*HOT* Tech News And Downloads, I Would Read This Thread And Post Any Good Info

Phone the RIAA and CRIA,..

p2p news / p2pnet: Today's the day.

For what?

To let some of the Big Four Organized Music-owned 'trade' organization bosses know exactly what you think about DRM and/or their efforts to sue you into buying their formulaic, over-priced 'product'.

It's a Defective by Design campaign and, "We're asking you to proclaim your support for digital freedoms by calling the RIAA and telling them what you think of DRM and what you think of them!"

Sign up here, and meanwhile:

* Brad Buckles RIAA USA (202) 857-9607
* Mitch Bainwol RIAA USA (202) 857-9651
* Cary Sherman RIAA USA (202) 857-9632
* Mitch Glazier (202) 857-9673 USA RIAA
* Neil Turkowitz RIAA USA (202) 857-9647
* Steve Redmond BPI UK +44 (0)20 7803 1324
* Peter Jamieson BPI UK +44 (0) 20 7803 1311
* Matt Phillips BPI UK 44 (0) 77 3951 4963
* Michael Haentjes IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-0
* Peter Zombik IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-0
* Jean never Foitzik IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-23
* Herve Rony SNEP France +33 (1) 44 13 66 66
* Graham Henderson CRIA Canada 1 (416) 967-7272 ext. 102


When you've told them what you think, let Defective by Design know the results.

Here's one such for Henderson:

Called in, got Graham's VM. Left a message explaining


go here to read it all
http://p2pnet.net/story/9157

 

GOOD HAPPY SATURDAY MORNING TO YE






1080p high definition: Is your house big enough for it?


Posted by Dan Bell on 23 June 2006 - 18:09 - Source: Various

It seems that more and more these days, people are opting to invest (?) in some sort of home theater arrangement, to watch television shows or DVD movies at least. This way, a family can save quite a bit over movie theater prices, yet still watch content with great quality. Not only that, now you are in control of the show times and what's playing, for busy working families, this convenience is worth so much!

With the array of products available to us these days, including inexpensive surround sound systems, it sure seems the way to go! Right now though, for blue laser technology, if these following prices are any indication, it would appear that only early adopters, or the well heeled, could even toy with the idea of making the leap to a Blu-ray 1080p home theater. But, if you want the bragging rights of the being the first on the block, then you will have to pay the "early adopter fees". Prices will drop quickly of course, once these devices become more mainstream.

Here's an example of one of the first specifically designed blue laser HD HT systems to hit the streets. On June 22, Panasonic announced the availability (Thanks D4rk0n3 for the heads up!) of a next gen home theater setup for Blu-ray discs. The $1299 DMP-BD10 and an accompanying $999.00 SA-XR700 100watt XM satellite ready receiver, plus the $2999.95 SB-TP1000 7.1 speakers. Availability is slated for sometime in September. While sold separately, these products were really designed to work together as a system. Now all you need, if you have any money left, is something to view the HD video upon and Panasonic has that covered as well!

For high definition entertainment optimization, Panasonic will also debut its first 1080P-capable 65-inch Plasma display (TH-65PX600) in fall 2006.

Here is the rest of the story though



go here tro read it all
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13586

 

Registry Edits for Windows XP
"Tweaks and Tips"
View by Category


go here to see the info
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm


To use the Regedits: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

To use the VBS Files: Download .vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double
click the vbs file. You will be prompted when the script is done.

NOTE: If your anti-virus software warns you of a "malicious" script, this is normal if you have "Script Safe" or similar technology enabled. These scripts are not malicious, but they do make changes to the System Registry.


examples of over 387 "Tweaks and Tips"

1. Add XP TweakUI Icon to the Control Panel Add ControlUserPasswords2 To Control Panel
2. Increase Folder View Size Limit to 8000 Add Folder to Start Menu - Replace MP or MM
3. Restore Missing Toolbars EXE or VBS Disable CD AutoRun for Home or Pro
4. Repairs the Icon View Set Numlock State On or Off at Startup
5. Background Switcher PowerToy Enable/Disable Administrator on Welcome Screen

6. Restore System Default Sounds Fix the Ding.Wav File
7. Increase Balloon Tip Display Time Change Registered Owner and Organization
8. Release/Renew Bat File Remove Internet Explorer Branding
9. Disable the Windows Logo Keys Restore OE to the E-mail List in Internet Options
10. Enable CD AutoPlay for Pro Disable Media Player Update Message

 

good morning to ye afterdawn members

on me second cup of coffee reading the news..

some tech news is posted below
cheers to ye all.

 

Critical Microsoft exploit alert

p2p news / p2pnet: Microsoft is gearing up for a disruptive attack, "similar to the Zotob worm that hit several high-provide targets in August 2005," says eWeek.

At the time, F-Secure's Mikko Hyppönen wrote of the worm, "this one was using a brand new exploit against a brand new vulnerability: the MS05-039 PnP hole."

Now, anyone using Microsoft Windows, users, especially businesses running Windows 2000, should pay attention to a special warning about exploit code that zeroes in on a vulnerability Microsoft has labeled "critical".


the article is posted below

 

Vista volume license keys to be tagged and neutered

6/27/2006 11:29:42 AM, by Jeremy Reimer

"Corporate Edition" versions of Windows have been the blessing of both IT workers and casual pirates since the days of Windows 95, when the operating system first started asking for a license key on installation. Large firms and OEMs who did not want to go through the hassle of typing in a CD key for every install received Volume License Keys (VLKs) that could be used on as many installs as necessary. Microsoft relied on the honor system to ensure that companies did not abuse this privilege, but it looks as if with Vista this system may be ending:

go below for the story

 

UK 'instant' radio downloads

p2p news / p2pnet: Rich UK consumers, "are set to be the first in the world able to buy songs instantly as they listen to them on digital radio, using a download service announced on Monday by UBC Media," says Reuters.

Cash-endowed punters would, " pre-pay for songs using a similar credit plan as is commonly used for mobile phone calls," says the story.

"Each song is expected to cost about 1.25 pounds (about $2.28), 60 percent more than the 79 pence for tracks bought from Apple Computer's iTunes service, but less than the 3 pounds often charged for ringtones."

London-based radio programming producer Chrysalis Group will start tests on its Heart station, with plans for a full roll-out by December, says Reuters, quoting UBC's Simon Cole as saying,

"We believe there is a premium of some kind in the mobile environment,"

 

IE 7 Beta 3's Toolbar, with the "Classic" menu bar disabled.

Microsoft releases final IE 7 beta

6/29/2006 4:35:56 PM, by Jeremy Reimer

After letting Internet Explorer 6 go for years without any significant updates, Microsoft has been trying to make up for lost time by releasing a series of previews and betas for IE 7. The first preview was released to the public in January, and Beta 2 followed on its heels in April. Now, Microsoft has unveiled a third and possibly final beta of its new web browser.

There are no significant changes to the rendering engine, as Microsoft promised web developers in March that the layout engine was "feature complete" and that they could start testing their sites with the new browser. However, the new beta does offer many bug fixes, performance enhancements and minor user interface tweaks.

As with Beta 2, the new version requires Windows XP with SP2 installed. Versions are also available for Windows XP Pro x86-64, and



GO HERE TO READ IT ALL
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060629-7168.html

 

This was incorporated in the Beta Vista, it was the only thing that worked well, lol

 

RIAA shifts lawsuit strategy to focus on a region each week



Posted by Seán Byrne on 30 June 2006 - 00:00 - Source: Slyck News

It has now been three years since the RIAA first started collecting evidence to prepare to start suiting individuals. Three years on with round after round of lawsuits being filed, we hardly hear of any news and to make matters worse, file sharing of copyrighted works has grown much larger than it was when the RIAA first started its lawsuit campaign, despite claiming to have contained it recently. After originally losing a case against StreamCast Networks and Grokster that P2P operators could not be held liable, they decided to start suing the individuals. It was not until two rulings later where the RIAA appealed to the US Supreme Court that they succeeded in getting the previous ruling overturned such that P2P operators can be held liable for its user's activities.

The main problem with each round of lawsuits was that the chances of a lawsuit happening in a given area is quite slim and also the lawsuits were only being carried out on a monthly basis. As a result many consumers started losing their fear of being sued and thus ignore the risks, continuing to use P2P as before. To help bring attention to consumers about the risks and scare them away from P2P, the RIAA has increased its frequency to a weekly basis, focusing each round of lawsuits on a specific geographic region and also get the local media involved to publish about the suits, naming various victims. This means that that people in the area of the RIAA's current target will be hearing about various people very close by being sued.

According to an RIAA spokesperson in the Slyck article, the RIAA plans to keep up its lawsuit campaign and are always looking for ways to make their programme more effective in order to encourage music lovers to stay away from the illegitimate services. The RIAA's new strategy is already in place with news about victims of RIAA lawsuits in local regional papers such as the Palm Beach Post, the Evansville Courier Gazette and so on. Thanks to RTV71 for letting us know about this news:


go here to read the rest
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13616




RIAA plans to sue hundreds of people using P2P software
Posted by Dennis on 26 June 2003 - 11:56 - Source: CNN

After the RIAA's victory against ISP Verizon Communications, in which the ISP was forced to turn over the names of alleged music pirates, the anti-piracy group is on the hunt again for individuals who illegally download files from peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as KaZaA.

nuihc and icepax both reported that the RIAA has said Wednesday it plans to sue hundreds of individuals using P2P software. By doing this the group will expand their anti-piracy fight into millions of homes:

"We're going to begin taking names and preparing lawsuits against peer-to-peer network users who are illegally making available a substantial number of music files to millions of other computer users," RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a conference call.

The RIAA believes the popular peer-to-peer services, which allow users to copy music, movies and other files from each others' hard drives, are partly responsible for a decline in CD sales, and has aggressively sought to shut them down. But until now the industry has shied away from directly suing users, opting instead to send them online warnings and clutter up the networks with dummy files.

A recent court ruling makes it easier to track down copyright violators through their Internet providers, and Sherman said investigators would begin to track down hundreds of users who make their digital-music collections available for copying. Lawsuits asking for statutory damages of $ 150,000 per count will likely be filed in six to eight weeks, he said.

The industry will not initially target those who do not allow others to copy their music collections, he said. Music fans who wish to avoid legal action should change the settings on their peer-to-peer software to block access to their hard drives, or uninstall the software completely, he said.

Although the RIAA succeeded in shutting down one of the first P2P networks, Napster, the group suffered a major blow when file-sharing softwares Grokster and Morpheus were declared legal. Read the complete article here.

 

SECONFIG XP..........Security configuration utility for Windows. One tool to close (not just shield) most Windows security holes. Can close ports 135, 137-139, 445, 1025 (used by file and printer sharing, Windows domains, other LAN-like access and widely exploited by worms, hackers etc.), 1900, 5000 (used by UPnP) and other.... Can disable most dangerous Windows services. Can configure many other hidden security related Windows TCP/IP settings. Works only with registry (no files, services, drivers etc.). Includes two easy to use presets for average home (standalone) and LAN (Microsoft Windows network member) computers .....(free).....GO THERE!
http://seconfig.sytes.net/


OPEN SOURCE FREEWARE..........400 plus extremely useful open source applications and utilities available free under various licenses.....(free).....GO THERE!
http://www.econsultant.com/i-want-open-source-software/index.html

 

Two new security flaws have been discovered in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and one could also affect Mozilla's Firefox, security experts have warned.

Code for both the vulnerabilities has been published, but there have been no reports of attacks taking advantage of the flaws, the SANS Internet Storm Center, which monitors network threats, said in an advisory released Wednesday

go here to read it all
http://news.com.com/Browser+bugs+hit+IE,+Firefox/2100-1002_3-6089817.html?tag=nefd.top

 

Super-slim lasers developed to give up to 10x more capacity
Posted by Seán Byrne on 30 June 2006 - 14:56 - Source: Pink Tentacle

Most people have already read many stories about holographic storage and discs containing more than 2 layers promising that would bring us ultra storage high capacities on a CD sized disc, however this has not stopped research into improving the capacity of single layer media. Just when Blu-ray appeared to offer the feasible limit per layer due to the difficulty in focusing laser light to narrower spots without moving further to more expensive shorter wave length lasers, researchers at Kyoto University have developed a new laser that can produce a beam of down to 1/10th the size of that produced by existing laser modules of the same wavelength.

The new semiconductor laser technology uses layers of phototonic crystals incorporated on 0.5mm² semiconductor chips. These crystals contain 10,000's of tiny holes, each acting as a mirror, which cause light to resonate in the chip until it gets emitted as laser light, but with an overal beam diameter of up to 10 times smaller than that from semiconductor lasers currently available.



go here to read it all
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13620

 

France approves iTunes law
June 30, 2006 8:18 AM PDT

Apple Computer will have to play better with digital-music others in France.

That's the upshot of legislation that French lawmakers gave final approval to Friday. It could force Apple to make its iPod music player and iTunes Music Store compatible with those from rivals. It would make the same demands of companies such as Microsoft and Sony.

An earlier version of the legislation drew fierce criticism from Apple as "state-sponsored piracy" because it would have required companies to share details of their digital rights management technologies. The law as passed reflects a more recent compromise that offers some wiggle room--interoperability is still mandated, but doesn't have to be enforced if services like iTunes get the permission of rights holders such as musicians and record labels to use DRM.

Apple had threatened to bid adieu to France rather than share its DRM secrets with rivals.
Posted by Jonathan Skillings
http://news.com.com/2061-10793_3-6090051.html?part=rss&tag=6090051&subj=news



more here

Both the Senate and the National Assembly, France's lower house, voted in favor of the copyright bill, which some analysts said could cause Apple Computer Inc. and others to pull their music players and online download stores from France.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060630/ap_on_hi_te/france_itunes_law_5

 

Last chance to jump on board Vista Beta 2

6/30/2006 9:03:45 AM, by Jeremy Reimer

According to a post put up this morning on Ian Moulster's (a Microsoft product manager in the UK) blog, Microsoft is providing only a limited number of copies (both physical and downloaded) of Vista Beta 2, and they are "fast approaching the cut-off point."

Those still interested in becoming part of the beta program can go to Microsoft's beta registration site and sign up for the program. The site requires a "Windows Live" ID, which is essentially the same as your Passport sign-in for Hotmail, and once signed-in you can obtain a beta product key and start downloading the massive 3.2GB file, which comes in the form of a DVD ISO image.


read it all here
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060630-7170.html


go here for vista
http://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/engb/

 

Done the Vista experience, and am not going to revisit that trauma. But the Microsoft Office beta is really nice, am liking this a whole lot, I recommend this one.

 

Microsoft in legal trouble over Windows Genuine Advantage

6/30/2006 11:38:55 AM, by Ken Fisher

In the good old days of 2001, Microsoft started an aggressive anti-piracy initiative that is still alive today. Called "Windows Product Activation," Microsoft's early iterations attempted to verify copies of Windows online, going so far as to scan system components in an effort to individually identify machines. Some five years later Microsoft is still trying to keep an eye on piracy online, but they're going about it in a way that angers many.

Los Angeles resident Brian Johnson has field suit against Microsoft in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, charging the company with failing to disclose the true nature of a similar anti-piracy tool that Microsoft has distributed. The tool in question is the now-notorious "Windows Genuine Advantage"—an descendant of sorts from the old WPA approach. Johnson's complaint centers around the fact that previous versions of WGA constantly "called home" to Microsoft, which in his view constitutes a a violation of anti-spyware laws in both California and Washington State. Johnson's suit seeks class-action status for the complaint, and it is being fronted by Scott Kamber of Kamber & Associates LLC in New York. Kamber recently served as plaintiff's counsel in the rootkit fiasco centering on Sony.


go here to read it all
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060630-7171.html

 

Be nice if this guy wins, I swear it does an ET on my puter.

 

Western Digital settles drive size lawsuit

6/30/2006 1:45:53 PM, by Jeremy Reimer

How big is your hard drive, exactly? This question has caused no small amount of consternation, not only to geeks, but to hard drive companies as well. Western Digital, one of the largest manufacturers of computer hard drives, has just announced a settlement in the class-action lawsuit filed against it in California.

The lawsuit charged that Western Digital sold hard drives, specifically their 80GB WD800VE drive and their 120GB WD1200B011 model, that had only 79,971,254,272 bytes (74.4GB) and 120,002,150,400 bytes (111GB) of usable storage. All this confusion comes from the binary definition of kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes, which are 210 (1024), 220 (1,048,576), and 230 (1,073,741,824) bytes respectively.

Apart from math geeks and fans of the binary counting system, does anyone really care about the differences between kilo- and mega- in their binary forms versus their metric forms? The lawsuit charges that consumers do care, because they have become familiar with binary amounts in two ways: from the typical amounts of memory received with every new computer (128, 256, 512 MB and so forth), and because the computer's operating system itself reports free space in terms of binary megabytes and gigabytes. The suit even went on to reference the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and that organization's proposed renaming of the binary standards to "kibibyte" and "mebibyte," arguing that the world's failure to adopt these new terms means that the old binary definitions for kilobytes and megabytes should still stand.

In the end, all this fibble and kibibble winds up with Western Digital offering to compensate customers with a US$30 refund, which the company will provide in the form of free backup and recovery software valued at the same amount. Customers wishing to take advantage of this offer need to visit WD's site and sign up for the Claim Form, which must be completed by July 17.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060630-7174.html

 

Spyware Tools | RemoveWGA 1.1

RemoveWGA enables you to remove the Microsoft "Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications" tool, which is calling home and connect to Microsoft servers every time you boot. Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot.

Also, Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is different than Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. RemoveWGA only removes the notification part, phoning home, and does not touch the Validation part. As the time I'm writting this, the Validation part is mandatory for some not critical downloads from Microsoft, but the Notification part is not mandatory at all, and you are able to install all of the security updates without installing this one. This may change in the future thought, I don't know what are the Microsoft plans.

Editors Note: Avira detects a trojan in RemoveWGA. The file is clean.

Author: Firewall Leak Tester
Date: 2006-06-30
Size: 13 Kb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win XP

get it here
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5170.html