The Kaptain's Korner

RE: The Kaptin's Korner

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For Windows Vista

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to set compatibility mode, if needed
Open Windows Explorer.
Locate the executable of a program.
Right-click the executable and click Properties in the popup menu.
Click the Compatibility tab.
Select the option to Run this program in compatibility mode for.
Choose an operating system from the dropdown list.
Click OK.

to run with elevated rights, if needed
Open Windows Explorer.
Locate the executable of a program.
Right-click the executable and click Run As Administrator in the popup menu.

 

RE: The Kaptin's Korner

FREEWARE

To download TweakUAC, click this link: (TweakUAC)

Disable the Windows Vista feature of Windows User Account Control.

 

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"How To" copy your ToEE CD disks to your hard drive.

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To copy the CD disks, double-click the "My Computer" icon from the desktop, and in the new window that opens, right-click "Local Disk (C)" and select EXPLORE from the pop-up menu. In the new explorer window that opens, click on "Local Disk (C)" so it is selected. From the menu bar, click FILE and, then, click NEW, plus, also click NEW FOLDER. Type "ToEE_Tmp" [or whatever you prefer to name it] and press <enter>. Follow the same basic procedure and make two new subfolders under the "ToEE_Tmp" folder you just made. Name the two new subfolders "Install" and "Play". Use the "My Computer" window that is already open, right-click the CD drive icon and select COPY from the pop-up menu. Copy the CD disks to their respective new folders, one CD disk at a time.

When done, go to the "Install" folder you just made [and copied files to], and double-click the SETUP.EXE file to run the installation of ToEE.

 

a composition of the official v3.5 d20 SRD RULES <- click there to download

NOTE: The linked zip file contains 86 files in RTF format.

 

"How To" do a clean uninstall of Norton Internet Security.

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Note: If your computer has viruses, clean it up with scans [update your NAV and run a full scan on all files]. You can [and I suggest you do this], run the following three antivirus scan executables you can get from here. And when done, try installing ToEE, again.

If your computer does not have any viruses [is clean, free of viruses] and you are not able to install ToEE, try this.

for people [2000/XP computers] reading this
Open the services.msc [services in computer management], stop and disable specific Norton services.
Windows 2000/XP should have these Norton Internet Security services.
1) Symantec Event Manager
2) Symantec Network Proxy
3) Symantec Password Validation
4) Symantec Settings Manager
5) ISSVC
6) Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect Service
7) Symantec Network Drivers Service
8) Symantec Core LC

for other people [98/SE/Me computers] reading this
Use just the Task Manager, look for the Norton processes and End Task on them.
Windows 98/SE/Me should have these Norton Internet Security services.
1) ccApp
2) Symantec Core LC
3) ccEvtMgr
4) ccSetMgr
5) ISSVC
6) ccProxy

Older versions of NIS (Norton Internet Security) and NAV (Norton Antivirus) tend to be problematic. The older the version of NIS and NAV, the more likely problems that can be possible with various programs, especially games.

!!! I would suggest no one ever install Norton Internet Security on a gaming computer - avoid doing that.
IMO - Norton Antivirus 2006 may be okay as people have reported on some computers, including myself, but NEVER any version of Norton Internet Security.

Try installing ToEE, patching ToEE and install the Co8 MOD you prefer where if the above works [PC is clean of viruses and disabling NIS allows you to install ToEE], you should really consider uninstalling and removing Norton Internet Security and all of its components. If you do decide to uninstall NIS, please read the following.

(1) Use the Add or Remove Programs applet and uninstall anything in the list that starts with the name Norton and the name Symantec.

(2) OPTIONAL STEP
-> Only after uninstalling NIS and all of its components by using Add or Remove Programs, I would also suggest you run this, too.
-> Download the RnisUPG.exe file from the following link:
RnisUPG.exe
* If you run this app without first uninstalling all of the Norton and Symantec programs listed in Add or Remove Programs, your computer will have some serious problems, ie., like not being able to load the operating system when you start your computer.

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Wow, thanks a lot for that!

 

FREEWARE

Prevent your browser from being abused by malicious websites.
- Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software.
- Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox.
- Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.

download, install, and enable

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spywareblaster 4.0

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FREEWARE

Here's probably the best freeware I've ever found and used. I have found this to be the best freeware for CD & DVD & Audio & ISO writing to disk media [as good as or better than Nero and Roxio].

-> CDBurnerXP Pro

It requires these freeware add-ons be installed before installing the program. (links included on the site)
1. Nero BurnRights (installs a few files, not a program)
2. Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 SP6 (runtime version)
3. Microsoft Windows Installer
4. Microsoft Windows Script 5.6
5. Microsoft .NET Framework
6. Microsoft Windows Media Format 9.0 Update
* Click the link for additional programs on the site.

[EDIT] I love freeware because it's free for non-commercial, general public use.

 

FREEWARE

For people using Dial-Up, I would suggest you get a free download manager.

I do not use one of them. Anyway, here is a free one that seems to be reasonable.

* Download ConnectFusion.exe (1.17 MB)
- FREEWARE
- Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4, 2000, Win XP or later
- requires: 400 MHz processor; 64 MB RAM; 4 MB of hard-disk space

[from the author]
"ConnectFusion Download Accelerator is a very fast open source download manager. It will accelerate your downloads from the Internet and resume broken connections. It includes an easy-to-use interface and its installation does not interfere with the normal behavior of your browser. ConnectFusion Download Accelerator is 100% free, never expires, and does not contain any spyware or advertisement."

 

errors

Do a google search for a patch. Search for exactly this.

TEXT REMOVED

Replace the original ToEE.exe file in the parent game folder with the 33KB patch version of ToEE.exe file that you download.

And, no - absolutely not, we will not place links to it on our site.

 

"How To" stop errors of dotNET trying to contact crl.microsoft.com.

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The crl.microsoft.com server FQDN is the Microsoft Certificate Authority server in Redmond, WA. CRL in this instance stands for Certificate Revocation List.

At program startup, if the option is checked [related to ToEEFE and dotNET in your case], the dotNet RunTimE attempts to contact the crl.microsoft.com address to ensure the certificate is valid [dotNET running home to Microsoft using Internet Explorer to do a validation check - some long time ago, Microsoft determined someone was issuing fake/false certificates identified as Microsoft, but were not from Microsoft].

If there is no Internet connection or if there is a problem contacting the Certificate Revocation List server [like if you tell your firewall program control to block/deny it access to the Internet], this will cause a long delay.

Try this. Open your Internet Explorer browser properties and look for this option, "Check publisher’s certificate revocation". Deselect/disable and turn it off. See if that helps.

Alternately, you can do this. Open your local hosts file and add the following line to your hosts file.

127.0.0.1 crl.microsoft.com

That should fix it if disabling the cert verify option does not work.

 

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What is spyware? (information)

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fyi - Spyware is more than just those pesky, annoying pop-up advertisement windows.

If someone uses a computer smartly and has proper active running computer protection software, they can be reasonably safe to do a certain number of things.

IMO - One thing that does NOT mix at all is spyware/viruses on a computer used for doing online banking and other financial transactions. If someone goes to pornography sites, casino "pay" sites, and other similar shady type of websites, it is tempting fate to also use that same computer to do online banking and do other financial transactions.
* This is a do-at-your-own-risk kind of thing.

All it takes is one malicious spyware to download a spyware trojan that will download and install unwanted files without your knowledge and consent, including viruses. You are right in that there are over 13 different types [or forms] of spyware. And, and by different types of spyware, I mean the range of things a spyware or type of spyware will do or will allow to be done and take place or occur.

Some of these are very scary.
- various types of simple pop-ups and advertisements [most common]
- cookies, tracking cookies, and super cookies [2nd most common]
- identity theft [different kinds/levels, both personal info and computer]
- trashing a computer (malwares are different kinds/levels - might be viral)
- DDOS/external (Distributed DOS and other bad spywares - worms/viral)

* And yes, spyware keyloggers generate text log files listing every single keyboard key-stroke pressed when a connection to the Internet is detected, including usernames, passwords, and account numbers.

 

AVG Anti-Virus Free 7.5 (new version)

FREE Antivirus -> AVG Anti-Virus Free 7.5

provides download links

 

general antivirus brand information

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I will say no antivirus is perfect. However, In the corporate world of IT environments, Symantec Antivirus is # 1, and for home computer users Norton Antivirus is # 1. I have seen Symantec and Norton Antivirus, both, find and remove viruses others could not. Norton Antivirus starting with NAV 2005 and, especially, NAV 2006 saw NAV providing protection that outdoes the competition.

AVG FREE is solid. And yes, AVAST! FREE provides more and better antivirus protection than AVG, but AVAST is most definitely a resource hog and should only be used on newer computers. I would only suggest using AVAST on newer computers with a minimum of a 2 GHz processor and 768 MB or more of memory.

AVG is the best free antivirus solution for older computers and computers running Windows 98 and 98 SE. I would recommend new computers with 1 GB memory and running Windows XP can [or should] use AVAST.

AVG is the best overall FREE antivirus solution to provide good protection and not use a lot of computer resources as long as people are not, purposefully, tempting fate with their Internet, browsing and download habits. There's an old saying made popular in the Forest Gump movie, "stupid is as stupid does". Sometimes, people just simply ask for it by the truckload according to the nature of their computer usage.

 

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BLURB on hard drive partitions...because someone asked

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If someone has a primary partition for their C drive and has a 2nd partition on the same hard drive that is a logical partition, that is absolutely a bad idea.

However, people can have one hard drive with 2 partitions, one for the operating system to be installed and run on while the other partition is for user or program data. In this instance, the trick is to fdisk both partitions to be primary partitions, not have a logical partition for the 2nd partition. This way, if the operating system crashes and the 1st partition has to be re-made, Windows can be reinstalled and the data remains untouched on the 2nd partition.
* Otherwise using a second partition that is a logical partition, the data has to be copied from the hard drive to a separate storage space and the partition remade, Windows reinstalled, and the data copied back to the hard drive.

Note1: If you have a hard drive with 2 partitions, 1st partition is primary and 2nd partition is also primary, the two partitions are separate - the computer treats both partitions as distinct drive space, just like if you had two hard drives. If you have to remake the 1st partition, the 2nd partition as a primary partition does not have to be deleted and remade when you remake the 1st partition. (It is primary partitions on computers that we love.)

Note2: If you have a hard drive with 2 partitions, 1st partition is primary and 2nd partition is logical, the logical partition is tied in to the primary partition. If you have to remake the primary partition, you lose the logical partition when you remake the primary partition. (It is logical partitions on computers that we hate.)

Note3: Companies who sell mass quantities of computers do not provide an original Windows CD disk with their computers. They would have to add the cost of a new Windows CD from Microsoft on to the price of a computer of which already includes their licensed right to put Windows on their computers...you would be paying for Windows to be on their brand of computer and also would pay for a separate copy of Windows on a CD disk. So, instead, they give you a Restore CD. However, the hard drive from the original install and setup of their brand of computer with Windows on it has a small partition, normally 1 MB or less, at the start of the hard drive on some of these computers. If that partition becomes corrupted, the Windows installed on the computer is destroyed and everything has to be setup from scratch using their Restore CD disk. Sometimes, the small partition is at the end of the hard drive. Also, the Maxtor software to setup a hard drive also puts a small partition on a hard drive, too. (It is the small partition on these computers that we hate.)

Lastly, with modern hard drives being large at a low cost (about 1 dollar per GB of storage) and the boot partition (the C drive) with the installed operating system being able to exceed 4 GigaBytes up to the total amount of hard drive space allowing needed storage with all of the user and program data, computers are preferred to have a single partition as a primary partition.