Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 June 24

= June 24 =

Norton thinks eBay is a fraudulent site
On one of our computers, Norton Security Suite thinks that eBay is a fraudulent website. You can login to eBay, but if you do any search it comes up and blocks it as a fraudulent site. We double-checked that the right URL was entered, and we don't have the problem on another computer. Is there a fix for this? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 01:38, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I found that others had the problem with older versions of Norton starting June 20, so I'm updating the software, which will probably fix it. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 02:00, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I suggest abandoning Norton products. ¦ Reisio (talk) 02:34, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Could malware have edited your hosts file to map ebay.com to a fradulent site? — Preceding unsigned comment added by YoungAspie (talk • contribs) 03:36, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * No, two of us double-checked the URL. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 04:40, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Updating to the 2012 version of Norton fixed it. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 04:56, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, what're the odds that paying Norton more "fixed" it. ¦ Reisio (talk) 07:03, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * We get Norton free from the ISP. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 15:11, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

recomendation for Windows backup
I've used several programs for backing up on Windows, but I haven't been happy with any of them. I want to be able to select which folders to back up (not the whole disc) and schedule the backup to run once a day. Does anyone have recommendations? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 06:02, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * It's quite easy to use xcopy and Windows scheduler to do this.--Phil Holmes (talk) 09:53, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Robocopy offers many more features than XCOPY, so may be more useful. Mitch Ames (talk) 12:42, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I use Robocopy for copying some very important files, but a good backup program can make an image of the entire HS so if it dies, you can boot from that backup and restore to a new HD and be back up. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 02:25, 25 June 2012 (UTC)


 * In your original question, you said "not the whole disc". The answers you were given would backup up selected folders and sub-folders, but would not image the whole disk, as you requested.--Phil Holmes (talk) 08:14, 25 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Well, I do both. I make backups of my most important files but I also want whole-disc backups. Robocopy makes a file-by-file copy, which is good for some things.  But there are also benefits to making one file and compressing it.  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 23:31, 25 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Windows Backup, that's built into vista and 7 will do exactly what you're asking. I'll leave it to you to decide if Microsoft's removal of some functionality from the home versions is annoying enough to cause you to find something else. You might also check out rsync. There's a project called rdiff-backup that will also do what you're talking about, but the configuration will be more difficult than Windows Backup. Shadowjams (talk) 21:48, 25 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I have Win7 Home Premium and I'm trying it right now. I got biased against MS backup years ago because the third-party programs were better.  But lately I have not been satisfied with the third party ones.  However, I don't see how to define more than one backup set in Windows Backup.  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 01:02, 26 June 2012 (UTC)

I accidentally made a backup of my C drive to my second internal HD instead of the external HD. So I made one to the external HD and then wanted to delete the incorrect one. I can't find a way to do it. If I go to "manage space" it only shows the new one. If I "browse" to the old one and select the folder, it asks if I want to restore those files. There is no delete, and it doesn't change to this one under "manage space". Bubba73 You talkin' to me?


 * You should be able to right-click on the folder (with the same name as your computer) and delete it - using Administrative privileges. (Disclaimer: I haven't tested this, but Admin does have full control of the folder, and there is a "delete" in the context menu.) Mitch Ames (talk) 10:44, 27 June 2012 (UTC)


 * OK, I didn't know if it was safe to do that. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 20:20, 27 June 2012 (UTC)


 * That worked. I had been afraid to try that since clicking on the folder to see what is inside, it asks you if you want to restore those files.  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 20:22, 27 June 2012 (UTC)

Can IMEI blocking be abused?
If someone blocks an IMEI which does not belong to him/her, is it detectable? 123.24.99.159 (talk) 07:11, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Detectable by whom? If your phone is blocked, it's rather detectable.  Mobile phone companies have security measures to stop random strangers accessing people's mobile phone accounts, and that includes IMEI blocking.  I'm sure in theory you could impersonate someone and have their phone blocked if you knew their number, account details, security questions, etc, but this could be quickly reversed.  It's probably also possible for mobile phone companies to incorrectly block an IMEI or block the wrong IMEI by mistake; in such a case you'll have to deal with them. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:27, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Detectable by network providers. Is it detectable? 117.5.15.50 (talk) 02:47, 26 June 2012 (UTC)


 * For one, the network provider should be able to tell which devices have been used with your account in the past. KarlLohmann (talk) 17:58, 28 June 2012 (UTC)

Computer can't find home broadband
We have a new wireless router on our Virgin Media broadband (UK). It's a D-Link DIR 615. One non-urgent question is whether this is the best kind of router or whether we could get faster speed if we can get Virgin to lend us an updated router. Anyway, urgently, we have one computer that now can't find the network. It's running Windows XP Home edition, and has a TP-Link Wireless Client Utility, newly installed, which I understand to be an N-dongle, and that it should be compatible with the router.

I've opened the wireless connection item and then Refresh Network List, but then all I get is an error message "Windows cannot configure this wireless connection". I do not see a list of networks in the area including neighbours' networks, which I do normally on machines in the house.

The connection is working fine with the other computers in the house, which are laptops. Thanks for any pointers. If I need to supply more information, please say and I will try. Itsmejudith (talk) 13:06, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * The issue seems to be that both Windows and the TP-Link utility are trying to configure your wireless for you. You can use one or the other, but not both.
 * I would suggest that you let Windows do the work for you. This is one of the things that Microsoft has managed to make work perfectly adequately, whereas manufacturer-specific tools often seem to either take over your machine, or fail to get updated.
 * If you agree, you can uninstall the TP-Link utility. Click Start then Control Panel then Add/Remove Programs. In the 'Currently installed programs' box, scroll to the entry for 'TP-Link Wireless Client Utility', click it, and choose Remove.
 * Once the program has been uninstalled, you should be able to connect to your wireless through Windows in the way you described. Let me know if it still doesn't work.
 * If you don't want to uninstall the TP-Link utility, or are unable to without administrator access, you can still use the utility to connect. Click Start then All Programs then the folder TP-LINK and run TP-LINK Wireless Configuration Utility. Instructions can be found at http://www.tp-link.com/en/article/?id=351 starting at section 2 (Connection).
 * As for the router, it's Wireless N, meaning you can get up to 300Mbps (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=565). This is almost certainly way faster than your Virgin connection (up to 100Mbps is the max I think). Unless you notice the router is not working as it should (e.g. connection dropping frequently, limited range) then you probably won't notice a difference with a new router. One thing you could try is going to http://www.speedtest.net/ and measuring your speed. Do it a few times, and if possible try doing it both over wireless and by connecting your PC to the router with a cable. If you notice a big performance difference by cable as opposed to wireless, it is possible that a new router might help. Otherwise, though, I wouldn't bother. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:18, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * This was really helpful and after a couple attempts I have reinstalled the adaptor's driver without the utility, and Windows has found the network. Now I am caught in another set of problems, in that I don't know how to find the WPA key. There are four sets of numbers/letters on the back of the router and I have tried all of these with no joy. I set a password for the router (some weeks ago) and that doesn't seem to be what it wants either. Now Windows is not even looking for a password but automatically says that it "cannot find a valid certificate" for the connection. On top of all that I can't remember our Virgin Media password. I asked to reset it on the website, but it doesn't want to do it on this (laptop) machine, is looking for the computer that belongs to the account holder. Which is the one that we can't get online. I'm starting to get that Kafka feeling. Have been on the phone to VM so long that my neck is aching from holding the phone, and their trashy pop is clashing with the proper music we have on. Why do we consumers put up with this stuff? (That's not the question I'm asking, the question is Where am I likely to find the WPA key? If I have thrown the box away, what then. The router belongs to Virgin). Itsmejudith (talk) 18:13, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * On some routers supplied by ISPs (e.g. Sky) the router's password and the WPA2 key are written on a sticker on the outside of the box. It sounds like Virgin work the same (I've never seen a Virgin box in person) but that you've changed them (and then forgotten them). In the worst case, there's usually a reset button on the box (which one sometimes has to jab with a paperclip) which returns it to the factory setting (hopefully what's written on the sticker). -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 18:51, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * If you could log into the box (from another, connected, machine) you'd typically find the WPA2 key visible in a text field in the network-settings or wireless-settings screen. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 19:03, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * This sounds like a potential way forward. There isn't a sticker with the WPA2 key, but there is a sticker on the top where I wrote the name of the network I set up, which is OK because the desktop can find it, and the password that I decided on. There is also a reset key which indeed would need a paperclip. I am on a connected machine (the laptop) but I don't know how to start logging into the box. Do I start from Control Panel? You can answer in half time or after the match :-) Itsmejudith (talk) 19:41, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Generally one points a web browser at the gateway's own address (usually one of 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 10.0.0.1) and login from there. Forza Italia. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 19:45, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Details on how to login on some of the (dlink) routers that Virgin supply are here. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 19:51, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * In the end I spent two hours on the phone to Virgin. They logged into the router using my laptop remotely, and using the username admin and password blank, which they could have just told me to do. After a while we were at the point where no computer could communicate with the router, and the technician wanted to end the call, promising to send a hub that would arrive in a few working days. I insisted that we had to get the laptop back in connection as it had been when I started the call. So she hit on the idea of renaming the network, which we did, and since then it has been straightforward and everything is online again. I think it was the utility that came with the adaptor, as you said, and then for some reason Windows wouldn't recognise the password. And then because I tried using all the different long numbers printed on the back of the router, Windows ran me out of chances to enter the password. Many thanks for your help. Itsmejudith (talk) 12:23, 26 June 2012 (UTC)

Unrefresh ?
I often find myself wanting to see the state of the current web page, before I refreshed it. The back arrow doesn't do this, it takes me to the previous page, not the previous state of the current page. Here are some examples:

1) I'm viewing the weather at WeatherUndergound.com, and refresh the page, but they often remove the forecast for that night's low before that night is over. So, I want to go back and see the forecast low.

2) More generally, I refresh a page, and just as the old page disappears, I see something on it I want to see, which is absent from the refreshed version.

3) I refresh the page and get some type of error explaining why the page can't be displayed. I'd prefer to go back, since the old page is better than no page.

So, is there any way to do this ? I am on Windows XP SP3 and use Firefox, but also have Opera and IE. StuRat (talk) 17:11, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Short of some extension (which may well exist), you can try to cultivate a habit of opening a duplicate tab instead: ,   ¦ Reisio (talk) 00:36, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Regarding md5 format in jmeter
In my project there is a scenario that

user will log in -> browse some pages -> then he will click on the logout link.

to test this scenario in jemeter, i used csv config so that i can test this scenario for 50 users. during login to the system password are not sent in md5 format but during logout ,each user passowrd is sent as request in the md5 format.

so can any body tell me how can i sent the password in md5 format in jmeter.

if i use the the same variable which i used for passowrd during login,  with encode option  clicked , will it work.

Please advise me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.90.110.65 (talk) 17:33, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

How to grant right to 'allow log on through Terminal Services' on Win7
I have two accounts on my Windows 7 Home Premium desktop. One is my admin account and the other account, I would like to log into via remote desktop from a thin client running Windows XP Embedded. I can log into my admin account from the thin client but when I try to log into my Kitchen account, I get the following error:

''To log on to this remote computer, you must be granted the Allow log on through Terminal Services right. By default, members of the Remote Desktop Users group have this right. If you are not a member of the Remote Desktop Users group or another group that has this right, or if the Remote Desktop User group does not have this right, you must be granted this right manually.''

On Windows 7 Xtreme it would be a relatively simple procedure using gpedit.msc (the local group policy editor). The working classes however don't have this snap-in. It was suggested to me that the settings might be stored in registry keys but I'm not sure that's true. I've read it's possible to make a registry backup, change a setting and make another registry backup to compare automatically with the first in order to find out what keys changed. Is there anyone who could do that for me (need Windows Pro or Ultimate)? 94.1.194.66 (talk) 17:55, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I don't have a working-class Windows install to test on at the moment, but I think you can do this from an elevated command prompt with something like net localgroup "Remote Desktop Users" "The Other Account" /add. -- BenRG (talk) 18:51, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * That's amazing, BenRG! But Alas! Bill Gates is always two steps ahead of me:

System error 1376 has occurred.

The specified local group does not exist.

I don't suppose creating the group would help? Could it be that Microsoft simply don't want the likes of me remotely logging into non-admin accounts? I'm going to try creating the group now (also at the command prompt.

''Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601] ''Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

''C:\windows\system32>net localgroup "Remote Desktop Users" "Kitchen" /add ''System error 1376 has occurred.

''The specified local group does not exist.

''C:\windows\system32>net localgroup "Remote Desktop Users" /add /comment:"Members in this group are granted the right to logon remotely" ''The command completed successfully.

''C:\windows\system32>net localgroup "Remote Desktop Users" "Kitchen" /add ''The command completed successfully.

''C:\windows\system32>

Edit: Curses! Foiled again! I'm still getting the original error when trying to log on with 'Kitchen'. My guess is that simply creating the user group, as I did, does not give the group all the rights and so on that it has on a Windows Pro or Ultimate installation. Any ideas? 94.1.194.66 (talk) 19:14, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I think you need to add SeRemoteInteractiveLogonRight to the group, which you could do with the NTRights utility, if you can find it.


 * What about Control Panel → System → Remote settings → Select Users? Does that exist? -- BenRG (talk) 20:56, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Alack, there is no 'Select Users' option in the 'Remote' tab of 'System Properties'.
 * I have found ntrights.exe available here but it appears that it is intended for Windows Server 2003. Do you think it will work for Windows 7? 94.1.194.66 (talk) 21:32, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I think it does.
 * (Assuming this works, you can just add the privilege to the user and dispense with the group. The group was only useful if it already existed and had the right.) -- BenRG (talk) 21:41, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * ''C:\windows\system32>ntrights -u Kitchen +r SeRemoteInteractiveLogonRight


 * ''Granting SeRemoteInteractiveLogonRight to Kitchen  ... successful


 * ''C:\windows\system32>


 * I will now attempt to log on from my kitchen computer and see if it really was successful...


 * Edit: Okay, so now instead of the original error message, it says ::::The requested session access is denied. I hate my life. :'( 94.1.194.66 (talk) 22:21, 24 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Googling that error message I notice that several people suggest running the client without the /admin parameter. Your thin client might have the equivalent of that option set by default, so you could look through the client settings. You could try connecting from an ordinary Windows machine using mstsc to see if that works.
 * You could also try adding the user to the group as originally planned, on the off chance that something is checking for that group by name. And you could check the local event log to see if it has more information than "access denied", assuming the local event log exists. If none of that works, I'll try to think of other ideas... -- BenRG (talk) 00:05, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Hi Ben, thanks again. I've pasted the contents of my RDP file here. It doesn't have any mention of an admin parameter. There's also no -admin switch being applied to the shortcut I use to start the RDC interface.

I forgot my laptop today so I will try logging in from a regular Win 7 machine tomorrow.

I actually added Kitchen to the group Remote Desktop Users (which I granted permissions using NTrights.exe) already but to no avail.

I have the "Event Viewer" open and will need some time to comprehend it. Thanks again for your help. Sean. 90.202.221.214 (talk) 23:37, 25 June 2012 (UTC)