Posted by Penelope Pitstop on 06/30/06 11:28

Anon <nepotism+despotism@whitehouse.gov> wrote:
> 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,

http://www.vladd44.com/mx/piepatch.php

-PP

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