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Geek Culture / I'm back

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Herakles
16
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Joined: 6th Mar 2009
Location: Lost in my own head
Posted: 15th Feb 2011 07:11
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I've been completely cut off from the internet for about three weeks. My computer had a virus, one that my anti-virus was unable dispose of. The symptoms of the virus (ads popping up when I didn't even have a browser open, as if the normal amount of ads when browsing isn't enough) seemed to cease when I unplugged my computer from the internet. Fortunately, I have a friend who knew how to get rid of it. Unfortunately, he has been travelling for several weeks and only came back a few days ago. I just got my seemingly repaired computer back today.

And before anyone says "Stop looking at porn", I DO NOT LOOK AT PORN. At least not on the internet.

Anyway, it's good to be back not only to this forum, but also to the whole internet.

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Neuro Fuzzy
17
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Joined: 11th Jun 2007
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Posted: 15th Feb 2011 07:44
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Congrats!

Tell me, what's the real world like?

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The Slayer
Forum Vice President
15
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Joined: 9th Nov 2009
Playing: (Hide and) Seek and Destroy on my guitar!
Posted: 15th Feb 2011 14:36
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Welcome back, Herakles! You've been missed.
Yeah, virusses can be a pain in the ... (< you know whut).
But uhm, I need to know ... did you play more guitar now with your 'crippled' PC?
You still play, don't you?

Quote: "Tell me, what's the real world like?"

Yeah, what's the Matrix like?

Cheers

SLAYER RULES! YEAH, MAN!!
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budokaiman
FPSC Tool Maker
15
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Joined: 24th Jun 2009
Playing: Hard to get
Posted: 15th Feb 2011 15:11
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Quote: "Tell me, what's the real world like?"

I've heard about it. Supposedly there is a day / night cycle. During the day you need to break blocks with your hammer to build a house or fort because at night zombies and creepers will arise. Did you bring back any corpses for us, Herakles? Even if you didn't, it's good to have you back.


Mystic-Mod: Putting the fear back into sliced bread since 4th May 2010
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Fatal Berserker
14
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Joined: 2nd Jul 2010
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Posted: 15th Feb 2011 16:16
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Quote: "I've heard about it. Supposedly there is a day / night cycle. During the day you need to break blocks with your hammer to build a house or fort because at night zombies and creepers will arise. Did you bring back any corpses for us, Herakles? Even if you didn't, it's good to have you back."

And at night time you dig down to hopefully get coal and diamonds. Ive heard these tales too.

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Seppuku Arts
Moderator
20
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Joined: 18th Aug 2004
Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 15th Feb 2011 19:43
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Quote: "Tell me, what's the real world like?"


I've been out to the real world, but it only happened once? Ever played World of Warcraft? You'll know what I'm talking about.


Also welcome back my metal hailing companion!

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PAGAN_old
19
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Joined: 28th Jan 2006
Location: Capital of the Evil Empire
Posted: 15th Feb 2011 19:56
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Quote: "Tell me, what's the real world like?"


the mysteries of beyond always facinated me. they should make a game that takes place in the real world... i bet it has nice graphic...

dont hate people who rip you off,cheat and get away with it, learn from them
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thenerd
16
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Joined: 9th Mar 2009
Location: Boston, USA
Posted: 15th Feb 2011 20:36
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Welcome back. Please accept the Welcome Pear, as per standard protocol.

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Herakles
16
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Joined: 6th Mar 2009
Location: Lost in my own head
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 06:24 Edited at: 16th Feb 2011 06:25
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Quote: "But uhm, I need to know ... did you play more guitar now with your 'crippled' PC?
You still play, don't you?"


Yes, I've played alot. I mean, what else was I going to do? Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to recording anything. Real life is cruel like that.

Quote: "Also welcome back my metal hailing companion!"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuVfrLh9Oz4

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Phaelax
DBPro Master
22
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 06:26
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Who are you?

So your PC had a virus and cut you off from the net. What about using your other PC? Don't tell me you only have 1 computer! What kind of nerd are you!?

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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Neuro Fuzzy
17
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Joined: 11th Jun 2007
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 09:22
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I would just like to thank you for getting "Holy Diver" stuck in my head for the last three hours.

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PrimalBeans
14
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Joined: 14th Oct 2010
Location: The sewer.... hunting alligatiors.
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 09:52
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Stop looking at porn. Sorry... i had to.

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crispex
17
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2007
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 12:56
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I don't know, I've been running without antivirus for 8 years now, and never had any problems as I'm the only one who uses my computer, not to mention I don't go to any sites that sound edgy, and usually my judgement is correction. Most viruses result form carelessness online.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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Phaelax
DBPro Master
22
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 21:39
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Just because you experience no problems doesn't mean your virus free. A keylogger certainly wouldn't notify you, and without AV software to alert you of infections how would you ever know if your system is truly clean?

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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crispex
17
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 21:47
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1. All keyloggers and viruses show up in your msconfig under startup, which can be easily disabled and further removed.

2. Windows 7 and higher removed the ability to hide programs from the task manager, thus removing the ability to have them running hidden.

3. One who pays attention to their task manager will notice anything that looks suspicious.

Not to mention, I haven't removed Windows Defender, simply because it's not conveniently removable in Windows 7, plus I can't be bothered to do so. It's never gone off once.

I don't trust anti-virus. I've seen more people with it get viruses than without.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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Phaelax
DBPro Master
22
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 21:59
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Quote: "1. All keyloggers and viruses show up in your msconfig under startup, which can be easily disabled and further removed."

uh no they dont

Quote: "2. Windows 7 and higher removed the ability to hide programs from the task manager, thus removing the ability to have them running hidden."

so hiding stuff with rootkits no longer work at all?

Quote: "3. One who pays attention to their task manager will notice anything that looks suspicious."

to an extent yea, but how often do you open task manager?

I think more ppl just 'appear' to get more viruses because the AV alerts them of it.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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Seppuku Arts
Moderator
20
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Joined: 18th Aug 2004
Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 22:06
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Quote: "Quote: "Also welcome back my metal hailing companion!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuVfrLh9Oz4"


Good choice of song. May the legend rest in peace!

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Bootlicker
16
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Joined: 29th Mar 2009
Location: Germany
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 22:07
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Quote: "I DO NOT LOOK AT PORN. At least not on the internet."


this made me LOL

although, the internet is the best source


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crispex
17
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2007
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 22:56
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Do you HONESTLY think that I wouldn't know if I had a virus? I've been fixing computers and tending to others viruses for years. Not once did my accounts ever get hacked from keyloggers, nor did I ever detect any slow downs, get any messages that were out of the ordinary, etc.

Is it hard to really believe some of us actually know what we're doing and aren't stupid enough to get 500 viruses? What if I told you everyone in the world has STD's, just because you don't notice, doesn't mean they're not there? It's an absurd claim.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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Phaelax
DBPro Master
22
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 16th Feb 2011 23:15
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Chill out, I never said you had one or that you don't know what you're doing. I only said its possible without knowing. And one of the main reasons for AV software isn't to clean out a virus but to prevent the infection in the first place. If you find something in startup or task manager, whether or not you know how to manually remove it yourself is irrelevant because it may have already caused damage.

Quote: "What if I told you everyone in the world has STD's, just because you don't notice, doesn't mean they're not there? It's an absurd claim."

that's not actually that absurd, 1 in 4 ppl have one, mostly hpv i believe which is not uncommon to not show any symptoms. Just my random bit of info for the day.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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crispex
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 23:24
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Regardless, I've been working on computers for years and anyone that has a virus generally shows the same symptoms: Very slow, random popups, random crashing, fake anti-spyware adverts, etc.

I've never experienced these symptoms in nearly 9 years of being on the internet on a daily basis.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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Neuro Fuzzy
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Joined: 11th Jun 2007
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Posted: 17th Feb 2011 06:25
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Have you ever removed a bot net/slave application? I would say it's very likely that you've worked on a computer that has one. That's a prime example of a low-impact virus.

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Herakles
16
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Joined: 6th Mar 2009
Location: Lost in my own head
Posted: 17th Feb 2011 07:27
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Quote: "Good choice of song. May the legend rest in peace!"


If there really is an afterlife, I doubt someone as truly great as Dio would be one to sit on his ass twidling his thumbs. He wouldn't want boring peace, he'd want metal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJMqVwnzpII

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PrimalBeans
14
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Joined: 14th Oct 2010
Location: The sewer.... hunting alligatiors.
Posted: 17th Feb 2011 08:10
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Hmm... i find it hard to believe that your virus free w/o virus protection. The school network i use wont allow you to view questionable web pages at all. Youd be suprised at the amount of malicious software the average computer comes in contact with even under the best circumstances.

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crispex
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2007
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Posted: 17th Feb 2011 12:49
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Quote: "Have you ever removed a bot net/slave application? I would say it's very likely that you've worked on a computer that has one. That's a prime example of a low-impact virus."


I've gotten a few, mainly from friends who play on Steam and use those "unlocker" programs to try to get free games. Some people make fake ones containing access to botnets, which in most cases is obvious due to the outgoing packets on their connection.

Steam is very dirty when it comes to that sort of thing. Many people on Steam who get banned from various servers have vendetta's against the banners, then end up creating botnets and viruses just to get back at the world.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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thenerd
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Location: Boston, USA
Posted: 17th Feb 2011 23:33
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I hate to imagine how many tracking cookies you might have....

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Phaelax
DBPro Master
22
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 18th Feb 2011 08:38
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I think it was back in 2001, I became infected with the Code Red worm. I didn't know about it until I was contacted by Time Warner, who had a server that actually spread the worm out to its customers. It only affected people running Win2k and not 98, but I ran 2k.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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crispex
17
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2007
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 12:22
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Again, I'm not arguing that it could happen without me knowing, it could, but I know it DOESN'T. Here's the thing, first of all I only visit trusted sites. If you notice, mostly viruses lurk in places like torrent sites, warez sites, free video sites, etc. Again, I know for a fact that people who frequently get viruses are generally doing things they aren't supposed to be doing.

Next, you've got Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer 6 is STILL a commonly used browser by Windows XP users. Internet Explorer can have ActiveX modules injected into the system without users knowledge, and it can get you a nice virus. You need to get a different browser like FireFox, or better yet, Chrome.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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Fatal Berserker
14
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Joined: 2nd Jul 2010
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 16:22
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Quote: "Internet Explorer can have ActiveX modules injected into the system without users knowledge"

not exact quote: "This page uses ActiveX, click here to run the script."

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TheComet
17
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Joined: 18th Oct 2007
Location: I`m under ur bridge eating ur goatz.
Posted: 18th Feb 2011 16:39 Edited at: 18th Feb 2011 16:42
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Quote: "At least not on the internet."


And how am I supposed to interpret that?

Crispex makes a few good points I think AV software is a waste of processing power... All you really need to do is stick to the standard virus avoidance procedure, i.e DON'T use Internet Explorer, don't visit untrusted websites (porn, free videos/images/sounds, torrents etc.), only download something if you are absolutely sure it's safe, don't disable your firewall, never click on ads, don't download any "additional plugins" to "watch this movie", and don't turn off the option to ask the user if he really wants to execute a program.

Then it should be really simple to not get infected

While we're at this, is there a way to stop firefox downloading and executing stuff without my knowledge? Or at least let me know before proceeding?

@ Phaelax

Believe it or not, I actually look at my task-manager regularly

TheComet

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Diggsey
19
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Joined: 24th Apr 2006
Location: On this web page.
Posted: 18th Feb 2011 20:26 Edited at: 18th Feb 2011 20:28
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I don't have an active antivirus anymore, just a firewall. It's useful to have the scanner there for when I'm not sure if a program's safe or not.

Here's my advice if anyone wants it.

There are three main ways of getting a virus:
- Download a malicious program and run it.
- Run a badly written program which opens an infected document. IE for example used to have a bug where the VBScript engine used a fixed size string buffer for one of its commands. Hackers could intentionally use longer strings which contained machine code. The buffer was allocated on the stack, so when it overflowed it overwrote the return address causing the CPU to start executing code in the string.
- Use an infected USB stick, floppy disk, CD or DVD.

The easiest way to stop the first one is to make sure you are downloading from a well known site, and if you are in any doubt, try googling the name of the program and website to see if there are any complaints. There is also the possibility of accidentally running a program. To stop this, make sure explorer is set to always show extensions on files, and it should be immediately obvious if something is a program. Without this a file named "a.jpg.exe" will show up as "a.jpg" and so you might think it's safe to open.

The second one is hardest to stop. Luckily very few programs are this bad any more. IE with default settings, firefox and chrome are all completely safe to use, and you can do the same as for the first method for other programs.

The third one can mostly be stopped by disabling auto-run. Try not to run programs from portable storage at all if possible.

Documents are completely safe to open, as long as the program used to open them is security conscious.

[b]
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crispex
17
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2007
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 23:46
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Quote: "not exact quote: "This page uses ActiveX, click here to run the script.""


It depends what browser. Many users tell set it so that it doesn't bother you and automatically installs, meaning any remotely malicious site will install the intended malicious software on your system. Your best bet is to steer clear of Internet Explorer all together. There are far superior and cleaner browsers out there. Internet Explorer is very dirty.

I just now realized I've had a typo in my signature for the past 3 years.
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ToastyFresh
14
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Joined: 8th Feb 2011
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Posted: 19th Feb 2011 09:21
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Yeah I have not had any major problems with viruses over the past 6 years and I run no virus protection. The best protection is not getting infected.

Yes, it is me.
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Phaelax
DBPro Master
22
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 19th Feb 2011 17:49
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I refuse to use ActiveX as much as possible.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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