Look, I'm sorry but just because I don't want to wreck my computer with M$ windows "updates", doesn't mean that I'm not willing to do something. I am telling you, the darn thing worked BEFORE and I never, ever put a single update on this system. Isn't there some system file that I can copy from the internet or something to see if it'll make it work? And why has no one speculated on the missing Add/remove programs extension? I at least think that this might be connected in some way or another. Faris,

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I'm sorry for the tone in the prev. post. It seems that ALL I WAS MISSING was ONE file. asycfilt.dll I downloaded the version from the web and now Hijackthis works. I missed when checking the MS article. I did not download any Win updates or anything like that. Thanks everyone. Faris,

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Registry cleaners do not do anything with files. They only work on the registry. DerekW

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"I did not download any Win updates or anything like that" Obviously if you have to run HiJackThis on a regular basis, it's because you (or someone else who uses your PC) visit risky sites on a regular basis. Why bother running Windows Update to patch security holes or install other hotfixes when fixing it the hard way is so much more fun? What version of IE are you running? Maybe you should try FireFox or another browser that isn't quite so susceptible?

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Ok, here's why. I don't believe in that sort of stuff. The system is fine the way it is, at least for me. Personally, I like everything to stay the same, yeah, most people think that is bad but I like it. I hate how they change those little things like icons and such. That just drives me nuts. I love the classic icons and hate those new ones and I find that it just compicates things further to update. Also, newer versions of Windows software create conflicts then you use something that it wasn't originally designed for, like IE 6. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but about the ONLY people who need to run win update are people who do all that corporate buisness stuff and server administrators, right? Us regular old folks have no need of them. Sure, I'm running IE 5.50.4134.0100 or just ver. 5.5 for short. I used IE 6 once on a system and I had an immediate dislike of it. And no, I don't have to run it in order to rid problems, not usually anyway, I prefer to keep checking if anything found it's way on my system. That's all. Faris,

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In your original post you said "STDOLE2.TLB modified 6-17-03 but that is a ruse because it's actual creation date is Jul 5, 2006". Just for info it is not a ruse. It means that the file was modified by the originator on 6-17-03 but that it wasn't put on your machine (created) until Jul 5, 2006. I've often seen folk query files that show as NT in Properties. I think they are best left in place. Possibly they were originally written for NT but later used on ME. RPCSS.EXE is on my W98SE machine and is an original file on the W98SE CD. I do not use Avast. Since 1999 I've only run into a couple of problems with Updates. There was a buggy one KB891711 which messed up some machines but was fixed by MS issuing a new version. Some first versions of IE went wild (for example IE55 was fixed with SP2). I always waited for the SP's before updating. Otherwise I've had all Security Updates on here and am running IE6 SP1 just fine. If you want to know where you stand without updates go to this website and run the "Exploits" tests: PC FLANK Mine runs through just fine. Without updates all you will find all sorts of stuff will get through (probably freezing your system). DerekW

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"...correct me if I'm wrong, but about the ONLY people who need to run win update are people who do all that corporate buisness stuff and server administrators, right?" NO! You are 100% wrong! I'm not gonna bother explaining all the security risks & vulnerabilities of IE, but you've obviously experienced some of them for yourself. The fact that your browser's been HiJacked (more than once) is proof of that. And Windows Update not only updates/repairs/patches IE, but there are also updates for Outlook Express, PowerPoint, Word, Media Player, & Windows itself. I dual boot WinME/WinXP. I just popped over to WinME to check a few things out. I'm running IE6 SP1 & there are 21 separate Security fixes listed as being installed. IE5.5 isn't even supported anymore & if you were to run Windows Update, one of the updates would be IE6. You do NOT have to install the updates, but I suggest you run Windows Update the next time you're online, just to view the list of critcal patches. Take the time to read over what they fix...you might change your mind. I'm sure you have an anti-virus program (AVAST), right? Do you update it regularly? Why? Probably because more & more viruses are created everyday & you wanna protect your system from infection, right? The same rationale should be used for updating Windows.

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Jam I think that makes sense. Folk can do what they wish on their own machines but I have some problem understanding those who seem to have a fear of updates (or in some instance seem to think not having them gets them brownie points). As said, I've had very little hassle but you can get a whole lot more if something gets through. Anyone with any doubt should go to the Security & Virus forum and (for instance) look at the time and effort it takes jabuck to sort out problems using HJT and other tools. Whatever, safe browsing habits, AV, Firewall, and a couple of Anti-Malware programs still play their part. DerekW

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Thank you Derek. Anyway, yes, you're correct, Jam, I do have Avast and I set it on auto-update. Virus scanners and such need updates in my opinion but not windows. Also, I am a Win 9x expert in my area (I don't know everything but I do know a lot) and can reverse almost all damage any attack can throw at me. No, I won't do that update stuff. In my experience it just slows your system down. It seems in my opinion that the people who make the updates assume you're running a 2 Ghz 512 MB RAM system with infinite HD space, not the old 300 - 500 Mhz range with less than 128 MB RAM and just a few GB HD space so they slow the systems down in my experience. I've used Windows 9x computers at libraries and they have been loaded with updates and IE 6 and ran very slow. You never had this happen? But I'm not getting into that. I've even taken the liberty of removing every trace of the Windows update program off my system permanently. Please, just let this drop. I don't want to start a problem on here, can we just leave it at that? And I do know a few people who run Windows 98/ME and such who don't use windows updates and they are doing just fine. Faris,

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Sure thing, but there's no problem on here. It's a forum, we are just airing our opinions. Did you try that Exploits link? Mine whistles along but I do have an Athlon 1800+ and 512M RAM. HD only 12G tho. DerekW

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A true "Win 9x expert" would understand the benefits of keeping Windows updated, but if you prefer to fix problems after they occur rather than trying to prevent them from happening in the 1st place, that's your business. I've read dozens of your posts & responses over the past many months & I know I'm not the only one who's taken issue with you about Windows Update. I also know that there's nothing I can do to change your mind. Although the logic behind many of your comments about windows versions, NT, icons, windows update, etc is somewhat baffling, it is almost always amuzing...lol

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Ok, just making sure is what was going on. I was under the impression that jam was attacking my posts. Well, I'm the other kind of expert who believes the system was made good enough and doesn't require updates. And another issue is that it seems that in Windows NT they spit up the core OS files instead of having USER.exe they have a number of different processes which in my opinion isn't a good idea. Because they all rely on eachother if, one is taken out, the whole system is useless, with Win 9x, each system file is seemingly self-contained and can be replaced individually, I once found a corrupted NT system that had 1 file corrupted (shell32.dll) and because of that, it damaged file the Winlogon file and a few others in the process. In Win 9x systems, if some system file is gone, the others remain unaffected in my experience. Also, that NT system had to be reformatted because of that. If it was a Win 9x system, you could have went to DOS and fixed it. Isn't that the REAL reason MS wanted to abandon DOS so that users can't fix their own systems? Thus more money for MS. And please don't tell me that is a huge load because why else would they remove a tool so vital to fixing your own system? It seems the original windows versions (DOS based not the NT ones) had the ability for YOU, the USER to fix it, now, you have to have tech support to it all. And MS seems to have stopped providing indivuals with OS CD's as they used to. Seems someone's making extra money there. And regarding the icons. Give me a break! They totally.. well, I can't think of a word but for example. My documents used to be a folder with a paper in it, now it's some weird clock and paper sheet. You know what I mean? The icons appear to slick. I don't like the pasty Win 95 icons either but you know what I mean right? They totally stink. They should have stuck with the classic icons. Yes, I'm a bit unusual. The slightest difference in systems bothers me but I can't stand having things like that different. And who's bright idea was it to change the Windows logo? I hate the new one. I prefer the older one. Faris,

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"I was under the impression that jam was attacking my posts" Actually, I was....

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#18 is largely a matter of personal opinion. Fine, much of it maybe different to that of others but that is your prerogative. Shell32.dll corrupting other files is a different matter. It reads like fact but I doubt it is really proven. If something goes haywire with your system then major corruptions all round are of-course possible. One file corrupting the others is hard to believe if you think about it. How does it do this? I think this is a cause and effect assumption which is incorrect. Lost or garbled clusters on the HD are much more likely to result in this sort of thing. DerekW

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"Well, I'm the other kind of expert... " Yes, you certainly are Where do these outlandish ideas come from? Your 'expertise' (much like your previously mentioned 'reputation') is little more than a product of your fevered imagination. After reading your numerous, rambling posts which describe your incredible problems, it's my estimate that if you put your mind to it, you may achieve n00b status in about ten years - but only if you try really hard gotta go with jam on this one We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true

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"Well, I'm the other kind of expert... " What other kind? ; ) We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true

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On the technicalities of updates and machines running slow, again I wonder about cause and effect. Mostly too many background tasks running and malware cause slow machines. This has shown itself to be the case time and time again on here. Unless you know the software arrangements on the library machines compared to the faster running ones it is quite an assumption to say that their slowness is due to updates. Again I doubt this link is proven, more likely a wild guess. No two machines are alike. Updates have never slowed my machines and I've always downloaded the lot. I would say the jury is still out on this idea. DerekW

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LOL...try this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rigRYAXFGqo

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Ok, I've HAD IT! I TRIED TO WALK AWAY! WHAT THE HECK? Doesn't this site PROHIBIT attacks on members? That is what you all are doing to me. So if you do delete this, I have already saved a backup. I'm tired of this. Since when the hell does EXPERT mean you KNOW EVERYTHING? HUH? I know more about Win 9x than anybody in a 50 mile radius in my area. Sure, I don't know everything, that's why I come here. I don't lie and pretend to know everything so why are you all treating it as such? So what the heck? EXAMPLE Cave men = people in my area's win 9x knowledge Industrial revolution era = my knowledge of Win 9x Present day tech = Some of you folks I don't know everything but I do know a lot compared to the people in my area. I don't want any stupid remarks made on that statement above. Now is this going to STOP NOW or what? Got it?

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Look, I'm sorry for my tone in the prev. message. I do NOT want to be banned or have my posts deleted but I just CANNOT BELIEVE that I was treated this way by several members of this site just for speaking my mind. I assumed we were all adults on here but if that's true, then you all have the mind of 5 year olds. Truly. What gives anyone the right to insult someone just because in their personal experience, Windows update is bad? I mean, I think it's a load of crap and MS just wants you to ruin your system, I am a VERY different kind of person. You all believe that these updates help your system, I don't. I don't care what anyone says, I won't change my mind. I am compared to everyone else here, distrusting of MS, I don't believe every word they speak like a lot do on here? What about the secret DAT files in the temporary interent and history files? Anybody know about those? They record your every web visit and can only be cleared via DOS. Any company that would do that is certainly not to be trusted. Or do you all just think that is propaganda made by anti-MS people? Why else would they say DOS is bad? I noticed no one stepped up to explain regarding that. So called security risks aside, why would MS aim to get rid of a tool so vital as MS-DOS mode? If someone answers this question with something other than MS's words, I will be impressed. What about IE being fused with Windows Explorer? Just coincidence? I think not. Just leave me be for my beliefs and just forget about this stupid incident. Can there be peace between us? Faris,

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That's an insult to cavemen everywhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gFrQqaQ7i4&search=caveman

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I suspect the reason MS dropped DOS is because of the onslaught of trying to make computers more and more user friendly. Their ideal would be that all you need to know is how to click a mouse and open/close a Window (more or less). This has been the same since computers began. I well recall having to make very simple games by piling in stacks of program on computers that plugged into the TV. I too like DOS but you won't stop progress and not everything is sinister. There is usually something you can do behind the scenes with even the most modern machine but it takes some effort. DerekW

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Derek, thanks for the answer. But MS shouldn't shoot itself in the foot just because the average person doesn't know how to use something. I learned DOS on my own, no classes. Jam wrote: That's an insult to cavemen everywhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gFrQqaQ7i4&search=caveman Look, QUIT IT! I'm NOT watching any of your stupid videos! Faris,

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Grow some thicker skin Faris. If you're gonna continue posting your ridiculous theories about Microsoft, the evil "Windows Update" & the rest of the nonsense you go on about, you're gonna need it!

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MS are not shooting themselves in the foot. Like all business they are in the game to make money. The demand for DOS is now very low so they are not going to waste their time on it as an entity. XP seems to be selling quite well without it, which proves the point. XP is a different to previous operating systems in that XP Windows is it's own DOS. This was done to facilitate technical improvements (not as a deliberate attack on minority groups). I've tried hard to stick to the computer angle and avoid the general debacle. I somehow feel I'm not getting very far, so I guess it's time to politely duck out. As a parting word of advice, if you want to avoid the hassle you seem to be having then here's two tips which might help: 1. Try not to mix fact with opinion (or fantasy). 2. Don't keep telling folk you are an expert, which is most jarring. That judgement only has value when it is made by others. CU DerekW

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Jam, you think I'm the only one who thinks this? http://toastytech.com/evil/index.html Check that out and you'll see my theories are calm compared to this guy's views. Faris,

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Hey Derek. I didn't see your post, it was 1 minute before mine. Anyway, in my area, I AM an expert. I only know 2 other people who are also considered locally experts and they don't know half as much as I do. So when I use the word expert, please remember that I mean a "Local Expert" as in my area. Ok? You also stated that the new stuff is selling well. Could this be because the cost of computers nowadays is a fraction of it's cost before? Now I'm 90% sure of these figures so correct me if I'm wrong: 1985 - Average cost for a good system was around $8000 1995 - Average cost of a good system was around $2000-3000 2005 - Average cost of a good system was $500 Isn't this right? Maybe they're selling more units now because the price is a fraction of what it used to be. It doesn't have to do with something being better than the other right? If anyone else thinks differently please post it in the nicest way possible. Faris,

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I like this thread. :-D

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http://www.idiotsavant.com/ftp/sounds/psandqs.wav

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Jam, you're waisting your breath (or rather typing time), I said I won't go to any of your goofy links. Faris,

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I didn't put the link there for you....

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If Micro$0ft are soooo fantastic, why is Vista expected to have exclusive access to a chip on (most) new motherboards that deals with digital rights management on a platform known as trusted computing. "The basic idea of Trusted Computing is that security on a computer is obtained via hardware, through a specific chip dedicated exclusively to this task and called Trusted Platform Module (TPM). It's a very controversial project. Originally sold as a beneficial security system for users (which is partially true), trusted Computing and Palladium risk to open the doors to inviolable copy-protection systems and to censorship and surveillance issues to unprecedented levels. " wanna know more about how 'dollar' Bill Gates is going to make you subservient to a the ever growing corporatocracy?... check out http://www.timj.co.uk/digiculture/drm-fallacy Just because Mr Gates has sunk a few million of his c. $36 billion dollar fortune into his own charitable foundation (which is just a tax haven and a way of shifting company stocks around to make him EVEN richer!) doesn't mean that he has our best interests at heart... Faris is more than entitled to his opinion and if y'all don't see that then you must be bigotted... and that makes you as bad as Bill! EZ-now If you are I-tech and know what to do... HELP YOUR FRIENDS TO NOT HAVE TO GO TO PCWORLD! Fix PCs for FREE!

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