reverting to a netbook for a lightweight system.
It is a dumb thing for me - I have this giant laptop that I use 99% of the time @home, And it's little sister, a 15" Elitebook i7 that i take with me out on the route that is always available wherever my rig is... But it's nice to have something little for sitting in a waiting room and whatnot, without having to haul a laptop around. :shrug:
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Well, being in the biz, I know my way around... I am hardly ever at the Best Buy, or Staples, or any of the tech joints you might be taking your stuff to... I deal a lot with back alley shops like my own. Most of the real operators are introverted a$$holes like me, and don't function well with a 25 dollar smile and a name tag... And once you get to know em, tend to wheel and deal with others that are players in the game...
It ain't no different that auto shops... If you are a high performance car guy, you likely know that you can get just about anything you might want, knowing the right back alley guy with the right stuff in his toy box. For pennies on the dollar too.
It's the same thing in pooters. Find a good guy and he'll set you up right. Shoot, brother, it's a damn shame you ain't here. If you were, and came now and then to bullshalate on my porch, I'd set you right for a few beers and a pizza.
I am dickin around with a netbook right now... It is experimental really, and under powered, so i am messin with a lite-weight linux on it... But kinda the same sort of thing... I want something better than a phone for travel, and I like the clam-shell and keyboard form-factor.
I kinda went away from it to tablets, which my tablet is alright and all... I use the crap out of it out in the shop, in the kitchen, and likely it will be playing Coast2Coast or some such when I am going to sleep at night... But, it is Droid, and mainly just a big dumb ol phone (w/o the phone) - Great to talk to, and get results, great for appointments and such... alright for internet surfing (way better than the phone for that)... But I surely do miss the keyboard.
So I am probably reverting to a netbook for a lightweight system.
It is a dumb thing for me - I have this giant laptop that I use 99% of the time @home, And it's little sister, a 15" Elitebook i7 that i take with me out on the route that is always available wherever my rig is... But it's nice to have something little for sitting in a waiting room and whatnot, without having to haul a laptop around. :shrug:
@roamer_1
I flat love the HELL out of my 13 inch whateverthehell it is that I bought on a road trip at a discount store. Not the fastest or most capable computer in the world,but it IS a computer I can surf the web with and use away from home that is,IMNSHO,the PERFECT size for a mobile computer. Anything bigger is clumsy and heavy,and anything smaller is useless for someone with clumsy arthritic fingers and bad eyesight. I have no problem at all typing on the keyboard of my 13 inch one,though.
I have never tried it,but it would probably work ok with the older games like Doom if it's available to work with Win 10. BTW,do the DOS games work with Win 10 as is,or do you have to do something to make them work?
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@roamer_1
I flat love the HELL out of my 13 inch whateverthehell it is that I bought on a road trip at a discount store. Not the fastest or most capable computer in the world,but it IS a computer I can surf the web with and use away from home that is,IMNSHO,the PERFECT size for a mobile computer. Anything bigger is clumsy and heavy,and anything smaller is useless for someone with clumsy arthritic fingers and bad eyesight. I have no problem at all typing on the keyboard of my 13 inch one,though.
@sneakypete
Good to know, and probably what I am headed for... Just messin with it right now, but I already know I like it better than the tablet. I will likely wind up in a high powered ultralite sooper-thin win box touch+KB... Just biding my time till one comes down the river.
I have never tried it,but it would probably work ok with the older games like Doom if it's available to work with Win 10. BTW,do the DOS games work with Win 10 as is,or do you have to do something to make them work?
LOL! I was a Doom freak back in the day... Doom is exactly why I got out of gaming. I couldn't leave the dang thing alone. Too obsessive to play games. My whole life goes to full_stop untill I win.
Yeah, what you need is a little gizmo called DOSBox (https://www.dosbox.com/).
There may be others out there, and my info may be dated, but that's the ol standby.
I have not messed with it since early NT6 (win2k, early WinXP) but at the time, that's how I did.
I quit worrying about it because of the WinKey on the KB... That is going to be your nemisis. The KB layout for DOS was previous to the win key being added, and some win hotkeys will mess with you too... KB operated games work weird, and I just abandoned it because of that... But as I said elsewhere, I ain't a gamer, so you may be willing to fuss with it more than me.
There are tons of pages on how to get it up and running:
Running DOS games in win10 (https://www.startpage.com/do/dsearch?query=running+DOS+games+in+win10&cat=web&pl=opensearch&language=english)
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Awhile back I had a hankerin to run Cannon Fodder. I found I could run it with DOSBox.
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@sneakypete
Good to know, and probably what I am headed for... Just messin with it right now, but I already know I like it better than the tablet. I will likely wind up in a high powered ultralite sooper-thin win box touch+KB... Just biding my time till one comes down the river.
LOL! I was a Doom freak back in the day... Doom is exactly why I got out of gaming. I couldn't leave the dang thing alone. Too obsessive to play games. My whole life goes to full_stop untill I win.
Yeah, what you need is a little gizmo called DOSBox (https://www.dosbox.com/).
There may be others out there, and my info may be dated, but that's the ol standby.
I have not messed with it since early NT6 (win2k, early WinXP) but at the time, that's how I did.
I quit worrying about it because of the WinKey on the KB... That is going to be your nemisis. The KB layout for DOS was previous to the win key being added, and some win hotkeys will mess with you too... KB operated games work weird, and I just abandoned it because of that... But as I said elsewhere, I ain't a gamer, so you may be willing to fuss with it more than me.
There are tons of pages on how to get it up and running:
Running DOS games in win10 (https://www.startpage.com/do/dsearch?query=running+DOS+games+in+win10&cat=web&pl=opensearch&language=english)
I liked Wolfenstein a lot, and Quake. Doom, not so much. Id Software.
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@sneakypete
LOL! I was a Doom freak back in the day... Doom is exactly why I got out of gaming. I couldn't leave the dang thing alone. Too obsessive to play games. My whole life goes to full_stop untill I win.
@roamer_1
Yeah,that sounds vaguely familiar. Not that I am anal,or anything,you understand. There was another one I liked every better than Doom that had a witch in a hidden room that had THE most evil cackle I have ever heard when you opened the door she was hiding behind so you could kill her. I would literally get chills up my back when it happened.
Yeah, what you need is a little gizmo called DOSBox (https://www.dosbox.com/).
There may be others out there, and my info may be dated, but that's the ol standby.
I have not messed with it since early NT6 (win2k, early WinXP) but at the time, that's how I did.
I quit worrying about it because of the WinKey on the KB... That is going to be your nemisis. The KB layout for DOS was previous to the win key being added, and some win hotkeys will mess with you too... KB operated games work weird, and I just abandoned it because of that... But as I said elsewhere, I ain't a gamer, so you may be willing to fuss with it more than me.
Sounds to me like the wise thing to do is just buy a more modern version that I can load and play without having to reinvent the wheel.
There are tons of pages on how to get it up and running:
And I am sure they are very handy for people that have a functioning memory. I can remember stuff from 20 years ago better than I can 2 minutes ago.
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@sneakypete
LOL! I was a Doom freak back in the day... Doom is exactly why I got out of gaming. I couldn't leave the dang thing alone. Too obsessive to play games. My whole life goes to full_stop untill I win.
@roamer_1
Then you will be happy to see this: https://www.gog.com/game/doom_3_bfg_edition
ENJOY! I know I will.
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I liked Wolfenstein a lot, and Quake. Doom, not so much. Id Software.
@Cyber Liberty
I THINK Quake was the one I mentioned that scared the hell out of me.
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I liked Wolfenstein a lot, and Quake. Doom, not so much. Id Software.
Commander Keen too. What a great game.
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Commander Keen too. What a great game.
Duke Nukem. I bought a "cheater pack" where I could turn up the pipe-bomb blast radius large enough to destroy a whole level. Good thing I turned "God Mode" on first!
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@roamer_1
Then you will be happy to see this:
ENJOY! I know I will.
Thanks but no thanks @sneakypete ... That's like handing a fifth of whiskey to a drunk... LOL! I do NOT do games anymore.
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Duke Nukem. I bought a "cheater pack" where I could turn up the pipe-bomb blast radius large enough to destroy a whole level. Good thing I turned "God Mode" on first!
LOL! Yeah. Duke Nukem... boy, that brings me back...
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LOL! Yeah. Duke Nukem... boy, that brings me back...
@roamer_1
Am I the only one here that is starting to think we need a Computer Game board?
Yeah,I have fond memories of Duke Nukem,too!
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Commander Keen too. What a great game.
I started with the original Wolfenstein 2D for an Apple II... I've done all the floors and escaped on both the 2D and the later 3D versions. I've also gone all the way through Doom II and I think Quake I and II.
I played a lot of Duke Nukem too. I can't remember if I made it all the way through or not...
Anyone remember Captain Comic? Played that often before the Id Software 3D games came along.
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As mentioned earlier, don't reply to an email link prompting you to "change your password".
Sounds like "phishin'" to me!
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Homeland Security advised everyone yesterday to upgrade their Firefox.
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Homeland Security advised everyone yesterday to upgrade their Firefox.
Thanks for the info. I try to keep on-line banking to an absolute minimum.
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Homeland Security advised everyone yesterday to upgrade their Firefox.
If it is set up natively, it updates itself.
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If it is set up natively, it updates itself.
Mine does.
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A few years back before I built my current machine, with every Firefox upgrade, it would grow more and more sluggish, to the point it was almost unusably slow. I back installed to the then most current Firefox Extended Support Release(ESR) version and it performed much better on my slow machine.
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A few years back before I built my current machine, with every Firefox upgrade, it would grow more and more sluggish, to the point it was almost unusably slow. I back installed to the then most current Firefox Extended Support Release(ESR) version and it performed much better on my slow machine.
Right... I did much the same thing, even hacking the ESR version even further... but after they thinned it back up, I kinda leave it be. The only thing I change nowadays is a user level redirection of the profile location, and in service to that, also relocating the temp dir for the profile... I do that so that my profile is located inside of my normal backup routine...
Other than that, and a couple addons, it's bone stock.