I would LIKE to upgrade to Windows XP, but I have four concerns:

1) Open ports. Tons and tons of open TCP/UDP ports. Can anyone recommend
a guide somewhere that lists them all, and explains how to close them? I'm
aware 135/RPC cannot be closed, and will use a hardware firewall to address
THAT one. But the others CAN be closed, and even though a firewall could
also be used to address all the other open ports, I *still* want to close
them, just for good measure.

2) Windows product activation. Fuck this bullshit. My relationship with
Microsoft ends when I walk out of CompUSA with my paid-for copy. It's none
of their business that I ever install it. Even if the registration process
is "anonymous" (yeah, until proven otherwise). Can anyone recommend a known
"good" crack for WPA? By "good", I mean one that doesn't also come with a
complementary copy of a trojan dropper. :-P

3) Hardware fingerprinting. See curses above. I'll change as much of my
hardware as I please, and refuse to beg Microsoft's permission to do so
via another round of WPA. Assuming a crack for (2) wouldn't solve this,
anyone know a crack for the hardware change detection crap?

4) Phone-homery. This one really pisses me off. The search assistant,
the parts of Windows Update that cannot be disabled without making some
obscure change to policy editor/registry, Windows Media Player's constant
reporting of what you're watching, ad nausea. I have to imagine someone
else hates this enough to have made a comprehensive guide to making an XP
box *completely* silent in terms of outbound connections to Microsoft --
including all possible obscure policy editor/regedit changes. Anyone know
of such a guide?

Thanks in advance.

Well don't use it then!

That's telling 'em.

"Steve P" <someone@somewhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:3adpbpF643dtbU1@individual.net...

Necromancer wrote:

Zone Alarm free edition.

Buy the corporate edition.

Buy the corporate edition.

Zone Alarm free edition.

"Necromancer" <necroman@sewerinput.spam> wrote in message
news:yai0e.2025$gI5.1219@newsread1.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
Apparently we are to assume that you are "upgrading" from a non-Windows
platform to a Windows platform. Won't work. Windows UPGRADES only let
you migrate upward from an existing installation of Windows. Your
statement infers that either you were not using Windows before or you
mistakeningly believe that prior versions of Windows did not have open
ports (which YOU must open by running an application that actually
listens on a port). In your example, don't set the "Messenger" NT
service to load automatically (or even manually; i.e., disable it) if
you don't want it listening on port 135 (and a few others). A port
cannot be used/abused unless some process is *listening* on that port.
Use SysInternal's TCPview to see which processes are listening on a
port.

Easily accomplished. Don't use their software if you don't agree to its
terms of use or its behavior. There are plenty of other choices for an
operating system.

Same solution as above. Use someone's software to whom you do agree to
their terms and behavior.

You are incapable of going into its options and simply disabling them?
Sure seemed real easy to me. Of course, and since you already mentioned
firewalls, use a firewall that monitors outbound connections by
application (i.e., it has application rules) and simply select to block
all connects by WMP when the firewall's prompt appears when WMP first
attempts to connect. No rocket science needed.

A Google search will turn up lots of Windows guides, help articles, and
tweaking utilities. Self-education takes time but may be shorter than
taking classes depending on your initiative. Otherwise, you can always
ask specific questions about a specific behavior that you want to alter
and hope someone provides a specific response. Since you mentioned
firewalls, you already know the solution: define filters to block all
connects to Microsoft's domains: microsoft.com, msn.com, hotmail.com,
akamai.com (Microsoft contracts with them for Windows Update load
balancing), and any others you find. Many firewalls only let you block
by IP address which is a pain. Some will let you do URL filtering where
you can specify the URL string on which you want to block (just make
sure your hosts file hasn't been corrupted to redirect to malware sites,
plus you may have to flush the local DNS cache after blocking a site by
URL instead of by IP address). Then you never have to deal or
communicate with Microsoft again although, as mentioned above, not using
their products is probably an easier solution (but then you'll have to
deal with the behavior of whomever else's software you use).

"Necromancer" <necroman@sewerinput.spam> wrote in message
news:yai0e.2025$gI5.1219@newsread1.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
Use Linux, it won't recognise your network adaptors anyway, so open ports
aren't a problem. Even if you do miraculously get it working, I don't think
modern trojans are backwards compatible with Linux's 1970's applications.

It was on Wed, 23 Mar 2005 18:27:54 +0000, that mentalguy2004 contributed:

Bullshit, as a search of any linux hardware database will show.

It's very easy to get any modern linux distro working.

So, you haven't a clue what you're talking about. Why am I not surprised.

--
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"Perce P. Cassidy" <ballmer@my.rooted.ass> wrote in message
news:elp8h2-uui.ln1@linux.site...
LOL, you linux nerds are a humourless lot....

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 19:03:27 GMT, "mentalguy2004" <none@none.com> wrote:

<snip>
It has nothing to do with humor, and everything to do with false information.
Linux sees my network adapter just fine, it was quite easy to install and
configure, and the bit about "Linux's 1970's applications" is a flat-out lie -
if that were true, those "70's applications" wouldn't run on today's hardware,
which is light-years different from then.

"But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of your delusions. "

--
"No lusers were harmed in the creation of this usenet article.
AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY NOT!"
--glmar04 at twirl.mcc.ac.uk in a.s.r

"Mara" <go@awaynow.becauseIsaidso.com> wrote in message
news:28g34159j6n7is97rvb2v748l05jkvpkga@4ax.com...
LOL again. I'm reeling them in today! Must have hit a nerve.

Mara wrote:

I'm not even a Linux person although I have 2 Fedora servers and a
Mikrotik router that I use. I've yet to struggle with finding and
setting up any device. It may happen tomorrow, but so far it's been damn
near falling off a log easy to set up a Linux box.

Necromancer wrote:
Am I reading a three year old post?

If you won't use XP why do you want help with it?

It was on Wed, 23 Mar 2005 19:23:41 +0000, that mentalguy2004 contributed:

begin bullshit.vbs

Caught out, & backpeddling. What a prick.

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On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 14:28:18 -0500, Rôgêr <abuse@your.isp.com> wrote:

It's MUCH easier than setting up 2k on a RAID stripe was. Or worse, setting up
XP on a RAID stripe.

"That was...interesting."

--
"No lusers were harmed in the creation of this usenet article.
AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY NOT!"
--glmar04 at twirl.mcc.ac.uk in a.s.r

"Necromancer" <necroman@sewerinput.spam> had
writtennews:yai0e.2025$gI5.1219@newsread1.news.pas .earthlink.net:

Upgrade from what? MS seems to have kept upgrades for previous
additions for longer then a warranty on most new cars. You don't want
to register on line but you want to upgrade! That's your choice and
perhaps you feel only the older is better. I am sure there are many
users of XP that will let you have their old W95 disc.



--
Barney __________________________
Wisdom from the sleeping dogs!

Rôgêr <abuse@your.isp.com> wrote:

No such beastie is available for purchase.

The so-called corporate edition is a reference to bootleg/pirated
copies of the multiple license version.

Multiple license versions require an initial purchase of at least 5
licenses. And while the multiple license version of Windows XP does
not require activation it does require the purchaser to agree to allow
on-site audits by Microsoft or their representatives to ensure
compliance with the licensing terms.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm

Ron Martell wrote:

THAT'S why those squinty-eyed guys keep trying to look in my window ...
I thought it was my nightie.

Rôgêr <abuse@your.isp.com> wrote in news:0fidnViOh8AnLNzfRVn-
3g@pghconnect.com:

LMAO! You have GOT to be kidding! Zone Alarm Free is the absolute worst
firewall you could use if you want open port control.

Try Sygate or Kerio.

"Perce P. Cassidy" <ballmer@my.rooted.ass> wrote in news:elp8h2-
uui.ln1@linux.site:

Haven't you noticed that about 90% of the people in here don't?

Use Outlook Express, run Windows XP, use Internet Explorer, use Zone Alarm,
use Windows Media Player. Be sure to upgrade that old 500 MHz box to XP
SP2! Then you'll be as secure as you can possibly be in the computing
world!

Anybody who disagrees with them is subjected to ridicule and derision.
Typical of most little cliques of know nothings who have to band together
to protect themselves in the light of reason and knowledge.

Either that or they're all on the Microsoft payroll.

elaich, <a@b.c> wrote:


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH!

"elaich" <a@b.c> wrote in message news:d1r5ii$6ct$1@domitilla.aioe.org