Posted by Anon on 06/30/06 05:16

Penelope Pitstop wrote:

> Anon <nepotism+despotism@whitehouse.gov> wrote:
>> I'm happily running winmx v3.31 by using the(?) additional
>> hosts file entries.
>>
>> The other day my winmx displayed "CLICK FOR URGENT UPDATE!!!"
>> in the line below the title bar (where, for months, it'd only
>> been saying "Please be Patient!!!").
>>
>> I read the articles here, and the article at
>> http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=1214 (about dealing
>> with "false files"). The article left me scratching my
>> head... (Was I supposed to know what "smokeblower" is?
>> Without "the patch" will I [just still] see "false files"?)
>>
>> Since I had no concerns about "false files", I never felt
>> the need for any "patch", and so I am naturally concerned
>> about the possibility that the (executable) "cure" could
>> be worse than the "disease", at least as far as the health
>> and security of my system is concerned.
>>
>> Can someone here please explain what, if anything, I need
>> to do to my installation (and why) if I wish to remain a
>> participant in the winmx file-sharing community? (It seems
>> as if fewer people are finding/offloading my files lately.)

> Since the hosts file provides servers to connect to the network and
> those do change occasionally, it is important to update your hosts file
> when a new one becomes available.
>
> If you connect as a primary, you *do* need to block the "bad" IP ranges
> since you host other users connections and process search results for
> yourself and those other users connected to you.
>
> However, if you connect to as a secondary, there's no need to block
> those bad IP's, IMHO. It would not be effective except if you connected
> to a faker directly by attempting to download a fake file (which would
> probably time out anyway whether you blocked or not).
>
> A primary connects directly to the network and a secondary connects to a
> primary host. If, as a secondary, you connect to a primary who *does
> not* block those IP's, you will get fakes in your search results
> (depending on your search criteria and if the files you are after are
> currently being "faked" by the bad guys). If, as a secondary, you
> connect to a primary who *does* block those IP's, you should not get
> fakes in your search results. Although, not *every* faker can be
> blocked - only those major bad guys who are on the blocklist are caught.
>
> Vladd's website suggests that you block those bad IP ranges with PG Lite
> with the BlockTard list (though *not* for Windows 95/98/ME). Get it
> here - http://www.blocktards.com/p2p.html

Thanks much. I'd have saved you some typing if I'd remembered
to say I connect as a secondary, sorry (my sharing box is old and
of far less than the minimum 'requirements' to run winmx at all,
though it keeps up OK).

Is there a concensus 'best' (place to get a fresh) hosts file?

TIA,

--

When the government fears the people, we have democracy.
When the people fear the government, we have tyranny.

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